DOW-UAP-D157, Air Intelligence Information Report, Italy, 1952

Official Conclusion

No official conclusion; the preparing officer only commented on the witness's credibility and beliefs. Evaluation code D-4.

Official Description

This document is 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 an August 27, 1952, incident near Sassari, Italy, that was reported in the local Italian press the following day. The U.S. Air Attaché in Rome relayed the translated newspaper account to the Air Force in November 1953 and later interviewed the individual who made the initial report, Professor Giovanni Battista Sias. Sias described observing a brilliantly luminous sphere, slightly larger in apparent size than the full moon, with a green-blue color, silvery brightness, and metallic streaking on its right side. He reported that it moved from east to west at very high speed, intermittently disappearing and reappearing while leaving behind a narrow luminous trail or ribbon. The preparing officer characterized Professor Sias as intelligent, pleasant, and eager to share his account. 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.

Key Findings

• →On 27 Aug 1952 at 2145 hrs Prof. Sias observed a luminous sphere slightly larger than the full moon, green-blue and silver with metallic streaks, moving east-west for 3-5 seconds.
• →The sphere repeatedly disappeared and reappeared, leaving a luminous ribbon about one-seventh of its thickness before vanishing toward the horizon.
• →Two other persons (an orphan named Brau and a guardian named Piccolo about 3 km away) reportedly saw the phenomenon, according to Sias.
• →Father Junkes of the Vatican Observatory calculated a distance of roughly 1,091-1,681 km and a diameter of about 9-15 km, concluding it was not a common 'flying saucer'. He attributed the colors to iron and nickel content in astral bodies.
• →The preparing officer, Lt Col Woida, noted Sias believed it was either an advanced U.S. development, supernatural, or from another government, and judged him very intense, close to fanatic.

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