Document · 29 January 1952
Project Blue Book case file: KOREA, January 1952
The Project Blue Book case file on the B-29 sightings of 29 January 1952 over North Korea, held by the National Archives in microfilm publication T1206 (Project "Bluebook", 1947–1969, roll 9) and digitized by Fold3. Our copy is the 30 page images from the NARA catalog, OCR'd for search.
It contains the Project 10073 record card, ATIC's analysis (Appendix III), Far East Air Forces bomber command messages and intelligence officers' comments, the Air Force intelligence memo prepared for a reply to Senator Russell, and later notes on a possible balloon explanation. The record card lists the source as two B-29 crews, the shape as a disk about three feet across and the colour as "fiery-like sun", and marks the conclusion as possibly balloon or possibly aircraft. No final evaluation was reached.
Source: U.S. National Archives, Project Blue Book (local copy)
Facts and claims
- documented ATIC's analysis: on the night of 29 January 1952, 30 miles WSW of Wonsan, the tail, left and top gunners of a B-29 observed “a light orange colored sphere” for five minutes on a parallel course; at 2324 local time the left and tail gunners of another B-29 observed “an identical object near Sunchon” for one minute. Source: doc-bluebook-korea-1952.pdf
- documented The ATIC Propulsion Group studied the colour and shape of the flame and judged that it could not have been the exhaust of a conventional jet, pulse-jet, ram-jet or rocket engine. Source: doc-bluebook-korea-1952.pdf
- documented ATIC's conclusion: “No conclusions have been reached as to the identity or origin of these unidentified aerial objects. One possibility is that this may have been some type of flare towed by an aircraft to mark the B-29 for flak crews.” Source: doc-bluebook-korea-1952.pdf
- documented A 29 February 1952 Air Force intelligence memo, prepared for a reply to Senator Russell, said the press release “played up the ‘flying saucer’ aspects” of the incident, that no final evaluation had been reached, and offered two tentative explanations: exhaust from an La-9 or La-11 Soviet fighter, or a searchlight mounted on an enemy aircraft. Source: doc-bluebook-korea-1952.pdf
- documented The file also records a March 1952 Fifth Air Force report that “globe-shaped orange-colored objects” seen by UN aircraft were a type of WWII Japanese balloon made in Manchuria; the Air Force comment noted that balloons 10–15 ft across would seem to preclude any great altitude capability. Source: doc-bluebook-korea-1952.pdf
Connected files
Programs
- Project Blue Book (case file of)
Incidents
- Wonsan–Sunchon B-29 sightings (documents)
Mentioned in this file
- National Archives and Records Administration (Organization)
- National Air and Space Intelligence Center (Organization)
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