Mariana UFO Film
A baseball team manager in Montana captured two bright aerial objects on 16mm film, producing some of the earliest motion picture footage of unidentified flying objects ever recorded.
Background
On August 15, 1950, Nick Mariana observed two silvery, disc-shaped objects while inspecting the playing field at Legion Park in Great Falls, Montana. He captured roughly sixteen seconds of footage with his 16mm home movie camera before the objects passed beyond his line of sight.
The Incident
Nick Mariana was inspecting the playing field at Legion Park in Great Falls, Montana.
He observed two silvery, disc-shaped objects moving steadily across the clear sky.
He retrieved his 16mm home movie camera from his vehicle and filmed approximately sixteen seconds of footage.
Investigation
The United States Air Force initially concluded the objects were reflections from a pair of F-94 jet fighters operating in the area.
The Air Force later retracted this assessment before re-endorsing the jet explanation.
Mariana maintained that the most compelling frames were removed from the film during Air Force custody, an allegation the military denied.
Significance
The footage was submitted to the CIA's Robertson Panel in January 1953.
It became part of the official scientific review of UFO reports during that era.
Despite decades of analysis, no definitive consensus has been reached on the identity of the objects.
Significance
The Mariana film stands as one of the earliest pieces of motion picture evidence in UFO history and highlighted the recurring tension between military explanations and witness testimony that would characterize the UFO debate for decades.