The Washington D.C. UFO Flap of 1952

In July 1952, unidentified flying objects appeared over Washington D.C. on two consecutive weekends, tracked on multiple radar systems and observed by numerous witnesses. The events triggered one of the largest Air Force press conferences since World War II and remain among the most significant UFO incidents in history.

The First Weekend

On the night of July 19-20, 1952, radar operators at Washington National Airport detected a group of unknown objects. The objects moved erratically, appeared and disappeared from radar, and flew over restricted airspace including the Capitol and White House.

Visual confirmation came from multiple sources. Harry Barnes, senior controller at the airport, confirmed the radar tracks were solid returns, not atmospheric anomalies. Pilots of commercial aircraft in the area reported seeing lights moving at high speed.

Air Force F-94 jet fighters were scrambled to intercept. The pilots reported seeing lights that easily outpaced their aircraft. When the jets arrived, the lights would disappear; when the jets left, they would return.

The Second Weekend

A week later, on July 26-27, the objects returned. Again, radar tracked multiple unknown targets over Washington. Again, jets were scrambled and again proved unable to intercept.

This time, the objects were photographed by press cameras. Pilots gave detailed descriptions of lights that accelerated instantly to speeds far beyond aircraft capability.

The Press Conference

On July 29, Major General John Samford held a press conference to address the sightings. It was the largest Air Force press conference since World War II.

Samford suggested that temperature inversions—layers of air at different temperatures that can cause false radar returns—might explain the radar tracks. This explanation was met with skepticism, as experienced operators had been able to distinguish the UFO returns from weather effects.

Project Blue Book

The Air Force’s Project Blue Book investigated the incidents but never reached a satisfactory explanation. The cases remain officially unexplained.

Edward Ruppelt, head of Project Blue Book at the time, later wrote that the Washington sightings were among the best-documented UFO cases the Air Force had investigated.

Assessment

The Washington D.C. flap of 1952 represents a pivotal moment in UFO history. Objects were tracked on multiple radar systems, observed visually by trained witnesses, photographed, and chased by jet fighters over the nation’s capital.

The temperature inversion explanation remains controversial. Whatever flew over Washington those July nights demonstrated capabilities beyond 1952 technology and left questions that have never been answered.