Newhouse Tremonton, Utah film sighting
2 July 1952 · Tremonton, Utah
Summary
Navy Chief Photographer Delbert C. Newhouse reported that he filmed a group of objects about seven miles north of Tremonton, Utah, at 1110 on 2 July 1952, according to his letter of 11 August 1952. He wrote that he was driving from Washington to Portland when his wife noticed the objects. He estimated ten or twelve objects milling in rough formation and exposed about thirty feet of 16mm Kodachrome with a hand-held camera and a 3-inch telephoto lens. An Air Force message of 12 September 1952 recorded an interview with the Newhouse family. It gave 12 to 14 objects, named his wife, son and daughter as other witnesses, and described Newhouse as an expert photographer.
The Air Force asked the Navy for an independent analysis on 24 October 1952. The Naval Photographic Interpretation Center reported on 4 May 1953 that most of its group judged the images to be light sources. It said birds, aircraft and balloons were ruled out, and it computed velocities from the film using an assumed distance of five miles. A Blue Book memorandum recorded that the Air Force laboratory thought the images brighter than any bird and not spherical balloons, and that aircraft were possible.
The Robertson Panel met in January 1953 and studied the film and the Navy briefing. It did not accept the Navy conclusions. Its listed reasons included that a semi-spherical object could reflect sunlight without blinking and that the motions and brightness suggested birds. The panel also objected that the density measurements came from a duplicate film. It said further tests with balloons and ornithologists would probably give a positive identification.
An ATIC message of February 1953 said pillow balloons and gulls were possibilities. It added that attempts to trace a balloon launch in the area were negative. The Blue Book record card listed possible mirage and migratory birds. In March 1954 the Navy center said it had never held the original film and noted that ATIC had called it 35mm, while the Navy understood it to be 16mm.
Where the files disagree
Two documents give different accounts of the same detail. Both are quoted as written; we don't say which is right.
Local time of the sighting
What the files say
“A semi-spherical object can readily produce a reflection of sunlight without "blinking" through 60° of arc travel.”
Page 22 →“In other words, the burden of proof is on the sighter, not the explainer.”
Page 24 →“It is the majority opinion of the group conducting this analysis that these images are light sources.”
Page 6 →“ANOTHER STRONG POSSIBILITY IS THAT THE OBJECTS WERE SEA GULLS SOARING THERMAL AIR CURRENT.”
Page 30 →
Also discussed in
- Air Force review of Project Blue Book UFO files (1967)
- Air Force UFO correspondence, Project Blue Book (1955)
- Tremonton, Utah UFO film: Blue Book photo file (1952)
- Delbert Newhouse Navy personnel record (1957)
- U.S. Air Force 'Flying Discs' file, UFO reports (1952)
- Tremonton, Utah UFO film, Blue Book review (1952)
Explanations in the record
What the documents themselves say the event was, as recorded. Not our assessment.
- Robertson Panel: the objects were suggested to be birds, with sunlight reflection from semi-spherical objects explaining the lack of blinking. — Robertson Panel UFO report and CIA files (1952-1953), page 22
- ATIC message: pillow balloons, or sea gulls soaring in thermal air, with gull film showing similar bright spots. — Tremonton, Utah UFO film: Blue Book case file (1952), page 30
- Blue Book record card comments: possible mirage effect and possible migratory birds. — Tremonton, Utah UFO film: Blue Book case file (1952), page 2
- Blue Book worksheet: mirage effect, birds (snow geese or seagulls), with aircraft considered highly improbable. — Tremonton, Utah UFO film: Blue Book case file (1952), page 58
- Blue Book photo file: possible explanation pillow balloons or birds. — Tremonton, Utah UFO film: Blue Book photo file (1952), page 2