DOW-UAP-D162, Air Intelligence Information Report, Alaska, 1953

Official Conclusion

No definite conclusion could be reached as to the origin of the light; a possibility exists that it came from an unidentified ship in or near U.S. territorial waters.

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 a December 1, 1953, incident near St. Lawrence Island, Alaska, in which an Alaska National Guard sergeant residing on the island reported observing a stationary light on the horizon west of Gambell for approximately five minutes. The report states that the light was observed at a true heading of 283 degrees, appeared similar in color to a flashlight, and disappeared as though it had been turned off. The preparing officer further noted that an unidentified ship may have been the source of the light, though no definite conclusion could be reached as to its nature or origin. 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

• →Sgt Clifford Iknokinok, a 26-year-old Alaska National Guard member, observed a light on the western horizon at approximately 1110-1111Z on 1 December 1953 from in front of the Gambell School.
• →The light was described as flashlight-colored, neither bright nor dim, with no beam or reflection, and did not move relative to a flagpole sight line; it vanished at 1115Z 'as though someone had turned it off'.
• →A 5004th AISS member used a lensatic compass to fix a true bearing of 283 degrees; a village check found no other natives who saw the light.
• →The preparing officer judged the witness's size estimate (a 5.5-inch disk covering the light) to be inconsistent with his first estimate of 10 inches in diameter.
• →No land lies within a considerable distance on the 283-degree bearing, ruling out a land-based light; the report states a ship of unknown identity is a possibility, but no conclusion could be reached.

Extracted Entities