CASE FILE D-86
The Navy Told Every District: The Discs Are About to Come Back - Case D-86
2026-09-26 · Declassified UAP records
On 13 December 1948 the Commandant of the Fifth Naval District in Norfolk, Virginia circulated a CONFIDENTIAL letter, serial 0430, subject: "'Flying Discs' - Report of." It quotes in full a Chief of Naval Operations letter of 4 November 1948 addressed to the commandants of all naval districts. Eighty-five copies were distributed.
The quoted order states that "The Director of Intelligence, U.S. Air Force has informed the Navy Department" that "a cycle of reappearance of 'Flying Discs' is becoming apparent, and that the beginning of a new interval is imminent," and that the Air Force "requested that any such sightings be reported as quickly as possible, and that these phenomena be investigated."
It directs "that all stations be directed to report to the nearest Air Force command and to the Naval District Intelligence Office any reported sighting of 'Flying Discs' or other unidentified aerial objects," adding: "It is desired, also, that photographic evidence of the phenomena be obtained whenever possible." District Intelligence Officers were to forward reports to the Chief of Naval Intelligence, who would pass them to the Air Force Director of Intelligence "by the fastest means."
The CNO letter is signed "Thos. B. Inglis" by direction; the district letter by R. C. Hudson, Chief of Staff. This file copy went to the Office, Chief of Army Field Forces, and carries a receipt stamp of 15 December 1948. Note what the document is not: it describes no sighting, no witness, no object and no location, and reaches no conclusion about what the discs were. It is an order to watch, report and photograph. The letter is transcribed in full below.
The Document
CONFIDENTIAL (declassified - authority NND 740185) 13 December 1948
U.S. Navy, Headquarters Fifth Naval District - "Flying Discs" - Report of (13 December 1948)
- DECLASSIFIED - Authority: NND 740185 (stamp, page 1)
- Secret (struck through, twice, page 1)
- 1948 - DATE CLOSED - Office, Chief Army Field Forces - A. G. Files (folder cover, page 1)
- FILE NO. 000.9 - BINDER NO. 1 (folder spine, page 1)
- CONFIDENTIAL (stamped and struck through at top and bottom of page 2)
- HEADQUARTERS FIFTH NAVAL DISTRICT - Norfolk 11, Virginia
- Refer to: ND5(32)/VZ1 - Serial 0430
- 13 Dec 1948
- CONFIDENTIAL (typed, struck through)
- From: Commandant, Fifth Naval District
- To: Activities Indicated in Distribution List
- Subj: "Flying Discs" - Report of
- Ref: (a) CNO Conf ltr Op-322V P16-3/QN, Serial 04422P32, dtd 4 November 1948
1. Reference (a) is quoted herewith for information and compliance:
- " From: Chief of Naval Operations.
- To: Commandants, All Naval Districts.
- SUBJECT: "Flying Discs" - Report of.
1. The Director of Intelligence, U.S. Air Force has informed the Navy Department that a cycle of reappearance of "Flying Discs" is becoming apparent, and that the beginning of a new interval is imminent. They have requested that any such sightings be reported as quickly as possible, and that these phenomena be investigated.
2. It is requested, therefore, that all stations be directed to report to the nearest Air Force command and to the Naval District Intelligence Office any reported sighting of "Flying Discs" or other unidentified aerial objects. It is desired, also, that photographic evidence of the phenomena be obtained whenever possible.
3. DIO's will forward such information to the Chief of Naval Intelligence who will pass the information to the Director of Intelligence U.S. Air Force by the fastest means.
s/ Thos. B. Inglis - THOS. B. INGLIS - By direction" (the typed line prints faintly and reads "Bv direction" on the scan)
s/ R. C. Hudson - R. C. HUDSON - CHIEF OF STAFF
CONFIDENTIAL (stamped and struck through, lower right)
- Distribution List (Rev. 7/1/48)
- List 1A (only 1, 3, 9, 10, 11, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22, 23, 27, 28, 36, 58, 60, 62) 1 copy each.
- 2A (only 1, 3, 4, 16) 1 copy each.
- 3A (only 5, 6, 13, 34, 35, 63, 64, 66) 1 copy each.
- 6A 1 copy each.
- 7A (only 1, 2, 10, 20) 1 copy each.
- 85 copies.
Handwritten annotations on page 2, in the right margin and across the header: "Intel", "Chief", "Col. Ely", "Col. Thompson", a signature reading approximately "P. F. F. [?]", the file number "000.9", and the page number "12". A pencil note at lower left reads approximately "AG Recds File 12/23/48 (Intel)". Several of these initials and one surname are not fully legible.
Page 3 is the reverse of the letter sheet. The letter's text shows through in mirror image and is not separately readable. The reverse carries an Army Field Forces routing block reading "[[unreadable heading]] (RECORDS)" over the lines "CHIEF CLERK", "CLASSIFI[ED]", "ROUTING", and "FILE CLERK", initialled and dated by hand "23 Dec 48" and a second date in December 1948; a rubber stamp reading "RECEIVED A. F. F. DISTRIBUTION CENTER - 1948 DEC 15"; and handwritten file numbers "000.9", "319.1(C)" and "045(C)", each struck through.
Released in the PURSUE disclosure. Three pages: a 1948 "Office, Chief Army Field Forces" A. G. Files folder cover stamped Secret (struck through), the Fifth Naval District letter itself, and the reverse of that sheet carrying Army Field Forces routing marks and a receipt stamp. The file cover carries the NARA declassification stamp "Authority: NND 740185"; release markings read NW 91215, DocId: 34746269. No redactions. Some handwritten routing initials and one faint routing-block heading could not be read. · Commandant, Fifth Naval District, Norfolk 11, Virginia; quoting a Chief of Naval Operations confidential letter of 4 November 1948 (DoW-UAP-D086)
Where It Happened
Full Transcript
December 1948, Norfolk, Virginia. The Fifth Naval District sends out a confidential letter. Eighty five copies. Subject: flying discs, report of.
It quotes in full an order from the Chief of Naval Operations, dated the fourth of November, to the commandants of all naval districts.
The Director of Intelligence of the Air Force, it says, has informed the Navy Department that a cycle of reappearance of flying discs is becoming apparent, and that the beginning of a new interval is imminent.
Every station is to report any sighting of flying discs, or other unidentified aerial objects, to the nearest Air Force command and the District Intelligence Office. And photographic evidence, it says, should be obtained whenever possible.
What came in would go to the Chief of Naval Intelligence, who would pass it to the Air Force by the fastest means.
Signed for the Chief of Naval Operations by Thomas B. Inglis, and for the district by R. C. Hudson, chief of staff.
No sighting is described anywhere in it. This is the Navy telling its stations to get ready for the next wave. Search Case D-86 at ufodata.org. Subscribe to UFO Data.
Sources
All documents and footage are authentic, public-domain U.S. government releases. Narration is AI-generated text-to-speech.