DOW-UAP-D093, Analysis of Flying Object Incidents in the United States, 1948

According to the releasing agency (U.S. Department of War), this file is a thumbnail associated with a USAF Air Intelligence Division study titled 'Analysis of Flying Object Incidents in the United States,' Study No. 203, dated December 10, 1948. The study assesses reported UFO incidents and possible theories for their nature and origin, concluding that 'it appears that some object has been seen; however, the identification of that object cannot be readily accomplished.' It offers two 'reasonable' origins—technologies of domestic or foreign origin—and suggests that, if foreign, the United States should prudently assume the observations are attributable to Soviet scientific, military, or intelligence activities and take seriously any threat such objects may pose. The file also contains contemporary UFO reports and examples of experimental 'flying wing' aircraft planforms that might account for certain commonly reported UFO characteristics. AARO comments that this file appears to be an earlier draft version of DOW-UAP-D094, whose content is substantively similar. The visible image is a plotted map of U.S. sightings with a legend indicating sighting types.