PHOTO ANALYSIS OF UFO PHOTOGRAPHY

• Document Type: FOIA
• Keywords: UFO SPECIAL COLLECTION
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0005516068
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: June 24, 2015
• Document Release Date: January 31, 2011
• Case Number: F-2010-00651
• Publication Date: February 17, 1967

17 February 1967
MFMORANIJtM FOR; Director, National Photographic Interpretation Center
Photo Analysis of UFO Photography-
1. This memorandum is in response to Project Number 66120-7,
submitted by requesting
that perform a photo analysis of-photographs imaging an...
alleged UFO (i.e. -unidentified.flyih --abject).---T
2. The photography for this project-was-,supplied by the Aerial.
Phenomena Office of FTD-(TDET/UFO); located at Wright-Patterson AFB,-.
Dayton, Ohio. The photographic package-included three photo enlarge
Slinger havtug- an -approximate 2"x3'._image.format. - These-original-=
prints were not available for the-pb to-analysi This letter
single factor greatly hampered-- he t ysis and prevented any
hopes of esteablishing meaningful--answers:= _
this factor.. The_original photography vas_ta_en with a-Polaroid-- -
4"x6" image format. Attachments -3-an-d.k_are_assumed not to be
full format and we-re-not used-in this-photo analysis because of
1 and 2 were supposedly printed-full-format-vith an approximate----_-_
mensural and photo analysis. These-four enlarged-photograph.s.ver.e,
copies reproduced from a second generation negative and attachments
approximately the same-time-and from approximately- the sane-camera
station as were the-UFO;.-photographs. -The_image.::quality-of these -
four prints were less than optimum_and:were-considered poor for
of a helicopter (attachment 4). -The-latter-was supposedly taken at--- --
ments of the UFO (attachments 1,=2 and:3)-and one-photo enlareenent _
3. Also included in the photographic. package. were five photo-
graphs of the alleged exposure station-and surrounding vicinity.
These photographs (attachment 5) were-taken--with-a Polaroid Swinger
by Major R.W, Nyls of the USAF Re personall investigated the UFO
exposure station on the shore-of-Lake St.:Clair, Michigan, and tried
to duplicate as closely as-possible the exact position of the
original carrera exposure stations: -Major Idyls also provided exact
measurements of the area and objects imaged in the original UFO
Approve for Release
,lo
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SUBJECT: Photo Analysis of UFO Photography
photographs (attachments 6, 7 and 8). These photographs along
with the measurement sketches and investigation report provided
a means of obtaining an approximate photographic scale. This
scale value was then used to obtain approximate dimensions of the
VFQ. However, to do this the photo-analyst had to first make
major assumptions. These ass.w ptions were necessary in a photo
analysis-of this type where.. insufficient data is available or in
doubt. If any of these assumptions are-in error the obtained --
dimensions are likewise in-error........ -== -:-:-
4, The assumptions used in-this-photo analysis.are as follows:
a. UFO uas"t a distahee . 5-miles from camera
station when photographed- (this information supplied by
Major.Nyls in his-investigation report ).
b. The measurements-supplied by Major Hyls.are,
c. Photographs-shown in attachment 1 and 2 are full
` format,
e. The distance:-between--the=cami;ra station and the
object was large enough to that adjustments to the camera
focal lenSth need not--be.considered.
5. ALtachment 9 represents &,.. - artists rough conception of
the UFO along with the averaged-dimension obtained from the mensural
analysis of the photograph shown-in attachments 1 and 2. Again,
the user of this-information-must becautioned that the dimensions
shown here are only approximations-based on assumptions. The
quality of the photography,-the crude estimation of the distance
from the camera station_to_the-fojoct--theJ.ack of original prints
and precise camera data all-.tend: to.invalidate the answers. A
good example of how the dimensions could change is illustrated by
any change in the distance of the object from the camera station.
The dimensions will change in direct proportion as the ratio of any
new distance divided by the 0.25 mile distance that was used, i.e.
0.20 mile -; 0.2 - 0.0.0; therefore, cauc!n; the new values to
be 80% of the original values. _
d. UFO photographed was-circular-with plane. of section perpendicular-to-camera-axis,
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SURTFCT: Photo Analysis of UFO Photography
6.? In cone lusion,_it-Should -be-noted- that all of the-infor..
motion contained in this memorandum deals with quantitative --or -..-7..
dimensional information obtained-from-calculations based upon a
terminable. For example.,the-degraded-image quality of-the hell=___-
copter when compared with-the-UFO?i t -when considered-that----
the helicopter was .closer to camera station when photographed.---
Likewise, the-crispness of the. edge gradient-of the black band--
on the UFo 1s-good :considering-the-distance -at -which -the.-object -was.-_
equally as dangerous... There`=are' oomany__uriahswered-quest tons -to-
label the probable cause- of=this-sight3n -ai nything but- unde- ---
large number of assumptions. The qualitative or subjective analysis
of the imagery is_not-treated because of a lack of-background
knowled&e on UFO"imagery:"'". This. off ice`emnrot-shed any--light-on-the----
authenticity-of=this alleged?UFO-from this-photo analysis. There
1s no definite evidence that this phsgpaphy,is a hoax. On the
other hand, for one-to-assume that-this-object is a UFO is ...
some suspicion on-the authenticity o#_.the UFO. However :each
the above facts can be .explain.ed,-by various..reasons-and-because=of
photographed. Also, the fact-that-the-tall 5oction_of=the-UFO:xas=-=
photographed in each case'with_the_same-cross-section exposed-casts.-
these reasons-the-photo-analysis-of-.thie=(!F'Q-photograph as-resulted-= -
in inconclusive--answere.__
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Photo 2 of-Attachment 5_to_A2
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