Los Alamos, New Mexico, November 11, 1952
THINK ABOUTIT UFO|UAP SIGHTINGS REPORT
1952: Los Alamos, New Mexico, the Security Force Watch
On the night of November 11, 1952, ten members of the Atomic Energy Commission security force at Los Alamos watched a round object showing red, green and white lights hold nearly still over a prohibited area. The sighting lasted from about 9:35 p.m. to 11:00 p.m., and a fighter was put on readiness but never launched.
No radar contact was made, and the observers themselves thought it was a star. The OSI report of December 11, 1952 is the primary document, and the Blue Book list shows the case as astronomical.
Date: November 11, 1952 (an earlier listing said November 12)
Sighting Time: 10:35 p.m. MST as logged; the OSI report gives 2135–2300 for the full watch and the teletype gives 2229–2239 MST
Day/Night: Night
Location: Los Alamos, New Mexico (prohibited area)
Urban or Rural: Restricted area
No. of Entity(‘s): None reported
Entity Type: Not applicable
Entity Description: Not applicable
Hynek Classification: NL (Nocturnal Light)
Duration: About 15 minutes to 1 hour 25 minutes depending on the document
No. of Object(s): 1
Shape of Object(s): Round
Size of Object(s): Not recorded
Color of Object(s): Red, green and white
Distance to Object(s): Not recorded
Height & Speed: Nearly motionless
Number of Witnesses: 10 (AEC security force)
Special Features/Characteristics: A fighter on readiness; no radar contact; the observers thought it was a star
Case Status: Blue Book list: Astro (meteor); the report notes a balloon was considered
Source: Berliner; Blue Book file (OSI report, December 11, 1952; teletype)
Summary/Description: Ten AEC security force members saw a round red-green-white object nearly motionless over a prohibited area at Los Alamos on November 11, 1952. No radar contact was made and the observers thought it was a star.
Related Cases: Other early-November file cases on the November 1st–15th page
DETAILED REPORT
The OSI report of December 11, 1952 places the sighting on November 11, between 2135 and 2300, by ten members of the AEC security force. They described a round object with red, green and white lights that stayed nearly motionless over a prohibited area. A fighter was put on readiness. No radar contact was made, and the observers themselves thought it was a star.
The teletype gives 2229 to 2239 MST. The earlier listing’s date of November 12 is probably the Greenwich date.
Blue Book considered a stray weather or research balloon, noting that balloon lights usually last only about an hour and a balloon carries one light. The Blue Book list shows the case as Astro (meteor).
RESEARCHER’S NOTES
Los Alamos 1952: Ten Guards, One Light and a Star
- Date and time: The date is November 11 per the OSI report. The times differ between documents, from a 15-minute teletype window to a 90-minute watch.
- The observers’ view: The security force members themselves concluded it was a star, which weighs against an anomalous reading.
- Prohibited area: The location raised the stakes, so a fighter was held at readiness.
- Evaluation conflict: A balloon was weighed and the Blue Book list says Astro; the card reading is used.
Los Alamos is a modest case with a sensitive setting. The witnesses called it a star and the record agrees.
“It was the opinion of all observers that the object in question was a star.”
— OSI report, Los Alamos, New Mexico, December 11, 1952 (Blue Book file; OCR)
