FBIUnknown

Cigar-shaped object over Rome, Italy — September 1954

Sep 18, 1954Rome, Italy6,000 ft2100s

⟳ Deeper read pending. This record is from the FBI 62-HQ-83894 flying-disc file, whose cursive, clippings and faint scans are under-read by automated OCR. It is flagged for a vision-transcription pass and likely undercounts what the source contains — see the documents collection note.

Analysis — our summary

According to an AP wire report and INS eyewitness account reproduced in the CRIFO Newsletter (filed in FBI records), a cigar or half-cigar shaped object was observed over Rome, Italy on September 18, 1954. Witnesses described it plummeting more than 1,000 feet then rising at tremendous speed. INS reporter Michael Chinigo described it as a 'clipped cone' that 'parked' in midair for several minutes. Radar at Rome registered the object for 35 minutes. The Italian Air Ministry stated no such object had been registered on its radar network.

As reported — verbatim from the document

“"a half-cigar... plummeting toward earth for more than 1000 ft., then rising at tremendous speed before vanishing"; "The radar station at Rome which picked up the 'cigar' or 'cone' said it registered for 35 minutes"”

Analyst notes — caveats & confidence

Source is a civilian newsletter (CRIFO) reproducing AP and INS wire reports. AP and INS are credible press sources; Italian Air Ministry contradicted radar claim. Radar confirmation is notable. Account is secondhand (newspaper clipping in newsletter, newsletter filed in FBI records). OCR quality is good for this section.

Provenance

Source document65_HS1-834228961_62-HQ-83894_Section_8.pdf

Document typecorrespondence collection

Reporting agencyFBI

Source pages217

Redaction markers in doc14

DeclassifiedFirst public at this release (2026)

Held classified~72 years (≥, to this release)

Extraction confidence LowHow cleanly this record could be parsed from the source — driven by legibility & redaction. It is not a measure of how credible or anomalous the sighting is.