Declassified UAP

DOW-UAP-D179

Air Intelligence Information Report, Catalina Island, 1952

Format
Document, 2 pages
Incident date
6/25/52
Released
Release 07, October 23, 2026
Source
war.gov
Topics
Discs & saucers, Intelligence reports

Description from war.gov

This file contains an Air Intelligence Information Report (AIIR), a standardized U.S. Air Force reporting form used to record raw information of potential intelligence value for later analysis. The form served as a primary vehicle for U.S. Air Force field intelligence collection throughout the early Cold War, until defense-wide reporting standards were established in the early 1960s. This AIIR records a June 25, 1952, incident over Catalina Island, California, in which three Boy Scouts attending a summer camp at Camp Fox reported observing silver “flying saucers” moving at an estimated speed faster than that of a conventional jet. The report also describes the object as climbing quickly before apparently disintegrating. A comment by the preparing officer indicated that no attempt was made to establish the reliability of the report and characterized the experience of the observers as “probably meager at best.” All descriptive and estimative language contained in this report reflects the reporter’s subjective interpretation at the time of the event. Such characterizations should not be interpreted as a conclusive indication of the presence or absence of any intrinsic object features or performance characteristics.

2 pages, 491 words of text

Page 1

TRA 01 3 Boy Samu Cr. Salvor coject faster then jet, which apparent- Ly ando a clinbing tum bofore disintezratings Disinuegrabete DECLASSIFIED Authority: NND 923007

Page 2

AF.FORM I12--PART ! APPROVED 1 JUNE 1948 COUNTRY United States LASSIFIED |1 1 0a (LEAVE BLANK) REPORT NGAFB-1 AIR INTELLIGENCE INFORMATION REPORT SUBJECT Unidentified Flying Objects Reporting AREA REPORTE Southern California DATE OR REPO 2S August 1952 • INFORMATION DATE /A 25 June 1952 807th Hr Base Group, March Air Force Base EVALUATION None PREPARED BY S. D. I. Maddox, It Colonel, USAF SOURCE Civilian REFRE Letter 20 directive, precious report, etc., as applicable 200-5 dated 29 April 1952 SUMMARY: (Enter concise summary of report. Give significance in final one-sentence paragraph. List inclosures at lower left. Begin text of report on AF Form 119--Part II.) 1.8 This report of alleged "Flying Saucers" in the vicinity of Santa Catalina, which is just off the coast of Southern California, was reported by three (3) Boy Scouts in surmer camp (Camp Fox) on 25 June 1952. No report has been made by electrical means due to the time lag In the receipt of the information at this instal- 2. A sunnary of the description follows: The object was silver in color, altitude is uncertain, and speed estimated to be faster than a conventional Jet. There was no sound observed. One (1 maneuver wes observed which was apparently a climbing turn irmediately prior to its disappearance by disintegration. b. The occurrence was at 1200 hours (PSDT). Length of time observed is not recorded. The sighting was made by three (3) Boy Scouts during a hike up one of the mountains on Santa Catalina Island. No observing instruments of any sort were available. The three (3) observers were all in the same group at the time. No estimate of the reliability can be attempted by the reporter. The experience of the observers is probably meager at best. f. Sky conditions were clear and unlimited. No reports on wind conditions 8• observers saw. A rough sketch is inclosed on two (2) of the Inclosures of what the DOWNGRADED AT 8 YEAR INDERV 141; DECLASSIFIED AFTEN JR YEANS DOD DIR 5200.10 4 1. Ltr fr Clyde Vrooman 2. Ltr fr Howard Howel? Ltr fr Sam Gates 4. Ltr fr Forrest B. Spriggs dtd 1 Jul 52 DIS CC: CC: ce, 15th AF CO, 12th Air Div Chief, Air Tech. Intel. Center ATEN: ATIAA-20, Wright-Patterson ArB NOTE: THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS INFORMATION AFFECTING THE NATIONAL DEFENSE OF THE UNITED STATES WITHIN THE MEANING OF THE ESPIONAGE ACT. 50 U.S. C.- 31 AND 32, AS AMENDED. ITS TRANSMISSION OR THE REVELATION OF ITS CONTENTS IN ANY MANNER TO AN UNAUTHORIZED PERSON IS PROHIBITED BY LAW. IT MAY NOT BE REPRODUCED IN WHOLE OR IN PART, BY OTHER THAN UNITED STATES AIR FORCE AGENCIES, EXCEPT BY PERMISSION OF THE DIRECTOR OF INTELLIGENCE, USAF. UNCLASSIFIED 10--55569-1 NS. GOUSANNENT PRINTiNG OFFICE

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

Download the document Open on war.gov

Machine summary

Written by Claude Sonnet 5.5 (Anthropic) on October 23, 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.

This is an Air Intelligence Information Report (AF Form 112, Part I) prepared by Lt. Col. S. D. I. Maddox of the 807th Air Base Group, March Air Force Base, California. It is dated 25 August 1952 and concerns an incident on 25 June 1952. Three Boy Scouts at summer camp (Camp Fox) on Santa Catalina Island reported a silver object, seen around noon PDT during a hike up one of the island's mountains. They estimated its speed as faster than a conventional jet. It made no sound, and its altitude is uncertain. It was seen in a climbing turn immediately before it disappeared by apparent disintegration. Sky conditions were clear, and the observers had no instruments. Duration of the sighting was not recorded. The source is listed as civilian, and the evaluation field reads "None."

The report is a second-hand relay of youth witness accounts, and the preparing officer made no attempt to assess reliability, describing the observers' experience as "probably meager at best." The report went out about two months after the event, and the form says the delay is why it was not sent by electrical means. Enclosures include letters from Clyde Vrooman, Howard Howel(l), Sam Gates, and Forrest B. Spriggs (dated 1 July 1952), plus a rough sketch. Copies went to 15th Air Force, 12th Air Division, and the Air Technical Intelligence Center at Wright-Patterson AFB. The reference is to Air Force Letter 200-5 of 29 April 1952. The OCR is poor in places, and the enclosures are not reproduced in the text provided.

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information intelligence force form june camp observers reporting catalina california scouts flying faster object part united states observed contains aiir early defense island reported observing silver saucers estimated speed conventional

Closest matches by the text of the documents.

  1. DOW-UAP-D162 Air Intelligence Information Report, Alaska, 1953 Department of War Document 12/1/53
  2. DOW-UAP-D161 Air Intelligence Information Report, Alaska, 1953 Department of War Document 10/6/53
  3. DOW-UAP-D155 Air Intelligence Information Report, Saudi Arabia, 1957 Department of War Document 1/18/57
  4. DOW-UAP-D160 Air Intelligence Information Report, Morocco, 1953 Department of War Document 12/16/53
  5. DOW-UAP-D163 Air Intelligence Information Report, Sweden, 1953 Department of War Document 12/17/53
  6. DOW-UAP-D156 Air Intelligence Information Report, Guam, 1956 Department of War Document 12/31/56
  7. DOW-UAP-D159 Air Intelligence Information Report, Germany, 1953 Department of War Document 8/10/53
  8. DOW-UAP-D157 Air Intelligence Information Report, Italy, 1952 Department of War Document 8/27/52