CIA-UAP-D020 is a memorandum summarizing a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) debriefing of a group of four individuals regarding unconventional aircraft sightings in 1955. The document was declassified and released publicly for the first time as part of PURSUE Release 04 on July 10, 2026. 123
Provenance and Context
The document summarizes the debriefing of four individuals, including U.S. Senator Richard Russell, a U.S. military service member, and two U.S. Government officials. The group reported observing a luminescent "greenish-yellow" phenomenon in 1955 while traveling aboard a train within the Soviet Union. The incident occurred in present-day Azerbaijan, between Baku and Tiflis (Tbilisi).3
Detailed Content
According to the memorandum, the observers witnessed a phenomenon described as a "flying saucer" or "unconventional aircraft." The group was traveling by train through Soviet territory when the observation was made. The document provides a conservative assessment of the sighting, concluding that the observation can "probably be explained as steep climbing aircraft or missiles." The author further notes that "the evidence does not appear sufficiently firm to warrant the conclusion that the Soviets have developed [...] a radically new type of aircraft." A contemporary analysis of this specific incident is contained in a separate document, CIA-UAP-D021.3
What the Record Supports
The memorandum shows that in 1955 the CIA formally debriefed a sitting U.S. Senator and three other observers about an unconventional aircraft sighting in Soviet territory and put the debriefing on the record. It does not support the existence of a new Soviet aircraft type or an extraterrestrial craft. The CIA's own analysts judged the sighting probably explainable as steep-climbing aircraft or missiles.3