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CIA Memorandum on Unconventional Aircraft Sightings, 1955, Senator Russell Party Debriefing
Prepared summary.
A CIA memorandum dated 31 October 1955, addressed to the Director of Central Intelligence and authored by Herbert Scoville Jr., Assistant Director of Scientific Intelligence, summarizes debriefings of four witnesses who observed "flying saucers or unconventional aircraft" from a train near Alyaty, Soviet Azerbaijan, at 1910 hours in 1955. The witnesses included Senator Richard Russell, who saw a small greenish-yellow glowing ball rising rapidly, and Colonel Hathaway, who described a shadowy object with a rotating light at its base that did not resemble any aircraft, rocket, or missile he had seen.
Azerbaijan, Soviet UnionSenator Richard Russell, U.S. SenatorMr. Gros, U.S. Government officialMr. Efren, U.S. Government officialColonel Hathaway, U.S. military officerOrbLight or glare
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[page 1] TOP SECRET- Approved for Release 2026 # SIGNATURE RECORD AND COVER SHEET Fleet USA 1 NOV 1955 ASD 178 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: <empty> SOURCE: AD/SE DOC. NO.: <empty> DOC. DATE: <empty> COPY NO.: 6910 NUMBER OF PAGES: 2 NUMBER OF ATTACHMENTS: None <empty> REGISTRY CIA CONTROL NO.: 115485 A-4 DATE DOCUMENT RECEIVED: 1 NO 1955 A-6 LOGGED BY: <empty> ATTENTION: This form will be placed on top of and attached to each Top Secret document received by the Central Intel• ligence Agency or classified Top Secret within the CIA and will remain attached to the document until ShCh time as j t is downgraded, destroyed, or transmitted outside of CIA. Access to Top Secret matter is limited to Top Secret Control, personnel and those individuals whose official duties relate to the matter. Top Secret Control Officers who receive and/or release the attached Top Secret material will sign this form and indicate period of custody in the 1 eft•hand columns provided. Each individual who sees the Top Secret document will sign and indicate the, date of handling in the right•hand columns. # SIGNATURE RECORD AND COVER SHEET (cont.) | REFERRED TO | RECEIVED | RECEIVED | RECEIVED | RELEASED | RELEASED | SEEN BY | SEEN BY | |-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-| | OFFICE | SIGNATURE | DATE | TIME | DATE | TIME | SIGNATURE AND OFFICE | DATE | | OSL | Redye | | 1070 | [ ] | | outhill | που 55 | | | | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | waeur | 1/11/5 | | | | | [ ] | [ ] | | | S30 199 OCT | | | | | [ ] | [ ] | | G M | 30 Get | | | | | [ ] | [ ] | | | | | | | | | [ ] | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | [ ] | | | | | | | | | [ ] | | | | | | | | | [ ] | | | | | | | | | [ ] | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | [ ] | | | | | | | | | [ ] | | | ་་ | [page 2] 178 -A ターダ AG MEMORANDUM FOR: Director of Central Intelligence SUBJECT : Sightings of Flying Saucers or Unconventional Aircraft 1. All four participants in the observation of the flying saucers or unconventional aircraft have been debriefed and the following now is a sursary of their observations. # SIGNATURE RECORD AND COVER SHEET (cont.) 2. The party was travelling by train from a to Tiflis at the specific request of Senator Russell who tried to use rail transportation whenever it was at all fusible. The sightings were noted about ten minutes beyond Alyaty at 1910 hours when it was already dark. Senator Russell was resting alone in his compartment with the lights out when he noted a mall greenish-yellow glowing ball rising quite rapidly. He informed the other members of the party who were occupying the other compartment and a few minutes later they too observed another object. # SIGNATURE RECORD AND COVER SHEET (cont.) 3. Senator Russell never saw the form of the object only the luminescent ball. Mr. Efren saw only two lights resembling eyes. Colonal Hathaway sow a shadowy object with a single light in the middle at the top and a rotating light or lights similar to exhausts at the base. Senator Russell had the inpression that the object could have been as small as a rocket although there were no objects available to produce a satisfactory scale and no trail was left by the rising ball. Mr. Gros and Colonel Pathany considered the size of the object to be emparable to that of a B. S. jet fighter. However, Colonel Hathaway believes that the object did not resemble any aireraft, rocket or missile that be að ever 1800. All obse agree on the impression that the object was rotating or whirling during its rise along its initial steep trajectory. Neither Senator Russell nor Mr. Gros noted any change in this trajectory, but Colonal Hathaway and Mr. Efron stated that the object altered its pattern to herisental flight quite sharply. Neither Senator Russell, Colonel Bathaway nor it. Efren saw any objects on the ground with the exception of the search light, but str. Gros reported the presence of a triangular object with three lights which appeared to be ejected from a launching site. [page 3] # JACT: Sightings of Flying Cancers or inconventional Aircraft observations can probably be explained as steep climbing aircraft or missiles. Further discussions will probably be required before the matter can be completely resolved. In the meantime, however, the evidence does not appear sufficiently firm to warrant the conclusion that the Seviate have developed and have in operation a radically new type of aircraft. MERERT SCOVILLE, JR. Assistant Director Scientific Intelligence OSI:HScoville:gs (31 October 1955) ## Distribution Orig & 1 - fwd 1 - DD/I 1 - OCI 1 - ASD/SI 1 - GM/SI 2 - AD/SI T.S. 115485 Copy 2 of 2