175 Factual, Unbiased UFO Reports by the Mainstream Media and a handful of Declassified Documents: 1942-today

By: Joël v.d. Reijden | Date: Sep. 27, 2005 | Last update: Jan. 25, 2024 | UFO PHENOMENON INDEX

1. Intro


2. 1942: Battle of Los Angeles
3. 1944-1945: Foo fighters over Nazi Germany
4. 1946: Ghost rockets
5. July 1947: The first major UFO flap
6. July 1947: The supposed Roswell crash, amidst global sightings
7. 1948: Air Force chases UFOs and sets up secret Project SAUCER/SIGN
8. 1949-1952: UFOs over air bases, atom plants, and in the Far East
9. July-August 1952: Major UFO waves over Washington, D.C.
10. More 1950s: UFO inquiries, Air Force attacked over secrecy
11. 1960s: Wave of '64-'68, 1966 Michigan sightings
12. 1964-: The Warminster "Thing" (UK)
13. 1967-: Animal mutilation reports (most likely disinfo)
14. 1970s: Many defense sites visited
15. 1980s: Questionable FOIA battles, Japan Airlines-Alaska case
    
    
    Mystery, disinfo and semi-bogus government disclosures
16. 1990s: Belgium, Clinton's questionable UFO disclosure initiative
17. 2000s: Many Eurasian reports, largely disinfo at home
18. 2002: New UFO wave over Washington, D.C., exactly 50 years after the 1st
19. 2000s-: Additional UFO disinfo pushed by mainstream media
20. 2017-2020s: DOD acknowledges UFOs exist - yet disinformers lead the way
    
    
    Related ISGP articles
21. Intro list of important quotes
22. Crop circles
23. Roswell disinformation

Following is a list of many dozens of chronologically organized news reports (about 175 at the moment), mixed with a few undisputed declassified government documents, covering a period from 1942 until today. Close to 100 percent of these articles can be considered mainstream, although this doesn't mean that always reliable individuals are cited, especially as the decades pass. Warnings are provided in these cases.

 

[click]	December 14, 1944, New York Times, 'Floating Mystery Ball is New Nazi Air Weapon'
[click]	January 15, 1945, Time magazine, 'Science: Foo-Fighter'

 

[click]	August 26, 1946, Time Magazine, 'Celestial Phenomena'

 

[click]	July 7, 1947, The Scotsman, 'Flying Saucers baffle U.S.'
[click]	July 14, 1947, Time Magazine, 'The Somethings'
[click]	August 3, 1947, Los Angeles Times, 'Two Killed In Crash On 'Saucer' Mission'
[click]	Sep. 23, 1947, declassified document, Gen. Nathan Twining internally acknowledges "the phenomenon reported is something real..."
[click]	October 27, 1947, The Scotsman, 'Mr. McNeil's Home Truths for Mr. Vyshinsky'

 

Roswell involves heavy-duty manipulation and disinfo.

[click]	July 8, 1947 (noon), Roswell Army Air Field press release, says U.S. Army retrieved a crashed saucer.
[click]	July 8, 1947 (2:26 p.m.), Sacramento Bee, 'Army Reveals It Has Flying Disc Found On Ranch In New Mexico'
[click]	July 8, 1947, United Press, Oroville (CA) Mercury-Register, 'Army Given Flying Disc, Is Report'
[click]	July 8, 1947, The Times (London), 'U.S. Army to Examine a Flying Disc'
[click]	July 8, 1947, Roswell Daily Record (evening newspaper), 'RAAF captures Flying Saucer on Ranch in Roswell Region'
[click]	July 9, 1947, Nevada State Journal (Reno), 'Army has 'Flying Saucer'; But what is it?'.
[click]	July 9, 1947, The Wyoming Eagle (Cheyenne), 'Only Meager Details of Flying Disc Given'.
[click]	July 9, 1947, Roswell Daily Record, 'Harassed Rancher Who Located 'Saucer' Sorry He Told About It'
[click]	July 9, 1947, United Press, 'Flying Disc Tales Decline as Army, Navy Crack Down'
[click]	July 9, 1947, New York Times, ''Disk' Near Bomb Test Site Is Just a Weather Balloon'
[click]	July 9, 1947, Ceylon Observer, 'Flying Saucers' over S. Africa, Canada, and Australia?'
[click]	September 10, 1950, Washington Post, 'With a Very Straight Face, 'Inside Stuff' on Flying Saucers' (involves a bogus crash case)

 

[click]	January 9, 1948, Los Angeles Times, 'Fighter Killed in Futile Chase of 'Flying Saucer''
[click]	January 16, 1948, declassified document, USAF chief of intelligence Colonel McCoy talks about USAF looking to obtain magazine's UFO letters.
[click]	January 31, 1948, The East Oregonian, ''Flying Discs' Book Declared Closed' (untrue statement to the public).
[click]	February 6, 1948, declassified document, USAF wants CIA to stop collecting people's UFO letters to media outlets - with most appearing bogus.
[click]	February 12, 1948, declassified document, USAF Gen. Charles Cabell, the later CIA deputy director, sounds skeptical about Air Materiel Command's proposed nation-wide UFO intercepts.
[click]	March 3, 1948, declassified document, USAF advises against Air Materiel Command's proposed nation-wide UFO intercepts.
[click]	March 18, 1948, declassified document, USAF chief of intelligence Colonel McCoy tells the USAF Scientific Advisory Board that many UFO reports are done by credible military personnel.
[click]	April 23, 1948, declassified document, USAF chief of intelligence Colonel McCoy summarizes Project SAUCER/SIGN to a superior.
[click]	October 3, 1948, Los Angeles Times, 'Fighter Pilot Dogfights With Flying Disk'

 

[click]	May 9, 1949, Time Magazine, 'Things That Go Whiz'
[click]	August 30, 1949, Los Angeles Times, 'U.S. Officers Report Seeing Flying Disk'
[click]	January 28, 1950, Elmendorf Air Force Base incident report
[click]	March 18, 1950, Los Angeles Times, 'Scores report seeing saucers flight in formation over New Mexico'
[click]	April 28, 1950, Associated Press, 'Plane passengers, Pilots See Huge Flying Saucer'
[click]	August 2, 1950, Associated Press, ''Flying Saucers' pop up in Korea and over Tokyo'
[click]	February 20, 1952, The New York Times, ''Disks' seen in Korea'
[click]	April 7, 1952, Life Magazine, 'Have we visitors from Space?'
[click]	July 1, 1952, U.S. government document, CIA director Walter Bedell Smith acknowledges the UFO reality and proposes a psywar discussion to the Psychological Strategy Board.
[click]	July 7, 1952, Washington Post, '4 Fliers Report 'Saucer' Hovering Over Atom Plant'
[click]	July 16, 1952, Washington Post, '2 Pilots Report 8 'Saucers' In Formation Over Norfolk'
[click]	July 18, 1952, New York Times, '60 'Saucer' Reports Fly At Air Force in 2 Weeks'
[click]	July 18, 1952, Washington Post, 'Veteran Pilot Reports Seeing Flying Saucers'
[click]	July 20, 1952, Harry Truman at press conference admits administration and military interest in UFOs.

 

[click]	July 22, 1952, Washington Post, '8 on Screen; Planes Sight Odd 'Lights''
[click]	July 22, 1952, New York Times, 'Strange Objects in U.S. Sky'
[click]	July 23, 1952, Washington Post, 'Saucer Reports Cut Skepticism In Control Tower'
[click]	July 25, 1952, Washington Post, 'Radar and the Saucers'
[click]	July 26, 1952, Washington Post, 'Jets 'Circle' Mysterious Flying Discs'
[click]	July 28, 1952, Washington Post, 'Saucer Outran Jet, Pilot Reveals'
[click]	July 28, 1952, The Bridgeport Post, 'Jet Interceptors Fail to Contact Ghostly 'Saucers' Over Capital'
[click]	July 28, 1952, Alexandria Gazette, 'Jet Fighters Outdistanced By "Flying Saucers" Over Mt. Vernon And Potomac'
[click]	July 28, 1952, Grand Haven Tribune, 'See Odd Objects In Michigan Skies'
[click]	July 28, 1952, The Observer-Dispatch, 'Whatever they Are, 'Sky ghosts', but They ARE There (radar says)'
[click]	July 28, 1952, Wilkes-Barre Record, 'Air Force Jet Fighters Fail to Catch Objects Flying over Washington'
[click]	July 28, 1952, Ypsillanty Press, ''Things' in Sky Here Sunday Appear Like Flying Saucers'
[click]	July 29, 1952, Alexandria Gazette, 'Saucers Seen Again Early This Morning' (Other heads of this newspaper included 'Eye-Witness story of Flying Saucers seen along Alexandria-Clarendon Axis', 'Fairfax Men See Objects on Radar On Night Watch', and 'Planes To Take Off Over River')
[click]	July 29, 1952, Washington Post, 'Merry-Go-Round, Air Force Admission on Saucers'
[click]	July 29, 1952, Washington Post, 'Jets Poised For Pursuit; 'Saucer' Peril Discounted, Unexplained Objects Over Capital Believed Physical Phenomena But Planes Are Alert'
[click]	August 4 , 1952, The Sheboygan Press, 'This time it's hard to brush off those mystery "saucers"'
[click]	August 4, 1952, Time Magazine, 'Blips on the Scopes'

 

[click]	January 30, 1953, INS News, 'Saucers seen on West Coast'
[click]	February 13, 1954, Scripps Howard, 'Flying Saucer Sightings Increase'
[click]	May 17, 1954, European Stars and Stripes, 'Twining Says AF Probing 'Saucers''
[click]	September 19, 1954, INS/Washington Post, 'Flying 'Cigar' Stops Silent Over Rome' (UFO sightings have been going on since 5 days)
[click]	October 29, 1954, Washington Post, 'Clare Luce Sees A Flying Mystery'
[click]	December 16, 1954, New York Times, 'President Discounts 'Saucer' From Space'
[click]	1956, Captain Edward J. Ruppelt, head of the Air Force's Project Blue Book 1951-1954, 'The Report on Unidentified Flying Objects' (important excerpts)
[click]	February 18, 1957, Washington Post, 'Hitler's Arms Chief Tells of Plan to Bomb U.S. By Super-Plane, Says Reich Had Flying Saucers'
[click]	September 17, 1957, Fort Pierce News-Tribune, 'Afraid Neighbors Will Laugh? - Just Tell it to Confidential Service for Flying Saucer Seers' (Article describes the NICAP organization and a case from 1956 with UFOs moving up to 3,600 mph/ 5,800 kmh)
[click]	October 16, 1957, United Press International, 'Results of 'Saucer' Hearings Reportedly Kept Secret' (NICAP blaming Air Force of secrecy)
[click]	December 22, 1958, Newark Star-Ledger, 'Pilots Ridicule AF Secrecy on Saucers'

 

[click]	February 28, 1960, New York Times, 'Air Force Order on 'Saucers' Cited' Note: Includes the statement of Adm. Hillenkoeter, the first head of the CIA and a NICAP board member, that the UFO subject is deliberately ridiculed to prevent people from taking it serious or talking to others about it.
[click]	July 27, 1962, Time magazine, 'Inside the Sky'
[click]	August 1, 1965, Los Angeles Times, 'Unidentified Objects Seen in Sky Again - Reports Received of Sightings on Four Continents'
[click]	March 23, 1966, Los Angeles Times, 'Second Aerial Object Reported in Michigan - New Phenomenon Seen by Civil Defense Director, Assistant College Dean, Coeds'
[click]	March 28, 1966, Los Angeles Times, 'New UFO Sightings Reported by Michigan Police Officers'
[click]	June 3, 1966, Time magazine, 'The swamp gas might have been particularly thick around Manhattan that day' Note: Knut Hammarskjöld, director general of the International Air Transport Association, states he believes in UFOs.
[click]	October 8, 1966, Los Angeles Times, 'Physicist Says CIA Ordered Debunking' (and that this order of the CIA had been given to the Air Force)
[click]	October 12, 1966, Los Angeles Times, 'Flying Objects Reported Over East, Midwest'
[click]	March 10, 1967, Los Angeles Times, 'Scores Report UFOs Over Kansas, Illinois'
[click]	August 4, 1967, Time magazine, 'A Fresh Look at Flying Saucers'
[click]	August 6, 1967, Lima News (Ohio), 'Flying Saucer Invasion' Note: Very extensive article by later well known UFO and paranormal author John A. Keel, thus unreliable.
[click]	November 27, 1967, Los Angeles Times, 'Skyborne Mystery Objects Are High on U.N. Agenda'
[click]	January 5, 1968, Washington Post, 'World-Wide Study of UFO Data Urged by Russian Astronomer'
[click]	April 20, 1968, Washington Post, 'French Now Decide to Keep Check on UFOs'
[click]	July 29, 1968, House Committee on Science and Astronautics
[click]	December 26, 1969, Time magazine, 'Closing the Blue Book'

 

[click]	June 2, 2015, BBC, ''Warminster Thing' marked in 50th anniversary UFO mural'
[click]	August 24, 2015, The Sun, 'The Warminster Thing: It came from the skies to terrorise a quiet ordinary English town...'
[click]	September 2, 2015, Sunday Express, 'UK town 'invaded by UFOs and eerie noises that killed flocks of birds and stopped cars''

 

Most likely disinformation/psywar.

[click]	October 10, 1967, Washington Post, 'Autopsy Finds Innards Missing, Dead Horse UFO Mystery Deepens'
[click]	September 8, 1974, Washington Post, 'Ranchers Enraged by Weird Deaths, 'Devil Cult' Sought in Nebraska Cattle Mutilations'
[click]	September 11, 1975, Los Angeles Times, 'Mutilations of Cattle: Terror in Colorado - Ranchers Arm Selves as Mystery Killings, Butchery Increase'
[click]	October 29, 1975, Washington Post, 'Strange Cattle Mutilations Mystify Colorado'
[click]	October 30, 1975, New York Times, '11 States Baffled by Mutilation of Cattle'
[click]	July 7, 2005, The McDowell News, 'Cattle mutilation alive and well today'

 

[click]	January 7, 1973, Los Angeles Times, 'Infinite Number'
[click]	December 3, 1973, Great Falls Tribune, 'Phantom aircraft again observed north of city'
[click]	July 20, 1975, Washington Post, 'Those 'Normal' UFO Witnesses'
[click]	October 20, 1975, Los Angeles Times, 'Television Review 'UFO' - a Couple's Nightmare' (Betty and Barney Hill case. Stanton Friedman is also featured. Unreliable)
[click]	November 19, 1975, The Missoulian, 'Missoula Man Reports UFO Near St. Ignatius' (Mentions UFOs near Minuteman missile locations)
[click]	April 30, 1977, Washington Post, 'UFO Over Georgia? Jimmy Logged One' (also talks about Governor John Gilligan's sighting)
[click]	December 13, 1977, National Enquirer, 'UFOs Spotted at Nuclear Bases And Missile Sites'
[click]	April 7, 1978, Washington Post, 'Cooper: UFO Stories From 'Credible' Sources'
[click]	November 29, 1978, Los Angeles Times, 'Argentina Reports Most Sightings - South Americans Take UFOs Seriously'
[click]	January 14, 1979, New York Times, 'C.I.A. Papers Detail U.F.O. Surveillance'
[click]	January 19, 1979, Washington Post, 'What Were Those Mysterious Craft?'
[click]	January 20, 1979, Los Angeles Times, 'UFO Group Wins Access to CIA Reports On Saucers; Defense Site Visits Told'
[click]	November 11, 1979, unknown newspaper (scan), 'Pilot tells how terror UFOs chased and almost killed 115 people on airliner'
[click]	December 28, 1979, The Pittsburgh Press, 'Are the Eyes of UFOs Upon Us?'

 

[click]	November 3, 1981, Washington Post, 'Suit Seeks to Lift Secrecy Veil From Agency's UFO Documents' Note: CAUS, with key figures as Todd Zechel and Peter Gersten are considered unreliable by ISGP for spreading of Roswell and MJ-12-related disinformation.
[click]	1985, Dennis Stacy, 'Close Encounter with Dr. J. Allen Hynek - An Interview With The Dean' Note: Hynek of CUFOS is an "authority", but considered unreliable by ISGP over Roswell and MJ-12 support.
[click]	November 1986, Associated Press, 'FAA investigates JAL Flight 1628 UFO Sighting'

 

[click]	April 16, 1990, Chicago Sun-Times, 'UFOs unidentified flying objects' (in Belgium)
[click]	November 7, 1990, Chicago Sun-Times, 'Europeans unite in spotting UFOs'
[click]	February 2, 1995, The Times, 'Richness of the saucer story' (UFO appears to have almost collided with airliner)
[click]	August 24, 1995, New York Daily News, 'Prez' hunt for campaign cash may turn up some UFOs first' Note: About Laurance Rockefeller contacting the Clintons on the UFO issue. Rockefeller has sponsored a ton of bogus research, seemingly on behalf of the CIA.
[click]	September 17, 1995, Sunday Express, detailed article about the 1989-1990 Belgium triangle sightings Note: While it looks genuine, at this point I have not been able to find this article in the archives of the Sunday Express.
[click]	December 18, 1995, New York Daily News, 'Far Out' Note: About Laurance Rockefeller contacting the Clintons on the UFO issue. Rockefeller has sponsored a ton of bogus research, seemingly on behalf of the CIA.
[click]	March 9, 1996, Daily Mail, 'So is there somebody out there, after all?'
[click]	January 14, 1997, National Enquirer, 'UFOs Are Real - I've Seen Them Says NASA Astronaut' (Gordon Cooper)
[click]	June 15, 1997, CNN, 'Poll: U.S. hiding knowledge of aliens'
[click]	June 19, 1997, CNN, 'What were those lights in the Phoenix sky?' (screenshot of film included)
[click]	August 6, 1997, Daily Mail, 'The stars who saw E.T.'
[click]	September 21, 1997, Daily Mail, 'The Bonnybridge files'. Note: Good story about thousands of people having strange experiences and a city council member being ridiculed beyond belief after a smear by a UFO magazine.
[click]	October 13, 1997, Las Vegas SUN / Associated Press Phoenix, 'Astronaut Says Aliens Have Landed'. Note: Includes a partial speech of Edgar Mitchell, who is highly unreliable due to his IONS and Coast to Coast AM association.
[click]	November 23, 1997, New York Post, 'Bill Wanted UFO Probe: Hubbell Book'.
[click]	November 25, 1997, Washington Times, 'Hubbell's assignment'.
[click]	November 27, 1997, Daily Mail, 'Alien territory'.
[click]	December 21, 1997, The Dallas Morning News, 'Life's great mysteries'.
[click]	August 18, 1999, Space.com, 'CIA Rues UFO Cover-Up'.
[click]	November 15, 1999, Daily Mail, 'Britain's X-Files'. Note: Summary of official UK government UFO investigator and Coast to Coast AM guest Nick Pope, who is not to be trusted as independent. He isn't. For more info on MI6 and MOD control over British UFO research, go to ISGP's crop circle article.

 

[click]	January 14, 2000, Space.com, 'Sky Dragons Behind the Media Curtain: UFOs in China'
[click]	April 14, 2000, Daily Mail, 'Is this Britain's spookiest place?' (About UFOs and hauntings in Longdendale)
[click]	May 21, 2000, Boston Globe, 'UFO theorists gain support abroad, but repression at home' Note: Mentions the French COMETA report, but features numerous UFO con artists, not to mention the fact that the article's author, Leslie Kean, since writing this article has also ingrained herself in the bogus UFO community surrounding Coast to Coast AM. She has been provided with grants from Soros' Open Society Foundations.
[click]	June 4, 2000, The Observer, 'Britain's UFO secrets revealed: Scientist's pressure for information opens up hidden government files on strange sightings in the sky' (documents are quoted that prove official secrecy)
[click]	June 23, 2002, The Observer, 'Close encounters of the Caledonian kind: Now it's official: Bonnybridge in Scotland is the UFO capital of the world'
[click]	June 24, 2002, The Guardian, 'Scots lead the way for UFO sightings' (officially you have a 1 in 17,000 chance of seeing a UFO in this country)
[click]	July 2002 discussions about the July 1952 Washington, D.C. sightings, as well as a mysteriously similar 2002 sighting, have been moved over to the relevant section.
[click]	October 25, 2002, Space.com, 'UFOs: Seeking the Truth Through Savvy Marketing' Note: Quotes former Clinton White House chief of staff John Podesta on need for disclosure.
[click]	April 18, 2004, Sunday Times, 'Britain's UFO files fly into cyberspace' Note: Mentions the bogus Randlesham Forest case and features extremist debunker Susan Blackmore.
[click]	April 28, 2004, WorldNetDaily, 'Dozens of UFO sightings excite Iran'
[click]	December 25, 2004, Jerusalem Post, 'Iran air force vows to defend nuclear facilities'
[click]	December 30, 2004, WorldNetDaily, 'Iran, Russia to study UFOs - Scientific probe amid rash of sightings in Eastern Hemisphere'
[click]	December 30, 2004, Mosnews, 'Russia Joins Iran in Fighting UFO’s'
[click]	April 17, 2005, The Independent, 'The Truth is Here'
[click]	December 19, 2005, Mosnews, 'UFO Sightings in Russia — Wrap up for 2005'
[click]	December 25, 2005, The Colorado Gazette, 'Was it UFOs? Mystery haunts eastern plains'
[click]	April 26, 2007, Jersey Evening Post, 'Pilots spot mile wide UFO close to Alderney'
[click]	May 4, 2007, The Independent, 'Is the truth really out there? At last, the MoD opens its files.'
[click]	June 22, 2007, London Evening Standard, ''Mile-wide UFO' spotted by British airline pilot'
[click]	November 3, 2007, Sydney Morning Herald, 'Plan 9 from outer space'

 

For articles on the first wave, scroll up to 1952.

[click]	July 20, 2002, Washington Post, 'As Big as Life'
[click]	July 26, 2002, Washington Post, 'F-16s Pursue Unknown Craft Over Region'
[click]	October 17, 2002, The Athens News (Georgia, U.S.), 'Strange happenings: Similar UFO sightings occur exactly 50 years apart'

 

EXTRA

2000s-: Additional UFO disinfo pushed by mainstream media

[click]	July 30, 2000, Space.com, 'Pioneering Astronaut Sees UFO Cover-up' (Gordon Cooper)
[click]	December 17, 2000, Staten Island Advance, ''This phenomenon is real'' Note: Involves a CUFOS/Intruders Foundation member, thus highly unreliable.
[click]	May 9, 2001, Space.com, 'DO NOT PUBLISH: UFO Group Demands Congressional Hearing' Note: About Steven Greer's bogus Disclosure Project.
[click]	May 20, 2001, Florida Today, 'Witnesses seek immunity, open hearings to end government coverup' Note: About Daniel Sheehan and Steven Greer's bogus Disclosure Project.
[click]	May 25, 2001, Daily Mail, 'Mystery still unsolved' (about Bermuda Triangle)
[click]	August 8, 2001, Florida Today, 'Rush takes aim at UFO politics' Note: About Daniel Sheehan and Steven Greer's bogus Disclosure Project.
[click]	December 4, 2002, Daily Mail, 'Visitors from another planet' Note: About old painting supposedly showing UFOs. All disinformation.
[click]	February 18, 2004, St. Petersburg Times, 'Astronaut: We've had visitors'. Note: About Edgar Mitchell of Coast to Coast AM and IONS. Considered highly unreliable.
[click]	April 18, 2004, Sunday Times, 'Britain's UFO files fly into cyberspace' Note: Mentions the bogus Randlesham Forest case and features extremist debunker Susan Blackmore.
[click]	September 13, 2005, Toronto Star, 'The Paul Hellyer files: The truth is out there' Note: About Paul Hellyer, a Disclosure Project ally. Spreads bogus information.

 

Updating with legitimate articles has become virtually impossible today. Even the 2017-2023 period in which the media, Pentagon and congress started to take UFOs "seriously" is riddled with Coast to Coast AM-tied UFO disinformers. We discuss this in a section of the Coast to Coast AM article, and for the rest stop trying to update this section. Looking at how congress' in 2023 actively hid that TikTok was owned by CFR and Davos-tied western corporations, instead of by the "communist Chinese government", already showed that congress is filled with actors. Them working with Coast to Coast AM disinformers to manipulate the facts on UFOs really shouldn't come as a surprise.

[click]	Dec. 16, 2017, Leslie Kean (C2C AM) and Ralph Blumenthal (C2C AM) for the New York Times, 'Glowing Auras and ‘Black Money’: The Pentagon’s Mysterious U.F.O. Program'.
[click]	May 7, 2020, Rolling Stone, 'Tom DeLonge [C2C AM] on the Pentagon Releasing UFO Videos: ‘I Can’t Believe We Pulled This Off’'.
[click]	May 28, 2021, Politico Magazine, 'How Harry Reid, a Terrorist Interrogator and the Singer From Blink-182 Took UFOs Mainstream'.