BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK\/KBFX) \u2014 A newly declassified batch of Pentagon and U.S. Air Force records released Friday includes a report detailing an alleged unidentified flying object sighting in the Bakersfield area dating back to 1948.<\/p>\n
The Department of War released thousands of pages<\/a> of historical files tied to investigations into unidentified aerial phenomena, often referred to as UFOs. The records include witness reports, military correspondence and intelligence memos spanning decades.<\/p>\n One of those files details an investigation launched by the U.S. Air Force after reported sightings in Kern County in March 1948.<\/p>\n In a military intelligence memo titled \u201cInvestigation of Flying Disc\u201d from March 11, 1948, officials documented claims from a witness who reported seeing objects falling from the sky north of the city.<\/p>\n RELATED: VOTE: Do you believe extraterrestrial life has visited Earth?<\/a><\/p>\n According to the document, the incident was first reported to military officials on March 9, 1948, through a telephone call from Sgt. A. M. Larsen with the Kern County Sheriff\u2019s Office in Bakersfield.<\/p>\n The memo said Bakersfield resident Mr. Les Buchner reported seeing two objects \u201cfalling to earth from unknown source\u201d on March 5, 1948, between 4:10 p.m. and 4:55 p.m.<\/p>\n Military officials wrote that the objects were described as similar to \u201cfalling aircraft with smoke and debris trailing.\u201d The observation was reportedly made from Bakersfield, with the objects seen southwest toward Buena Vista Lake.<\/p>\n The document also references a second reported sighting from March 8, 1948.<\/p>\n