Latest: Release 07, Fri 23 Oct 2026Next release: estimated Fri 20 Nov 2026 (window 13 Nov to 4 Dec)

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THE UAP READING ROOM

Official U.S. government UAP file releases, archived, read and kept.

RELEASE 07 / DOW-UAP-D178

HISTORICAL SIGHTINGS

DOW-UAP-D178, Unresolved UAP Report, Catalina Island, 1953

File ID
DOW-UAP-D178
Agency
Department of War
Release
Release 07, 23 Oct 2026
Event date
11/16/1953 (read as 16 Nov 1953; precision: day)
Location
Catalina Island, California
Type
PDF
Redactions
None flagged

The official record

Official copy at war.gov
First page of the official copy

Official summary, as published

The file contains a report of a round, purplish-white object above Catalina Island on November 16, 1953. The report describes the object as remaining stationary, then moving northwest toward Los Angeles over approximately 10 minutes on a level flight path. The report characterizes the observer as fairly reliable due to his association with military jet aircraft activities while stationed at Long Beach Air Force Base, Los Angeles, CA. The report refers to an assessment by local astronomers that Jupiter provided a possible explanation.

Named in this file

1 name

People, programs and institutions from The Legacy Program research board whose names appear in this file, found by exact spelling against a hand-checked list. A match says only that the file names them, not what part they play. People and programs lists every file that names each one.

Our reading

HISTORICAL SIGHTINGS

A record card and teletype on a round purplish-white object an Air Force clerk watched from San Pedro on 16 November 1953: stationary over Catalina, then moving northwest toward Los Angeles on a level path for about ten minutes before fading. The card notes the motion did not match winds aloft and records Griffith Park astronomers' view that it was possibly a planet; the conclusion box reads Jupiter.

Three separate measures, each with its reason. They are never added into a score.

E Evidence 1 of 3

One airman's ten-minute ground sighting

N Novelty 2 of 3

Judged from the file; no earlier publication checked

L Linkage 2 of 3

Teletype addressed to ATIC at Wright-Patterson

Flags

  • The file explains itself. Words in the file that bear on what it shows (recorded, not a verdict):
    • Astronomical (JUPITER) (page 1)

People and programs

Tier A Air Technical Intelligence Center institution

Reading published 31 Oct 2026.

Our saved copy

Download our saved copy (DOW-UAP-D178_Unresolved_UAP_Report_Catalina_Island-1953.pdf)

One version seen. The checksum lets you confirm that a copy you hold is the one we saved.

  1. First seen

    779 KB (798,058 bytes)

    SHA-256 30163aa0db350a0216a9662573af4ccf8fe1c130cac3f01b0ed8769c8d71186e