Sighting Of Unconventional Aircraft

Approved for Release 2026 - ! ' 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 COUNTRY USSR SUBJECT Sighting ot Unconventional Aircraft PLACE ACQUIRED /Br aourceJ Azerbaijan SSR 1----- - - --~------------------1 DATE ACQUI RED /Br •ourceJ OAT£ OF I NFORMATION (Dale Of dales, on or .belween w hich, eveaa 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 clearo 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 commenti 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 angleo 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 mcii~~~ ·'-1otaatlon aHec:lhig th• ~ a tional Defense ol theUnited StalH ,irithln Ille meanillg ol lhe Espionage Laws, Tille 18, U.S. C . _ _ ___ _______, Secs. 793 and 794, the transmission or ren lat1oa of which ID any manner to an unauthorized per• aon la prohiblled by law. INFO~MATION REPORT REPORT NO. 00- 13- ')02.20 DATE DISTRIBUTED NO. OF PAGES NU. UI- ENCLS. SUPPLEM Eh T TO REPORT 11 RESPONSIVE 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 drawno : i l ! . ..,., ' NOFOBN ffO DlSSEM ABROAD <._ . UMITED: Dinemfnation limited to full•lime employees o/ CIA, AEC and FBI; and, "'"hln Slate and Defense, lo the intelligence components, other offic:.s producing NIS elements. and .higher echelons with their Immediate supporting 1s. Not to be disseminated to consultants, external pro/ects or reser-re personnel oa short term active duty (excepting indi viduals who are normuuy tull-Ume employees ol CIA. AEC. FBI, Stale or Defense) unlu.s the wrUlen permission of I.he odqinatinq olllce has been obtained through the A.ssislanl Director for Collecllon and Dl.s:semlnalfon, CIA, DISTRIBUTION STATE AR MY NAVY FBI ..... 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 - ! ,