FILE 036 // PUBLIC RECORD
Project SIGN
An early U.S. Air Force program established to investigate reports of unidentified aerial objects.
DOCUMENTATION CONFIDENCE
ModerateOfficial records document the subject, but the available material contains unresolved questions, contested interpretations, incomplete data, or a limited number of primary sources.
CASE OVERVIEW
Project SIGN: What the public record documents
Project SIGN followed the 1947 wave of flying-disc reports and attempted to determine whether sightings represented foreign technology, natural phenomena or misidentification.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The public record identifies Project SIGN as a ufo / uap matter associated with U.S. Air Force during 1948–1949. An early U.S. Air Force program established to investigate reports of unidentified aerial objects.
Project SIGN followed the 1947 wave of flying-disc reports and attempted to determine whether sightings represented foreign technology, natural phenomena or misidentification.
The program collected and analyzed reports but did not produce publicly accepted evidence of extraterrestrial craft. It was succeeded by Project GRUDGE and later Project BLUE BOOK.
The linked source set contains 1 official or primary archival record. Together, these materials establish the responsible organizations, the relevant time period, the reported location, and the official findings or historical conclusions summarized in this file.
Where the underlying records contain allegations, witness statements, preliminary leads, or unresolved observations, this archive identifies them as claims or unresolved material rather than established fact. The appearance of a statement in a government file does not by itself prove that the statement is accurate.
KEY FINDINGS
Documented time period: 1948–1949.
Primary organizations or record holders: U.S. Air Force.
Principal location: Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.
Archive topic: UFO / UAP.
Major public release or publication year: 1949.
DOCUMENT ANALYSIS
National Archives — Project BLUE BOOK and predecessor records
Official archival or primary-source recordEstablishes archival provenance, release history, and the official record collection available to the public.
OPEN DOCUMENT ↗SOURCE DOCUMENTS
National Archives — Project BLUE BOOK and predecessor recordsOfficial or primary archival source used to document this file.OPEN SOURCE ↗