DOW-UAP-D102, Project Blue Book File on Tremonton Film, Utah, 1952
- Date
- July 2, 1952 sighting; file documents 1952–May 16, 1956
- Location
- Near Tremonton, Utah
- Agency
- Department of War
- Release
- Release 06 (Sept. 18, 2026)
- Type
- document
Summary
This 156-page Project Blue Book file covers the July 2, 1952, film shot near Tremonton, Utah, by Navy Chief Photographer Delbert C. Newhouse, whose interview answers say no sound, trails, aircraft, birds or balloons were seen and that one object left the group. Assessments in the file conflict: a 1952 Air Force note suggests asking an ornithologist about birds; December 1952 memos and a Dec. 30 screening at the University of Minnesota record a consensus that the objects "resembled pillow balloons in flight very closely"; a proposed release statement says the Air Force was "reasonably sure" they were balloons or gulls; and a Navy Photographic Interpretation Center analysis ruled out birds, aircraft and balloons. A May 16, 1956, Douglas Aircraft analysis by R. M. L. Baker Jr. judged airplanes unlikely and balloons "probably not," left soaring gulls possible, and reached no definite conclusion.
Note
One of the classic Blue Book cases, and the file shows the disagreement plainly: pillow balloons and gulls on one side, the Navy analysts on the other.