Declassified UAP

DOS-UAP-D002

Diplomatic Cable, Brazil, November 20, 1963

Format
Document, 2 pages
Incident date
11/20/63
Released
Release 05, August 7, 2026
Source
war.gov
Topics
Diplomatic cables

Description from war.gov

This document is a U.S. Department of State diplomatic cable from the U.S. Embassy in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to the Office of the Secretary of State in Washington, D.C., on November 20, 1963. This cable relays the findings of the scientific attaché at the American Consulate in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, that a widely reported incident allegedly involving a crashed unidentified object was unsubstantiated, characterizing the reports as a fabrication originating in Rio de Janeiro. The Consulate cites a lack of contemporary local reporting regarding the alleged incident, as well as contradictory reporting from local newspapers after the fact, as evidence that the published claims are unsubstantiated. The Consulate also cites a statement from the Brazilian Ministry of Aeronautics categorically denying that there was “any “strange object” in Conde [Bahia].” This correspondence follows a previous exchange between the Embassy and the Department of State, included in this collection under the title “DOS-UAP-D001.”

2 pages, 415 words of text

Page 1

ORIGIN/ ACTION DEPARTMENT OF STATE 5K 1: 4 RM/R REP AF / 44 AIRGRAM SP 16 BRAZ FOR RM USE ONLY ARA 4 EUR FE UNCLASS IF IED NEA CU CATO INR 5 10 TO INFO A-628 NO. : DEPARTMENT OF STATE : Amconsul SALVADOR 1963 NOV 24 RM/AN FBO AID Department: Pass copies Defense, NASA * 420 V3 1567, 25 мы AGR сом S/P / FRB INT LAB TAR PRO NASA 4 ARMY CIA NAVY 10 OSD 15 USIA NSA 8 3 SOINS AUSC 2 6 FROM: Amembassy RIO DE JANEIRO DATE: November 20,21963 SUBJECT: Negative Report on UFO (Unidentified Flying Object) Reportedly Sighted Near Salvador, Bahia on November 8, 1964. REF : Embtel 94 to Amconsul Salvador (to SecState 1054) of November 14, 1963. Г Information copies of the above Embtel were sent to the Department with the request that they be passed to Defense (for the Air Force) and NASA. Mr. Harold Midkiff, the Consul in Salvador, replied by telegram No. 157 of November 14 to the above cited Embtel; as follows: "Story of strange object descending in region of Conde Bahia apparently fabricated in Rio no such objects seen by anyone in the area according to newspaper reporters and others who rushed there before investigation reports were received Secretary Public Security speculated object might be weather balloon but no such sighting verified." In addition, he forwarded by pouch also on November 14 two newspaper clippings from Salvadoran journalswhich substan- tiate the above message, respectively Diario de Noticias of November 9, and the Jornal da Bahia of November 11. The first of these states that the Ministry of Aeronautics categorically denies that there was any "strange object" in Conde. The other is entitled "The Airship that wasn't there". According to the Jornal da Bahia reporter, the only news- worthy aspect of the episode that it produced an astounding by-product: he sent a telegram to his paper from the federal telegraphic office in Conde - by an old morse code transmitter - INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC AFFAIRS L FORM DS - 323 4 - 62 Drafted by SA: ACSimonpletri/vma 11-20-63 ontents and Classificatio Clearances: AA: RDKalb (in substance) POL: CCCarson &e UNCLASSIFIED NOV, 2 6 1963FOR DEPT. USE ONLY _Out Te in, 5,6 DECLASSIFIED NND 939551

Page 2

UNCLASSIFIED Page 2 of A-628 from Rio and five minutes later he had a reply from Salvador. For the Ambassador: Nimompiel Andre c. Simonpietri Scientific Attaché UNCLASSIFIED 784 DECLASSIFIED NND 939551

The text is machine-read (OCR) from the scan and can contain errors. The scan is the record.

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Machine summary

Written by Claude Sonnet 4.6 (Anthropic) on August 20, 2026, from the record's text and war.gov's description. It is not part of the record and can contain errors; check it against the document.

DOS-UAP-D002 is a diplomatic airgram (No. A-628) from the U.S. Embassy in Rio de Janeiro to the Department of State, dated November 20, 1963, with distribution copies directed to Defense and NASA. It relays an investigation by Consul Harold Midkiff and Scientific Attaché André C. Simonpietri into reports of an unidentified object allegedly coming down near Conde, Bahia, Brazil, on or around November 8, 1963. The cable summarizes findings from Midkiff's telegram and two Brazilian newspaper clippings. Both the Consul and local press found no witnesses to any anomalous event. The Brazilian Ministry of Aeronautics categorically denied any strange object appeared near Conde.

The document is notable as a formal U.S. government negative finding on a UAP report, showing the Embassy actively investigated and coordinated with Defense and NASA. It is the second in a two-document exchange, following DOS-UAP-D001. No significant redactions are visible in the released text. The date discrepancy in the subject line — referencing November 8, 1964, in a 1963 cable — appears to be a clerical error in the original document.

Most frequent words

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november department salvador bahia object state conde janeiro scientific consulate strange nasa embtel above unclassified cable embassy brazil office secretary attach incident unidentified unsubstantiated reports cites local reporting ministry aeronautics

Records war.gov itself pairs with this one.

  1. DOS-UAP-D001 Diplomatic Cable, Brazil, November 14, 1963 Department of State Document 11/14/63
  2. EOP-UAP-D001 NASC Inquiry into Bahia, Brazil Incident, November 13, 1963 Executive Office of the President Document 11/13/63

Closest matches by the text of the documents.

  1. State Department UAP Cable 003, Tbilisi, Georgia, October 30, 2001 Department of State Document 10/28/2001-10/29/2001
  2. State Department UAP Cable 004, Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, November 5, 2004 Department of State Document 11/5/04
  3. State Department UAP Cable 002, Kazakhstan, January 31, 1994 Department of State Document 1/27/94
  4. State Department UAP Cable 001, Papua New Guinea, January 28, 1985 Department of State Document 1/24/85