FBI File 62-HQ-83894 Serial 153: "Flying Saucers" Photographed Over Oak Ridge, Tennessee, July 1947
Prepared summary.
In July 1947, W.R. Presley of 218 Illinois Avenue, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, photographed what the Knoxville News-Sentinel called a flying saucer. Presley had been photographing his family and house and used his last frame on a shot of a nearby mountain; when the roll was developed, a bright circular object appeared in that final image. The newspaper reported it as the first time a flying saucer had ever been photographed over Oak Ridge and noted that the picture had "all of Oak Ridge talking." The FBI Knoxville Field Office forwarded two prints and a photostatic copy of the newspaper clipping to FBI Headquarters under an Internal Security file.
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[page 1] 62-HQ-83894 VOLI SERIAL 153 ONLY ## FBI CENTRAL RECORDS CENTER ## HQ HEADQUARTERS | Class/Case # | Sub | Vol. | Serial # | | |-|-|-|-|-| | 0062 83894 | | 1 | 153 | ONLY | 8/11/1274168 RRP0031XGA Declassification authority derived from FBI Automatic Declassification Guide, issued May 24, 2007. [page 2] ## KNOXVILLE FILE #65-11 RE: "FLYING SAUCERS" OBSERVED OVER OAK RIDGE AREA INTERNAL SECURITY - X ## ENCLOSURES TO BUREAU: Two photographs of reputedly "flying saucers" seen at Oak Ridge, Tennessee, during July 1947. Photostatic copy of newspaper clipping appearing in the Knoxville News-Sentinel concerning these "flying saucers." [page 3] 2-83891-153 ENCLOSURE [page 7] 62-8.3894-153 [page 9] 62-83894-153
Image notes
2 visual notes
Page 6
The image depicts a scene with several buildings, a telephone pole, and power lines against a backdrop of hills. The buildings appear to be single-story residences. A road runs in the foreground. The overall impression is of a somewhat rural or suburban setting.
Page 8
The image depicts a rural scene with houses, a telephone pole, and hills in the background. A bright, circular object is visible in the sky, possibly the moon or a light source.