BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — A newly declassified batch of Pentagon and U.S. Air Force records released Friday includes a report detailing an alleged unidentified flying object sighting in the Bakersfield area dating back to 1948.
The Department of War released thousands of pages of historical files tied to investigations into unidentified aerial phenomena, often referred to as UFOs. The records include witness reports, military correspondence and intelligence memos spanning decades.
One of those files details an investigation launched by the U.S. Air Force after reported sightings in Kern County in March 1948.
In a military intelligence memo titled “Investigation of Flying Disc” from March 11, 1948, officials documented claims from a witness who reported seeing objects falling from the sky north of the city.
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According to the document, the incident was first reported to military officials on March 9, 1948, through a telephone call from Sgt. A. M. Larsen with the Kern County Sheriff’s Office in Bakersfield.
The memo said Bakersfield resident Mr. Les Buchner reported seeing two objects “falling to earth from unknown source” on March 5, 1948, between 4:10 p.m. and 4:55 p.m.
Military officials wrote that the objects were described as similar to “falling aircraft with smoke and debris trailing.” The observation was reportedly made from Bakersfield, with the objects seen southwest toward Buena Vista Lake.
The document also references a second reported sighting from March 8, 1948.
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According to the memo, a man identified as Mr. Denio, an employee of Pacific General Electric Company in Bakersfield, reported seeing two objects fall to earth north of Bakersfield. One of the objects “seemed to be on fire with red and black smoke trailing behind.”
The memo states that searching parties, aircraft and rescue units attempted multiple times to locate the reported objects, but “without success.”
Read the full declassified report from the Department of War below. Note: The witnesses’ account from Bakersfield is on page 16 of the 28-page document.
A Department of War intelligence memo from 1948 describes witnesses who saw “falling” objects in the sky near Bakersfield in March of that year. Source: www.war.gov
Click here to view the PDF file
The Bakersfield-related memo was among dozens of historical records included in the Pentagon’s latest declassification release involving what military officials at the time referred to as “flying discs.”
The release is part of an ongoing federal transparency effort involving unidentified aerial phenomena investigations, according to the Associated Press.