DOW-UAP-D164: Two "Rings of Smoke" over Seymour -- Flying Object Report from Atterbury AFB, Indiana, December 1953

Source file: DOW-UAP-D164-Flying_Object_Report_Indiana-1954.pdf Originating agency: U.S. Air Force (USAF), Headquarters, 2466th Air Force Reserve Combat Training Center (CONAC), Atterbury Air Force Base, Columbus, Indiana Document type: UFOB report in letter form under AFR 200-2 (26 August 1953), paragraph 6b, in lieu of AF Form 112b Date: Letter dated 13 January 1954; sighting on an unknown date, probably 8-15 December 1953 Classification: No classification marking on the pages; declassification stamp NND 57597; released to the public in 2026 Page count: 6 VIRIN: 260508-D-D0360-1156 PURSUE Release: 7

Summary

This report reached the Air Force almost by accident. A couple from Seymour, Indiana, saw two strange objects in the evening sky in December 1953 and for about a month told only three friends, "desiring to avoid ridicule." The story came out only when the husband's physician, a doctor in Columbus, mentioned a letter from his son serving with the Air Force in Saudi Arabia who claimed to have seen a "Flying Saucer." The doctor telephoned Atterbury Air Force Base on 9 January 1954, and four days later the letter went to Air Force headquarters.

The description itself is detailed and unusual: not point lights, but two white, cloudy objects shaped like a "Circular ring of smoke," each with four bright, equally spaced points of light rotating slowly clockwise. The objects descended, hovered with "Complete level stability," then vanished in a sudden upward acceleration, holding formation.

At the same time the report is candid about its weaknesses: the witnesses do not remember the date, there is no physical evidence, air traffic cannot be checked without a date, and the preparer is a staff sergeant, because "No officer assigned at the time of report contact."

Research Article

Structure of the document

The PDF has six pages, but only four carry text: pages 1, 3, 4 and 5 are the four sheets of the letter, while pages 2 and 6 are the backs of sheets bearing only stamps. The back of the last sheet carries a "DISPATCHED" stamp of Headquarters, Atterbury AFB, dated 13 January 1954; the back of the first carries a received ("RECD") stamp of Headquarters USAF dated 15 January 1954. The letter bears the number AF607182, the office symbol RIO (Reserve Information Office) and the subject "UFOB."

The opening paragraph explains the format: "In lieu of AF Form 112b as required by AFR 200-2, 26 August 1953, the following information is submitted to conform to paragraph 6b of cited regulation." The report is therefore a list of lettered items, a through l, following the standard questionnaire.

Description of the objects

Item a is the heart of the report. Shape: "Circular ring of smoke; cloudy substance that stayed in a plane. No upper or lower structure could be seen." Size: the observer would not estimate it, except to use the word "large." Colour: white, cloudy, gaseous. Number: two. Formation: "Staggered like two jets in flight, tightly following each other."

Discernible features: "Four bright or brilliant equidistant points of light within the same plane, rotating slowly clockwise and seeming to be the source of cloudy aura, white in color." The trail "Compared favorably with Jet take-off when observed at night," bluish white and vapour-like. Sound: "None to the ear, although observers stood outside of car to make sure."

Item (9), other unusual features, summarises the behaviour: a controlled downward tilt from the direction of approach to a hovering point, complete level stability while hovering, and a take-off in upward tilt "with bright points of light fixed, two to the rear and two forward," ending in "Incredible speed when disappearing."

Course, timing and the drive

Item b describes the course. What caught the couple's attention was a "brilliant moving light." They were driving east and looked north at about 20 degrees of elevation. The objects came from the north; the angle of departure was not determined but was described as "sharp upward travel" toward the southwest. The disappearance: "Seemingly instantaneous surge to maximum speed, keeping formation."

The timing is unusually precise: three to four minutes of observation, plus about two minutes during which the car was moved twice and changed direction once, for a total of five to six minutes. The final observation was naked-eye, from flat ground north of the town's built-up area, with no buildings nearby.

Item d gives the time as 0002 to 0008Z, roughly 6:02 to 6:08 p.m. Central time, consistent with the light conditions "Between dusk and night." But the date: "Observers unable to remember exactly."

The missing date and the weather

Because the date is unknown, the weather data in item g cover a whole week, 8 to 15 December 1953, supplied by S/Sgt Billy R. Egger, Chief Observer, Detachment 21, Ninth Weather Group, Atterbury AFB. Most days were overcast, with light rain, drizzle, light snow and fog intermittently; winds were south through west until the 13th and switched to north on the 14th and 15th, at 10 to 12 knots, with visibility varying from 1.5 to 15 miles.

One line stands out: "10 - 12: Clear between 1800 to 2400, otherwise overcast." The report does not connect it to the sighting, but it is the only clear evening window recorded that week, and the reported time, around 6 p.m., falls within it. The day ranges also overlap ("10 - 12" and "11 - 12") and are not fully consistent with each other.

The check and its limits

The following items record what was not found: no noticeable disturbances in the area (h), no physical evidence (i), and on air traffic (k): "None according to observers. Impossible to verify without exact date through ACS and 2466th Operations." This is the report's central weakness: without a date, the obvious candidate explanations, an aircraft, a weather balloon or a known phenomenon, cannot be tested.

The position given in item e also contains an error: "85° 49' East 39° 03' North," where West is clearly meant.

The witnesses and how the story emerged

The report names the witnesses and gives their address; under this archive's policy they are described here by role only: a 60-year-old pharmacist, owner-operator of a drug store in Seymour, and his wife. The preparer assesses him as "Not prone to exaggeration; direct forthright attitude toward people; within his knowledge, he is truthful, honest." He "firmly believes in what he saw," and his wife shares that attitude.

The report was prepared by S/Sgt Bruce C. F. Butler, NCOIC of the Reserve Information Office, and signed for the commander by 2d Lt. Marvin S. Satin, Adjutant, who had been Officer of the Day when the physician called on 9 January at about 1650. An information copy went to AITC, the Air Technical Intelligence Center.

A note on the official wording: the war.gov description calls the witnesses "two civilian reporters." The document mentions no journalists; the term refers to two civilians who made the report. The filename also carries the year 1954 (the year of the letter), while the official title refers to 1953; and the incident date in the official listing, 1 December 1953, does not appear in the document itself.

Significance

The report matters mainly for its unusual description: two white, cloudy rings with four rotating points of light, a stable hover and a departure in formation. It also shows how the AFR 200-2 reporting system worked in practice: a small reserve base with no intelligence officer on hand filled in the standard questionnaire through a staff sergeant and sent it to Washington within four days. Just as important is what the report admits: witnesses who hesitated to speak for fear of ridicule, a lost date, and a check that could not be completed.

Key People

Locations

Incidents

Notable Quotes

"Shape: Circular ring of smoke; cloudy substance that stayed in a plane. No upper or lower structure could be seen." -- page 1

"Four bright or brilliant equidistant points of light within the same plane, rotating slowly clockwise and seeming to be the source of cloudy aura, white in color." -- page 1

"Sound: None to the ear, although observers stood outside of car to make sure." -- page 1

"Manner of disappearance: Seemingly instantaneous surge to maximum speed, keeping formation." -- page 3

"Date: Observers unable to remember exactly." -- page 3

"Air traffic in area: None according to observers. Impossible to verify without exact date through ACS and 2466th Operations." -- page 4

"No officer assigned at the time of report contact." -- page 4

"He firmly believes in what he saw, however. His wife has the same attitude." -- page 5