← Declassified UAP case filesDOW-UAP-D178DECLASSIFIED · R07

DOW-UAP-D178, Unresolved UAP Report, Catalina Island, 1953

Incident date

11/16/53

Incident location

Catalina Island, California

Agency

Department of War

Released in

R07 · 2026-10-23

File type

Document

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Key facts

Official file ID: DOW-UAP-D178
Document type: Document
Agency: Department of War
Released in: R07 · 2026-10-23
Incident date: 11/16/53
Incident location: Catalina Island, California
Coordinates: 33.3889038, -118.4239288
Pages legible: 4/5
VIRIN: 260508-D-D0360-1170

Official description

The file contains a report of a round, purplish-white object above Catalina Island on November 16, 1953. The report describes the object as remaining stationary, then moving northwest toward Los Angeles over approximately 10 minutes on a level flight path. The report characterizes the observer as fairly reliable due to his association with military jet aircraft activities while stationed at Long Beach Air Force Base, Los Angeles, CA. The report refers to an assessment by local astronomers that Jupiter provided a possible explanation.

✦ AI summary

This file contains a completed Project Blue Book record form — with an official conclusion of "Astronomical (JUPITER)" and a note that astronomers at the Griffith Park Observatory evaluated the sighting as possibly a planet — and a 1953 teletype message from the commander of the 2347th Air Force Reserve Training Center at Long Beach Municipal Airport, California, to Air Defense Command, the Air Technical Intelligence Center and USAF intelligence. It reports that an Air Force clerk at San Pedro, California, glancing at the clear night sky, saw a single round, "saucer-shaped" object the size of a pea, purplish white and then fading to white, at about 45 degrees of elevation; it appeared stationary over Catalina and then moved north-west towards Los Angeles in a straight, level path until it faded from view after about ten minutes. No optical aids or physical evidence were involved. The message notes that astronomers at the Griffith Park Observatory said such objects are possibly planets, which appear more clearly after rainfall, and the preparing officer considered the witness fairly reliable while noting that the astronomers' observation may account for the sighting.

Generated with AI from the official file — may contain errors.

▸Transcript(4 of 5 pages legible)

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[PAGE 1] 1. DATE - TIME GROUP: 16 November 53, 16/1305Z 2. LOCATION: Catalina, California 3. SOURCE: Military 4. NUMBER OF OBJECTS: One 5. LENGTH OF OBSERVATION: 10 Minutes 6. TYPE OF OBSERVATION: Ground-Visual 7. COURSE: NW 8. PHOTOS: No 9. PHYSICAL EVIDENCE: No 10. CONCLUSION: Astronomical (JUPITER). Movement of object does not coincide with winds aloft. Astronomers at Griffis Park observatory evaluated observation as possibly planets. Angular velocity, unknown. 11. BRIEF SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS: Round purplish white object appeared to be stationary in first sighting over Catalina and moved NW toward Los Angeles on a level horizontal path. Source stated that the skies were clear. No irratic maneuvers were observed. Nov 15, Jupiter 5 hrs, 38 min., 45 deg elevation in West. [Stamp: DECLASSIFIED — Authority: NND 923007] FORM FTD SEP 63 0-329 (TDE). Previous editions of this form may be used. [PAGE 2] [no legible text — reverse side of the record form; only faint bleed-through visible] [PAGE 3] RA084 WPG099 YDC075 XYB233 JWZ C267 BX71 BWD A290 BWDK292 [Stamp: UNCLASSIFIED] [black redacted block] RR JEDEN JEDWP JEPHQ JEPQW 444 DE BWDKW 09 R 171939Z FM HQ COMDR 2347TH AFRTC LBEACH MUNI APRT CALIF TO JEDEN/COMDR ADC ENT AFB COLORADO SPRINGS COLO JEDWP/COMDR ATIC WRIGHT PATTERSON AFB OHIO JEPHQ/DIRECTOR INT HQ USAF WASH 25 D C JEPQW/COMDR CONTINENTAL AIR COMMAND MITCHEL AFB N Y AF GRNC /[redacted] 0239 UFOB (1) (A) ROUND SAUCER SHAPE (B) SIZE OF A PEA (C) COLOR OF OBJECT WAS PURPLISH WHITE ON FIRST SIGHTING AND FADED TO A WHITEST COLOR REMAINING SO UNTIL ITS DISAPPERANCE (D) ONE (1) (E) NEGATIVE (F) NEGATIVE (G) NEGATIVE (H) NEGATIVE [PAGE 4] PAGE TWOXBJW 09 (1) OBJECT APPERED TO BE STATIONERY IN FIRST SIGHTING OVER CATALINA AND MOVED NORTH-WEST TOWARD LOS ANGELES WHERE IT DISAPPERED FROM VIEW (2) (A) CASUAL GLANCE AT SKY (B) 45 DEGREES ANGLE OF ELEVATION,; ODEGREES AZIMUTH (C) 45 DEGREE ANGLE OF ELEVATION AZIMUTH UNKNOWN (D) OBJECT FLIGHT PATH APPERED TO BE STRAIGHT AND LEVEL (E) LIGHT FADED FROM VIEW (F) TEN (10) MINUTES (3) (A) GROUND VISUAL (B) NEGATIVE (C) NEGATIVE (4) (A) 160505-160515 (B) NIGHT CLEAR (5) TENTH (10TH) AND GAFFEY SAN PERDO CALIFORNIA (6) (A) NEGATIVE [PAGE 5] PAGE THREE BWDKW 09 KB) T/SGT ROBERT J CURRIE 39 POSTOFFICE BOX 294 SAN PERDO 720 HARBOR HILL LOMIPA CALIF AIR FORCE CLERK UNKNOWN (7) (A) CLEAR (B) NW AT 8K 250 AT 10K, 270 AT 14K, 280 AT 12K, 260 AT 28K, 260 AT 50K UNKNOWN (C) CLEAR (D) TEN (10) MILES [handwritten marginal notation: arrow and numbers "270"/"180"] (E) NONE (F) N/A (8) ASTRONOMERS AT GRIFFIES PARK OBSERVATORY AVER AT OBJECTS SUCH AS THESE ARE POSSIBLY PLANETS WHICH APPEAR MORE CLEARLY AFTER RAIN FALL (9) NONE (10) NONE (11) NEGATIVE (12) WITNESS APPEARED FAIRLY RELIABLE DUE TO ASSOCIATION WITH JET AIRCRAFT ACTIVITY WHILE STATIONED AT LONG BEACH AIR FORCE BASE ASTRONOMERS OBSERVATION MAY ACCOUNT FOR THE APPERANCE OF THE SUBJECT 17/2000Z NOV BWDKW UNCLASSIFIED DOWNGRADED AT 3 YEAR INTERVALS; DECLASSIFIED AFTER 12 YEARS. DOD DIR 5200.10

Generated with AI from the official file — may contain errors.

Source: U.S. Department of War / AARO — public domain · war.gov/ufo