CIA-UAP-006, Sighting Of Unconventional Aircraft
Official description
This CIA information report from November 1955 describes a US national's eyewitness account of triangular aircraft with wing lights launch at a steep angle from an airfield near Baku, Azerbaijan on October 4, 1955. A redacted version of this report has been available on CIA's public website.
✦ AI summary
This 2-page CIA Information Report (Report No. 00-B-302290) documents a 4 October 1955 sighting near Baku, Azerbaijan SSR, USSR, reported by a 41-year-old American tourist (a publicity/advertising vice president of a large U.S. corporation, with a political science background and Phi Beta Kappa honors, no aviation training) who was traveling by train from Baku to Tiflis (Tbilisi) as part of a group of four U.S. nationals visiting the USSR at the invitation of a senior Soviet official. Roughly two hours forty minutes after departing Baku, a companion alerted the group to a sighting, and all four witnessed a large airfield beside the Caspian Sea coast where a searchlight illuminated a triangular, squat object on the ground, roughly the size of a U.S. jet fighter, with three lights (one at each point of the triangle, presumably two wing lights and a tail light). The object was launched -- not a conventional takeoff but described as more like a missile ejection -- making three to seven fast spirals before climbing steeply at about 45 degrees to high altitude, tracked continuously by the searchlight; a companion reported this was the second such launch in rapid succession that evening. As the group continued watching, a train steward entered and closed the compartment blinds, silently indicating (via a gesture toward the rear of the car) that an MVD (Soviet secret police) officer aboard the train had ordered the blinds drawn. The report notes the group had wanted to fly this leg of the journey but were told by Intourist in Baku that no flights existed between Baku and Tiflis -- a claim later contradicted by Intourist staff in Tiflis, who said several flights ran daily. The report is almost certainly a firsthand civilian observation of a Soviet missile or rocket test near a military launch site, illustrating how legitimate weapons-test activity could generate 'unconventional aircraft' sighting reports.
Generated with AI from the official file — may contain errors.
▸Transcript(2 of 2 pages legible)
[PAGE 1] Approved for Release 2026. PREPARED AND DISSEMINATED BY CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY. COUNTRY: USSR. SUBJECT: Sighting of Unconventional Aircraft. PLACE ACQUIRED [by source]: Azerbaijan SSR. DATE ACQUIRED [by source] / DATE OF INFORMATION: 4 Oct 55 / 4 Oct 55. THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION. SOURCE: US national, 41 years old, publicity and advertising vice president of large US corporation. His major education was in the field of political science (Phi Beta Kappa), and he has lectured extensively on current affairs. He has had no technical training or experience in aviation matters. He recently visited the USSR as a tourist at the invitation of a senior Soviet official. At 1630, 4 Oct 55, I boarded a train at Baku for Tiflis in the company of three other US nationals, one of whom shared a Wagon-Lit compartment with me; the other two occupied the adjoining compartment. The train ran very slowly, making every stop; I would estimate its overall speed at 20 mph. Exactly two hours and forty minutes out of Baku, one of our group in the compartment next door entered my compartment and said, 'Did you see that out there? I just saw a flying saucer.' I and my compartment companion were about to laugh it off when the man from next door pointed out of the window again, and then we all saw the following sight. On the left-hand side of the train, between the train and the Caspian Sea coast, was a large air field. The evening was dark but clear. A huge searchlight, on the field itself, shone on a triangular object on the ground which I would say was probably not more than two miles distant from the railroad. [Collector's comment: Source first estimated that the air field was about five miles away but, on further reflection, changed the distance to the object to two miles.] The size of the object was comparable to that of a US jet fighter, with a squat shape and in the form of an equilateral triangle. There were three lights on the object, one on each point of the triangle, presumably two wing lights and a tail light. As we watched, it was ejected from its launching site, making not less than three and not more than seven fast spirals in the air, after which it climbed extremely fast at about a 45 degree angle. We watched it climb and saw it reach a high altitude; the searchlight followed it all the way. I wish to emphasize that this was no ordinary take-off but a launching procedure more like a missile ejection. Our companion from next door reported that this was the second launching in rapid succession. Report No. 00-B-302290. [Distribution/classification block: NOFORN, NO DISSEM ABROAD, LIMITED -- dissemination limited to full-time employees of CIA, AEC and FBI, and within State and Defense to intelligence components producing NIS elements. Distribution: State, Army, Navy, FBI.] [PAGE 2] 5. Our party had wished to make this part of the journey by air, but we were informed by Intourist in Baku that there were no flights between Baku and Tiflis. In Tiflis, the Intourist people were surprised that our party had not flown and said that there were several flights a day. -- end -- 4. [Preceding paragraph continues from page 1's cutoff]: I believe that the train at the time of the sighting was between 50 and 65 miles south of Baku. The Caspian Sea was still visible. While the four of us were still watching the object ascending, the steward came in and pulled down the blinds. When I began to protest, the steward gestured toward the rear of the car and shook his head, indicating to me that the MVD man who had boarded the train at the moment of departure had ordered the blinds drawn.
Generated with AI from the official file — may contain errors.
Source: U.S. Department of War / AARO — public domain · war.gov/ufo
