Incident · 2 July 1952 · Near Tremonton, Utah
Tremonton film (Utah, 1952)
Also known as Tremonton, Tremonton film, Newhouse film
Partly explained. The Robertson Panel and later Air Force assessments favoured seagulls reflecting sunlight; the Navy's photo analysts disagreed, and the film cannot establish distance or size. (Robertson Panel report (Durant Report): Report of Meetings of Scientific Advisory Panel on Unidentified Flying Objects)
On 2 July 1952, U.S. Navy Warrant Officer Delbert C. Newhouse, a Navy photographer, was near Tremonton, Utah, when he saw a group of bright objects and filmed about 30 feet of 16 mm colour film with a handheld camera. He submitted the film to the Air Force, and it became one of the most studied films of the early UFO era: the Navy's Photographic Interpretation Center analysed it, and the CIA-sponsored Robertson Panel reviewed it in January 1953.
The Navy analysts found the objects hard to reconcile with natural phenomena or known aircraft, but the Air Force's later assessments favoured seagulls reflecting sunlight. Without fixed reference points, the film cannot establish distance, size or speed. The film and Project Blue Book's file were published in the 2026 PURSUE releases.
Sources: PURSUE records DOW-UAP-D098, D102, D103, D105 and PR159 (Department of War/AARO, 2026)
Facts and claims
- documented Navy Warrant Officer Delbert C. Newhouse, a Navy photographer, reported seeing 12 to 14 reflective objects near Tremonton on 2 July 1952 and filmed them on 16 mm Kodachrome with a handheld Bell & Howell Auto Master camera. Project Blue Book assessed him as honest and reliable, and as an expert with more than 1,000 hours of aerial-photography experience. Source: DOW-UAP-D102 — Project Blue Book File on Tremonton Film, Utah, 1952
- documented The U.S. Naval Photographic Interpretation Center analysed the Tremonton film and a 1950 Montana film. It assessed that the objects showed characteristics inconsistent with natural phenomena or commonly known aerospace technology, but called its findings presumptive and recommended a better-resourced investigation. Source: DOW-UAP-D098 — Film Analysis of Unidentified Objects, 1953
- documented The Air Force's assessment evolved: early documents considered sunlight on birds or balloons and a mirage, while later ones grew more confident that the objects were seabirds reflecting sunlight. The film's limited detail and lack of fixed reference points prevented any reliable estimate of distance, size, altitude or speed. Source: DOW-UAP-D102 — Project Blue Book File on Tremonton Film, Utah, 1952
- documented The CIA-sponsored Robertson Panel (January 1953) reviewed the Navy laboratory's analysis and "could not accept the conclusions reached". It found that the apparent motions, sizes and brightnesses of the objects were "considered strongly to suggest birds, particularly after the Panel viewed a short film showing high reflectivity of seagulls in bright sunlight", and saw no valid reason to relate Tremonton to the 1950 Great Falls film. Source: Robertson Panel report (Durant Report): Report of Meetings of Scientific Advisory Panel on Unidentified Flying Objects
- documented The footage released in PURSUE is a NARA digitization of a 16 mm print. From the 55-second mark it switches to unrelated footage of sewing equipment, and the Idaho mountain scenery Newhouse shot later the same day is not preserved. Source: DOW-UAP-PR159 — Historical Film of Reported UFOs, Utah, 1952
Connected files
Books
- The Report on Unidentified Flying Objects (subject of)
Programs
- Project Blue Book (investigated by)
Official records (PURSUE)
- DOW-UAP-D102 — Project Blue Book File on Tremonton Film, Utah, 1952 (documented in)
- DOW-UAP-D103 — Project Blue Book Photo File Relating to Tremonton Film, Utah, 1952 (documented in)
- DOW-UAP-D098 — Film Analysis of Unidentified Objects, 1953 (documented in)
- DOW-UAP-D105 — U.S. Air Force Flying Discs File, 1952 (documented in)
- DOW-UAP-PR159 — Historical Film of Reported UFOs, Utah, 1952 (documented in)
Documents
- Robertson Panel report (Durant Report): Report of Meetings of Scientific Advisory Panel on Unidentified Flying Objects (reviewed by) — The Robertson Panel reviewed the film and “could not accept the conclusions reached” by the Navy laboratory
People
- Delbert C. Newhouse (witnesses)
- Edward J. Ruppelt (investigated by)
Videos
Mentioned in this file
- PURSUE — Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters (Program)
- Central Intelligence Agency (Organization)
- All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (Program)
Mentioned in documents and records
- CIA-UAP-014 — British activity in the Field of "Unidentified Flying Objects"
- DOW-UAP-D104 — Final Personnel Record for Newhouse, Delbert C., U.S. Navy, 1957