DOW-UAP-D017, UAP Reported at Sandia Base, 1948-1950
This file contains 116 pages of documentation from the Armed Forces Special Weapons Program (AFSWP) – the direct, post-World War II successor to the Manhattan Project – and from the U.S. Air Force – relating to a series of sightings and investigations in Sandia, New Mexico, from 1948-1950. This file contains 209 sightings of “green orbs,” “discs,” and “fireballs” reported near the military base. Witnesses reported unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) maneuvering, flying out of sight, disappearing, or exploding. The documents also include the results of contemporary investigations into residual copper powder found in some areas where sightings were reported. A few of these investigations became the basis for Project Grudge, which collected reports of unidentified flying objects from various other military installations – also included in this collection.
Document Highlights
Note: Highlights are derived from OCR-recognized document passages and file metadata. Please verify important claims against the original scan.
Short overview
Document ID: docwargovrelease2003dow-uap-d017. This 116-page file preserves Armed Forces Special Weapons Program and U.S. Air Force material about reported sightings near Sandia, New Mexico, from 1948 to 1950. The WAR.gov release description says the file includes reports of “green orbs,” “discs,” and “fireballs,” plus contemporary follow-up on possible physical residues such as copper powder.
Why this is interesting
The file is useful because it places the better-known New Mexico “green fireball” material in its administrative setting: correspondence, memoranda, security routing, and technical discussion around reported luminous phenomena near sensitive postwar facilities.
Selected passages
- Page 65: the page appears to continue a report headed “Anomalous Luminous Phenomena (Seventh Report)” and discusses differences between observed green fireballs and ordinary meteor falls.
- Page 92: the page appears to describe a trip to Los Alamos and notes that green fireballs were being reported in a New Mexico / West Texas area while not being reported in the same way elsewhere.
- Page 12: the page appears to discuss possible movement and return of tiny particles in the Socorro area; the extraction is imperfect, so the page should be checked before quotation.
Editorial cautions
Several pages are scans, redacted, or weakly recognized. Treat the selected pages as leads into the original PDF, not as final quotations.