Washington, D.C. UFO Sighting (July 1952) — AARO Records
A first saucer wave case from Washington, D.C.. In July and August 1952, during a surge of UFO sightings over the U.
Background
In July 1952, in Washington, D.C., the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) recorded the unidentified-phenomenon case described below. The case is preserved in AARO’s 2024-2025 publications and consolidated annual reports to Congress, declassified or released in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and Department of Defense reporting cycles.
One of the first wave of “flying saucer” reports that swept the united states after the kenneth arnold sighting of june 1947 and the roswell incident of july 1947.
The case appears in materials produced or curated by the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office.
What the document records
In July and August 1952, during a surge of UFO sightings over the U.S. Capitol, radio broadcaster Frank Edwards claimed a USN jet fired upon a two-foot diameter glowing disc. A one-pound fragment was allegedly recovered by a ground team, but Project Blue Book had no record of the incident. Investigations by the USAF and USN found no incident reports of weapons engagement with a UFO and confirmed no USN aircraft were present.
Verbatim from the file
“a USN jet fired on a two-foot diameter glowing disc and dislodged a one-pound fragment”. “Project BLUE BOOK was not aware of this claim.”. “The USAF and USN found no incident report of weapons engagement with a UFO that summer”
Type of case
The case is a pilot or aircrew sighting, observed from the cockpit during flight.
Status
AARO designates unresolved cases as those for which the agency has not concluded the events were anomalous, has not concluded that they were conventional, and has not ruled out either possibility. Conventional candidates for sightings of recent periods include commercial drones, classified test platforms, satellite re-entry, balloon traffic, atmospheric optical phenomena, and astronomical objects.