FBIUnknown
Strange white object streaking across Montana sky — September 1952
Sep 19, 1952Montana (statewide reports, reported 100-mile streak) (approx.)
⟳ 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
A news release and memo from September 20, 1952, described press coverage indicating the FBI was investigating a strange white object that reportedly streaked across the Montana sky for approximately one hundred miles on September 19, 1952. The FBI Butte ASAC clarified that while a report had been received, no investigation was conducted by the bureau and none was planned. The matter was considered an Air Force responsibility.
As reported — verbatim from the document
“"a strange white object which reportedly streaked across the sky of Montana for about one hundred miles"”
Analyst notes — caveats & confidence
Based on news release attached to FBI memo; no primary witness statements in this file. FBI disclaimed investigative jurisdiction; Air Force responsible. Duration, speed, and number of witnesses unknown. OCR quality fair.
Provenance
Source document65_HS1-834228961_62-HQ-83894_Section_5.pdf
Document typecorrespondence collection
Reporting agencyFBI
Source pages209
Redaction markers in doc6
DeclassifiedFirst public at this release (2026)
Held classified~74 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.