DISCLOSURE / FILE

Triangle Launched From Baku, October 1955

CIA-UAP-006, Sighting Of Unconventional Aircraft

A November 1955 CIA information report relaying a US tourist's eyewitness account of a triangular aircraft launched at a steep angle from an airfield near Baku, Azerbaijan on October 4, 1955.

Brief

CIA report 00-13-502.20 records the account of a 41-year-old US national, a publicity and advertising vice president of a large US corporation, who saw a triangular object launched from a Soviet airfield while riding a train from Baku to Tiflis on October 4, 1955. He described an equilateral-triangle object the size of a US jet fighter, with three lights, ejected from a launching site in fast spirals before climbing at about a 45 degree angle. The source emphasized this was not an ordinary takeoff but a launching procedure more like a missile ejection. A Soviet steward then drew the train blinds on the orders of an MVD man aboard the train.

Metadata

Agency: CIA
Release: 6/12/26
Incident: November, 1955
Location: Baku, Azerbaijan
Type: PDF • .pdf
Length: 2 pages
Classification: UNCLASSIFIED (on release)
Tags: triangular object, wing lights, steep-angle launch, Baku Azerbaijan, 1955, USSR

Key points

The source was a US national, 41 years old, a publicity and advertising vice president of a large US corporation, with no technical training or experience in aviation matters.p.1
The sighting occurred at roughly two hours and forty minutes out of Baku, with the train estimated between 50 and 65 miles south of Baku.p.1
The object sat on a triangular launching site at an airfield the source estimated was about two miles from the railroad, lit by a searchlight on the field.p.1
The object was comparable in size to a US jet fighter, squat, in the form of an equilateral triangle, with three lights, one on each point.p.1
The object made not less than three and not more than seven fast spirals before climbing extremely fast at about a 45 degree angle; the searchlight followed it.p.1
A companion reported this was the second launching in rapid succession.p.1
A steward pulled down the blinds on orders of an MVD man who had boarded the train at departure.p.1
INTOURIST in Baku told the party there were no flights between Baku and Tiflis, while INTOURIST in Tiflis was surprised they had not flown and said there were several flights a day.p.2

Verbatim

Did you see that out theret I just saw a ny1ng saucer o
p.1
i'b.e eize ot the object was comparable to that ot a US Jet tighter, vith a squat shape and in the form of an equilateral tmngle. There were three lights on the obJect, one on each point of the triazigle, presumably two wing lights and a tail light.
p.1
As we watched, it was eJected from its launching site, mak1ng not less than three anti not :more than seven fast spirals in the air, a:tter which it cl.im'bed extremely tut at about a 45 degree angle
p.1
I wish to ~haaize that this was no ordinary take-of'f but a launching procedure more like a m.ssile eJection.
p.1
OUr companion from next door reported that this was the second launchil:Jg in rapid succession.
p.1

Most interesting

The witness was a Phi Beta Kappa political science specialist who lectured on current affairs, explicitly with no aviation background, which the report flags up front.
The report notes a collector's comment that the source first estimated the airfield at about five miles away, then revised the distance to the object to two miles.
An MVD officer had boarded the train at departure and ordered the blinds drawn once the party began watching the object ascend.
The detail that INTOURIST in Baku denied flights existed while INTOURIST in Tiflis said there were several a day suggests the air route near the airfield was being kept off limits to foreign tourists.
A redacted version of this report has long been available on CIA's public website.

Cited in

TAKEAWAYThe Cold War collection deskp.1War.gov June 12, 2026

Common questions

What is Triangle Launched From Baku, October 1955?: A November 1955 CIA information report relaying a US tourist's eyewitness account of a triangular aircraft launched at a steep angle from an airfield near Baku, Azerbaijan on October 4, 1955.
What does Triangle Launched From Baku, October 1955 reveal?: The source was a US national, 41 years old, a publicity and advertising vice president of a large US corporation, with no technical training or experience in aviation matters. The sighting occurred at roughly two hours and forty minutes out of Baku, with the train estimated between 50 and 65 miles south of Baku. The object sat on a triangular launching…
Which agency produced Triangle Launched From Baku, October 1955?: Triangle Launched From Baku, October 1955 is a primary-source record from CIA. Its original classification was UNCLASSIFIED (on release).
When is Triangle Launched From Baku, October 1955 dated?: Triangle Launched From Baku, October 1955 is dated 1955-11 (report); incident 4 Oct 1955. It was disclosed 2026-06-12.
What programs and topics appear in Triangle Launched From Baku, October 1955?: Triangle Launched From Baku, October 1955 references triangular object, wing lights, steep-angle launch, Baku Azerbaijan and USSR.
What does Triangle Launched From Baku, October 1955 say, in its own words?: "Did you see that out theret I just saw a ny1ng saucer o" (source p. 1).

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Triangle Launched From Baku, October 1955

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Approved for Release 2 0 26 - ! ' i ' .._P_R_ E _ P_ A_ R _ E _ D _A _N _ D _D _IS _ S _ E _ M_I_N _ A _ T _ E_D_B_ Y _ CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY COU NTRY USSR SUBJECT Sighting ot Unconventional Aircraft PLACE ACQUI RED /Br aourceJ Azerbaijan SSR 1----- - - --~------------------1 DATE ACQU I RED /Br •ourceJ OAT£ OF I NFORM ATION (Dale Of dales, on or .be lween w hich, e veaa oz condiliom de.sc,i.bed la report exialedJ 4 Oct 55 4 Oct 55 THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION souRcE US national, 41 years old, publicity and advertising vice president o:f' large US corporation. His Mjor education was in the field ot political sci~nce l. 2. (Phi B~ta Kappa), and he has lectured extensively on current affairs. He has had no technical training or experience in aviation matters . He recently visited the USSR as a tourist at the invitation of a senior Soviet official. At 1630, 4 Oct 55, I boarded a train at Baku for Tiflis in the company ot three other US nationals, one of whom shared a Wagon-Lit compartment with . me; the other two occupied the ad.Joining compartment. The train ran very slowly, making evffY stop; I vould estimate its overall speed. at 20 Jll.l)h. Exactly tvo hours and forty minutes out of Baku, one ot our group in the compartment next door entered my compartment and said, "Did you see that out theret I just saw a ny1ng saucer o " I and my compartment companion vere about to laugh it off wen the man from next door pointed out ot the window again, and then we all saw the following sight . On the letthand side ot the traill, between the train and the Caspian Sea coast, was a large air field o The evening we.a dark but clear o A huge 1earc:hlir,ht 1 on the tield itselt, shar,e on a triangular obJect on the ground wich :i: would say was probably not more than tvo miles distant from the railroad. [collector ' s comment i Source first estimated that the air field was about five miles away but, on further reflection, chansed the distance to the obJect to two mi.l.es;J i'b.e eize ot the object was comparable to that ot a US Jet tighter, vith a squat shape and in the form of an equilateral tmngle. There were three lights on the obJect, one on each point of the triazigle, presumably two wing lights and a tail light. As we watched, it was eJected from its launching site, mak1ng not less than three anti not :more than seven fast spirals in the air, a:tter which it cl.im'bed extremely tut at about a 45 degree angle o We watched ·- it climb and saw it reach a high altitude; the •earchlight followed it all the way. I wish to ~haaize that this was no ordinary take-of'f but a launching procedure more like a m.ssile eJection. OUr companion from next door reported that this was the second launchil:Jg in rapid succession. ----- · SEE BOTTOM OF PAc;i·roR ADDITIONAL SPECIAL CONTROLS, lF ANY S-E•e-B B 4' Thia m cii~~~ ·'-1otaatlon aHec:lhig th• ~ a tional Defense ol the United StalH ,irithln Ille meanillg ol lhe Espionage Laws, Tille 18, U.S. C. _ _ ___ _______, Secs. 793 a nd 794, the transmission or ren lat1oa of which ID any manner to an unauthorized pe r• aon la prohiblled by law. INFO~MATION REPORT REPORT NO. 00- 13 - ')02.20 DATE DISTRIBUTED NO . OF PAGES NU . UI- ENCLS. SUPPLE M Eh T TO REPORT 11 RESPO NSIVE TO 4. I believe that the train at the time of the ai&}lting vu 'betveen 50 and 65 miles south ot Baku. Thet!Cupian Sea vu still visible. While the fo~_ ..Q:C. ua were still watching the obJect asceruJ1ns, _!he steward ~ ----i -rn and pulled d~e bllnO:s o When I bepn to protest, the •tetard ---Jio"fii~etr""toward the rear ot the car and shook his head, 1D41c:ating to me that the MVD man who had boarded the train at the moaent ot departure had ordered the blinds drawn o : i l ! . ..,., ' NOFOBN ffO DlSSEM ABROAD <._ . UMITED: Dinemfnation limited to full•lime employees o/ CIA, AEC and FBI; and, "'" hln Slate and Defe nse, lo the intelligence components, other offic:.s producing NIS eleme nts. and .higher echelons with their Immediate s uppor ting 1 s. Not to be disse minated to consultants, externa l p ro/ects or reser-re personnel oa short term a ctive duty (excep ting indi viduals who ar e n ormuuy tull-Ume employees ol CIA. AEC. FBI, Sta le or Defense) unlu.s the wrUlen permission of I.he odqinatinq olllce has been obtained through the A.ssislanl Director for Collecllon a nd Dl.s:semlnalfon, CIA, DISTRIBUTION STATE AR MY NAVY FBI

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..... 5. our party ha4 wished to make this part of the Journey by air, but we were intormed by DTOURIST in Baku that there were no flights between Baku and Tiflis . In Tiflis the Ill'l'OURIST people were surprised that our party had not tlo"Wll and said that there were several flights a clay. - end - ! ,

Full transcript2 pages · 880 words›

Concatenated page-by-page transcript. Born-digital pages came through pdf.js; scanned pages were transcribed by Claude vision OCR. Pages marked unreadable failed multiple OCR retries (heavy redaction, microfilm artifacts, or blank separators) and are kept in place for audit.

Page 1born-digital extraction

Page 2born-digital extraction

..... 5. our party ha4 wished to make this part of the Journey by air, but we were intormed by DTOURIST in Baku that there were no flights between Baku and Tiflis . In Tiflis the Ill'l'OURIST people were surprised that our party had not tlo"Wll and said that there were several flights a clay. - end - ! ,

DISCLOSURE / FILE

Triangle Launched From Baku, October 1955

A November 1955 CIA information report relaying a US tourist's eyewitness account of a triangular aircraft launched at a steep angle from an airfield near Baku, Azerbaijan on October 4, 1955.

Brief

Key points

The source was a US national, 41 years old, a publicity and advertising vice president of a large US corporation, with no technical training or experience in aviation matters.p.1

The sighting occurred at roughly two hours and forty minutes out of Baku, with the train estimated between 50 and 65 miles south of Baku.p.1

The object sat on a triangular launching site at an airfield the source estimated was about two miles from the railroad, lit by a searchlight on the field.p.1

The object was comparable in size to a US jet fighter, squat, in the form of an equilateral triangle, with three lights, one on each point.p.1

The object made not less than three and not more than seven fast spirals before climbing extremely fast at about a 45 degree angle; the searchlight followed it.p.1

A companion reported this was the second launching in rapid succession.p.1

A steward pulled down the blinds on orders of an MVD man who had boarded the train at departure.p.1

INTOURIST in Baku told the party there were no flights between Baku and Tiflis, while INTOURIST in Tiflis was surprised they had not flown and said there were several flights a day.p.2

Verbatim

Did you see that out theret I just saw a ny1ng saucer o

p.1

i'b.e eize ot the object was comparable to that ot a US Jet tighter, vith a squat shape and in the form of an equilateral tmngle. There were three lights on the obJect, one on each point of the triazigle, presumably two wing lights and a tail light.

p.1

As we watched, it was eJected from its launching site, mak1ng not less than three anti not :more than seven fast spirals in the air, a:tter which it cl.im'bed extremely tut at about a 45 degree angle

p.1

I wish to ~haaize that this was no ordinary take-of'f but a launching procedure more like a m.ssile eJection.

p.1

OUr companion from next door reported that this was the second launchil:Jg in rapid succession.

p.1

Most interesting

The witness was a Phi Beta Kappa political science specialist who lectured on current affairs, explicitly with no aviation background, which the report flags up front.

The report notes a collector's comment that the source first estimated the airfield at about five miles away, then revised the distance to the object to two miles.

An MVD officer had boarded the train at departure and ordered the blinds drawn once the party began watching the object ascend.

The detail that INTOURIST in Baku denied flights existed while INTOURIST in Tiflis said there were several a day suggests the air route near the airfield was being kept off limits to foreign tourists.

A redacted version of this report has long been available on CIA's public website.

Common questions

What is Triangle Launched From Baku, October 1955?

A November 1955 CIA information report relaying a US tourist's eyewitness account of a triangular aircraft launched at a steep angle from an airfield near Baku, Azerbaijan on October 4, 1955.

What does Triangle Launched From Baku, October 1955 reveal?

The source was a US national, 41 years old, a publicity and advertising vice president of a large US corporation, with no technical training or experience in aviation matters. The sighting occurred at roughly two hours and forty minutes out of Baku, with the train estimated between 50 and 65 miles south of Baku. The object sat on a triangular launching…

Which agency produced Triangle Launched From Baku, October 1955?

Triangle Launched From Baku, October 1955 is a primary-source record from CIA. Its original classification was UNCLASSIFIED (on release).

When is Triangle Launched From Baku, October 1955 dated?

Triangle Launched From Baku, October 1955 is dated 1955-11 (report); incident 4 Oct 1955. It was disclosed 2026-06-12.

What programs and topics appear in Triangle Launched From Baku, October 1955?

Triangle Launched From Baku, October 1955 references triangular object, wing lights, steep-angle launch, Baku Azerbaijan and USSR.

What does Triangle Launched From Baku, October 1955 say, in its own words?

"Did you see that out theret I just saw a ny1ng saucer o" (source p. 1).

..... 5. our party ha4 wished to make this part of the Journey by air, but we were intormed by DTOURIST in Baku that there were no flights between Baku and Tiflis . In Tiflis the Ill'l'OURIST people were surprised that our party had not tlo"Wll and said that there were several flights a clay. - end - ! ,