State Department Memo: Increased UFO Reports and Air Force Opinions (July 1952)
Date
July 28, 1952; May 8, 2026 (release)
Document Type
Gov. Report
Authentication
Official PublicationIssuing Authority
U.S. Department of State (NARA RG 59)
Summary
Two-page Department of State memorandum dated July 28, 1952, addressing increased reports of unidentified flying objects. The document offers possible explanations for the surge in sightings, including technological improvements and historical records of UFO reports, and summarizes U.S. Air Force opinions on the phenomenon. Written at the height of the 1952 UFO wave - the most intense period of U.S. UAP sighting reports on record - the memo demonstrates State Department institutional awareness of and engagement with the UAP issue. Released via PURSUE Release 1, May 8, 2026.
Significance
Dated July 28, 1952 - the week after the landmark Washington D.C. radar-visual incidents (July 19-20 and 26-27, 1952) - this State Department memo captures institutional government response at the peak of the most intense UAP wave in U.S. recorded history. The document's consideration of Air Force opinions signals multi-agency awareness and inter-departmental communication about the phenomenon at its most publicly prominent moment.