Fairfield, August 18, 1952: red, green, orange and blue.
THINK ABOUTIT UFO|UAP SIGHTINGS REPORT
Fairfield, California:
Three Policemen and a Color-Changing Diamond, August 18, 1952
At 12:50 on the morning of August 18, 1952, three policemen in Fairfield, California watched a diamond-shaped object change color from red to green to orange to blue. It changed direction, apparently traveling “sideways” in a straight line, and gained altitude over about 30 minutes. Military witnesses also reported the object.
The Fairfield, California UFO sighting is a night report from three law-enforcement officers in a town beside Fairfield-Suisun Air Force Base, now Travis AFB. Project Blue Book counted it among its Unknowns as case 1920.
Date: August 18, 1952
Sighting Time: 12:50 a.m.
Day/Night: Night
Location: Fairfield, California, United States
Urban or Rural: Urban
No. of Entity(‘s): Not Applicable
Entity Type: Not Applicable
Entity Description: Not Applicable
Hynek Classification: Nocturnal Light (NL)
Duration: About 30 minutes
No. of Object(s): 1
Description of the Object(s): A diamond-shaped object that changed color from red to green to orange to blue, changed direction, and traveled apparently “sideways” in a straight line while gaining altitude
Shape/Size/Color of Object(s): Diamond-shaped (one Johnson summary compares its shimmer to a diamond rather than naming its shape); red, green, orange and blue; size not recorded
Distance to Object(s): Not recorded
Height & Speed: Gaining altitude; speed not recorded
Number of Witnesses: 3 policemen, plus military witnesses (number not recorded)
Special Features/Characteristics: Color changes through red, green, orange and blue; a sideways straight-line movement; military personnel also reported the object
Case Status: Project Blue Book: Unknown (BBU #1920)
Source: Don Berliner, Project Bluebook UFO Unknowns; Loren E. Gross, UFOs: A History, 1952: August, p. 42; Kevin Randle, Invasion Washington: UFOs over the Capitol, p. 278; Hynek-CUFOS re-evaluation; Jan Aldrich (BBU 1920)
Summary/Description: Three policemen in Fairfield, California saw a diamond-shaped object change color from red to green to orange to blue, move sideways in a straight line and gain altitude over about 30 minutes. Military witnesses also reported it. Blue Book: Unknown.
Related Cases: Hamilton AFB, California, August 3, 1952; Lathrop Wells, Nevada, August 26, 1952
Detailed Report
The Fairfield report is a short Blue Book entry. At 12:50 a.m. on August 18, 1952, three policemen saw an object over the town that changed color from red to green to orange to blue. The object also changed direction, and the officers described its travel as apparently “sideways” in a straight line, while it gained altitude. The observation lasted about 30 minutes, and military witnesses also reported the object.
The case appears in Berliner’s list of Blue Book Unknowns and is Blue Book case 1920. Loren Gross covers it on page 42 of his 1952 August chapter, and Kevin Randle cites it on page 278 of Invasion Washington.
The sources differ slightly on the object’s shape. A Johnson daily summary says the object changed color and brightness and compares its shimmer to a diamond, while the Berliner list and other summaries describe the object as diamond-shaped. Fairfield lies beside Fairfield-Suisun AFB, the base later renamed Travis, which is the likely source of the military witnesses.
RESEARCHER’S NOTES
Colors That Change and a Chase of Thirty Minutes
- Three police witnesses: Officers are trained observers who file reports, and three of them saw the same object. That gives the case more weight than a single civilian account.
- Color changes: Rapid red, green, orange and blue changes are the classic signature of a bright star or planet low on the horizon scintillating through thick air, and also of aircraft beacons. The record does not say how high the object was or whether it was near the horizon.
- Sideways motion: A sideways, straight-line track while gaining altitude is an unusual description. It is the feature that kept the case an Unknown.
- Shape: Whether “diamond-shaped” describes the form or the sparkle of the light varies by source. Treat the shape as unsettled.
- Military witnesses: The military personnel who also saw the object are not named or counted in the sources reviewed.
Fairfield is a night report by three police officers that Blue Book could not explain. The color changes invite an astronomical reading, and the sideways motion keeps the case open.
A diamond-shaped object changed color from red to green to orange to blue, apparently traveling “sideways” in a straight line.
— Summary of the Fairfield, California report of August 18, 1952 (Berliner; paraphrased)
