DISCLOSURE / FILE
A 1 November 1955 CIA cover sheet and memorandum summarizing the debriefing of four Americans, including U.S. Senator Richard Russell, who reported an unconventional aircraft sighting from a train in the Soviet Union in 1955.
CIA-UAP-D020, Memorandum on Unconventional Aircraft Sightings, 1955
A 1 November 1955 CIA cover sheet and memorandum summarizing the debriefing of four Americans, including U.S. Senator Richard Russell, who reported an unconventional aircraft sighting from a train in the Soviet Union in 1955.
The memorandum, dated 31 October 1955 and routed under a Top Secret cover sheet stamped 1 November 1955, records a CIA debriefing of a party of four (Senator Richard Russell among them) who reported a luminescent object seen from a train traveling between Baku and Tiflis in present-day Azerbaijan. The debriefers weighed whether the sighting indicated a Soviet flying disc, but concluded the observation could probably be explained as steep-climbing aircraft or missiles. The memo states the evidence was not firm enough to conclude the Soviets had developed a radically new type of aircraft. It is signed by an author in the Office of Scientific Intelligence and distributed to OCI, SI, and DD/I offices; a companion analysis is referenced as document CIA-UAP-D021.
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R/l l feP SE6RE=t= ,' j / ,"1 A ··~ "'--..;: -- Approved for Release 2026 . ' .ti ,_/ #' 1 NOV 1955 SIGNATURE RECORD AND COVER SHEET \. ,,. \t, DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION SOURCE ~St) /:s-_£ DOC. NO. ooc. DATE COPY NO. ~ (#/~ NUMBER OF PiCGES 2 NUMBER OF ATTACHMENTS 7~ \ ASTJ11~ REGISTRyt '-~j CIA CONTROL NO. / / .s- YrrS' ~-i DATE DOCUMENT RECEIVED J No ISS!'. LOGGED BY 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 1eft•hand columns provided. Each individual who sees right•hand columns. REFERRED TO OFFICE ~5l A RECEIVED SIGNATURE ££.J.iil ? - DA TE TIME Y·~ . ·\ \v,'" l/~..>e) RELEASED DATE TIME SEEN BY SIGNATURE AND OFFICE DA TE ,··/ (~ v·)uv ); - ,.-< .~, - ~ tiC:11~~ i lt1 /J/ I I .tL!Wu/1t___ ~ ~ 30lfif v- - -~, - 0-~~aSJ,. "3 ~ <J.1.\.\j ~--\~ - . NOTICE OF DETACHMENT: ll'hen this form is detached from Top Secret material it shall be completed in the appropriet• spaces below and transmitted to Central Top Secret Control for record. • • DESTROYED DOWNGRADED TO BY ( Signature) DATE the Top Secret document will sign and indicate the, date of handling in the BY (Signature) WITNESSED BY (Signature) DATE DISPATCHED (OUTSIDE CIA) TO BY ( Signature) OFFICE DATE FORM NO. 26 USE PREVIOUS EDITIONS, (40) TOP SECRET I APR 55
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~i.ui.,i, ~ probablJ' be -,J&Snet • .... e1•:1mc &in::l'at"t or IIUlllilen. Fm-tt.e.r 41"'"81"ftl8 Y.U'.l ~ M ~ Were U. _.t« cw1 'tie ~ MtttOlWII. la * 1111MI•., --•• • ta ~ <1oes ao1, •• • ~1•t.lT ftN te arrct t.m ecael\llion i:.tw.t ·the ~.,.. .....,~ d 1111N in~ a t"lfdioaU.r t'.l(!'W t,:pe of ..att. 111 I ltf1' SCOYIL:LI, JR. ~~ 3c1et.it'1e?aleU1..-,. OSI:HScoville:ga (31 October 19") Distribution Orig & l - fwd l • DD/I l • OCI l - ABD/SI l • car/SI 2 • AD/SI
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.
R/l l feP SE6RE=t= ,' j / ,"1 A ··~ "'--..;: -- Approved for Release 2026 . ' .ti ,_/ #' 1 NOV 1955 SIGNATURE RECORD AND COVER SHEET \. ,,. \t, DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION SOURCE ~St) /:s-_£ DOC. NO. ooc. DATE COPY NO. ~ (#/~ NUMBER OF PiCGES 2 NUMBER OF ATTACHMENTS 7~ \ ASTJ11~ REGISTRyt '-~j CIA CONTROL NO. / / .s- YrrS' ~-i DATE DOCUMENT RECEIVED J No ISS!'. LOGGED BY 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 1eft•hand columns provided. Each individual who sees right•hand columns. REFERRED TO OFFICE ~5l A RECEIVED SIGNATURE ££.J.iil ? - DA TE TIME Y·~ . ·\ \v,'" l/~..>e) RELEASED DATE TIME SEEN BY SIGNATURE AND OFFICE DA TE ,··/ (~ v·)uv ); - ,.-< .~, - ~ tiC:11~~ i lt1 /J/ I I .tL!Wu/1t___ ~ ~ 30lfif v- - -~, - 0-~~aSJ,. "3 ~ <J.1.\.\j ~--\~ - . NOTICE OF DETACHMENT: ll'hen this form is detached from Top Secret material it shall be completed in the appropriet• spaces below and transmitted to Central Top Secret Control for record. • • DESTROYED DOWNGRADED TO BY ( Signature) DATE the Top Secret document will sign and indicate the, date of handling in the BY (Signature) WITNESSED BY (Signature) DATE DISPATCHED (OUTSIDE CIA) TO BY ( Signature) OFFICE DATE FORM NO. 26 USE PREVIOUS EDITIONS, (40) TOP SECRET I APR 55
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~i.ui.,i, ~ probablJ' be -,J&Snet • .... e1•:1mc &in::l'at"t or IIUlllilen. Fm-tt.e.r 41"'"81"ftl8 Y.U'.l ~ M ~ Were U. _.t« cw1 'tie ~ MtttOlWII. la * 1111MI•., --•• • ta ~ <1oes ao1, •• • ~1•t.lT ftN te arrct t.m ecael\llion i:.tw.t ·the ~.,.. .....,~ d 1111N in~ a t"lfdioaU.r t'.l(!'W t,:pe of ..att. 111 I ltf1' SCOYIL:LI, JR. ~~ 3c1et.it'1e?aleU1..-,. OSI:HScoville:ga (31 October 19") Distribution Orig & l - fwd l • DD/I l • OCI l - ABD/SI l • car/SI 2 • AD/SI