FBI-UAP-D014 — Correspondence Relating to UFO Sightings, 1967, 1974
FBI correspondence records a child’s 1967 report of a moving flash and a researcher’s 1974 request about a claimed landing, while making clear that the Bureau did not validate the first report and held no responsive information for the second. The file clarifies what the FBI did and did not do with two UFO-related contacts, preventing the mere presence of correspondence in Bureau files from being mistaken for investigative confirmation.
- File
- Document · Release 04
- Date
- Oct 10, 1974
- Location
- Various
- Extent
- 5 pages
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Probed Assessment
FBI correspondence records a child’s 1967 report of a moving flash and a researcher’s 1974 request about a claimed landing, while making clear that the Bureau did not validate the first report and held no responsive information for the second.
Key takeaways
- The 1967 memorandum documented a child caller’s report of a strange noise and northbound flash but included no additional evidence or identification.
- Researcher Larry Bryant later asked for an older landing report and witness contact information, which FBI Chicago said it did not possess.
- The Bureau explained that it did not generally collect UFO reports because Congress had not assigned that subject to the FBI.
Why it matters
The file clarifies what the FBI did and did not do with two UFO-related contacts, preventing the mere presence of correspondence in Bureau files from being mistaken for investigative confirmation.
Corroboration
The records corroborate receipt and handling of the calls and letters. They do not substantiate either reported sighting, and the FBI response explicitly states that it lacked responsive case information.
Open questions
- • Did local law-enforcement or Air Force records preserve additional information about the 1967 call?
- • What source led Bryant to associate the claimed landing with the 755th Radar Squadron?
Probed separates this editorial assessment from the source claims below. It summarizes what the released artifact supports; it is not independent verification.
Official Description from War.gov
This file contains two pieces of correspondence. The first, dated 9/22/1967, relays a description of an incident provided by an eleven-year-old child in which they heard a “weird” noise and saw a “flash of light.” The second, dated 9/30/1974 and 10/10/1974, is an exchange of letters between the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Mr. Larry Bryant regarding an “alleged April 8, 1954 sighting of an occupied unidentified flying object (UFO).” The FBI’s response to Mr. Bryant’s inquiry indicated that it maintained no record of such an event, and that, circa 1974, the Bureau does not collect information regarding UFO sightings.
Preserved verbatim as source metadata. This wording is separate from Probed’s file-specific description and assessment.
File Context
Related entities
Tracker findings
The FBI said in 1974 that it did not collect UFO-sighting information
Responding to Larry Bryant, the FBI's Chicago office said it had no information about the sighting he described and did not collect UFO-sighting information generally because such reports were not among the matters delegated to the Bureau by Congress.
A 1967 FBI memorandum recorded a child's brief light-and-noise report
The memo relays an eleven-year-old caller's account of hearing a weird noise and seeing a flash of light move north in the sky. It says the child could provide no additional information; the document records the report without validating or identifying the event.
Release provenance
- Release
- Release 04
- Official ID
- release-04-file-036-fbi-uap-d014-correspondence-relating-to-ufo-sightings-1967-1974
- Cleared
- Jul 10, 2026
Referenced Timeline
Child’s telephone report received
A caller reported a strange noise and northbound flash of light to authorities.
FBI memorandum prepared
The Chicago office recorded the telephone report.
Larry Bryant requested information
Bryant sought an older sighting report and witness contact details.
FBI Chicago responded
The Bureau said it had no responsive sighting information and did not generally collect UFO reports.
Source Claims
Claims are attributed to the released source and remain distinct from Probed’s assessment and tracker findings.
A September 1967 FBI memorandum relayed an eleven-year-old caller’s report of a strange noise and a flash of light moving north; the child supplied no additional information.
he heard a "weird" noise and looked out the window
The caller characterized the light as a UFO, but the memorandum records the report without validation or identification.
He could furnish no additional information but claimed this to be a UFO
In 1974, researcher Larry Bryant requested an FBI report and contact information concerning a claimed landing witnessed by civilians.
will you please send me a copy
FBI Chicago replied that it had no information about the described sighting and did not generally collect UFO reports because Congress had not delegated that subject to the Bureau.
the FBI does not collect information regarding UFO sightings in general
The Bureau also said its files contained no current contact information for the witness named in Bryant’s letter.
our files contain no information regarding the current residence
Source Material & Evidence
Research Map
Lines appear only when two entities share a row-level source claim or dated timeline event. Unconnected nodes remain visible without implying a relationship.