DOW PURSUE D017 — UAP Reported at Sandia Base, 1948–1950
Dr. Voss's Analysis
DOW PURSUE document D017 is a collection of general correspondence and reports from Sandia Base, New Mexico, covering UAP observations from 1948 to 1950. Sandia Base was the primary assembly and storage facility for U.S. nuclear weapons in the immediate post-war period, co-located with what would become Sandia National Laboratories and Kirtland AFB. UAP reports near nuclear facilities in New Mexico during 1948–1950 are historically significant — this period overlaps with Project Sign, the Air Force's first official UFO investigation. The concentration of UAP sightings near U.S. nuclear assets was noted in early Air Force UFO investigation records and congressional UAP testimony. This record was previously classified.
Overview
A collection of historical correspondence and reports documenting UAP sightings in and around Sandia Base (now Kirtland Air Force Base), New Mexico, from 1948 to 1950. Published as case D017 in DOW PURSUE Release 02. Sandia Base was the U.S.'s primary nuclear weapons assembly and storage facility in this period.
Key Facts
- ◆Collection of general correspondence documenting UAP sightings at or near Sandia Base, New Mexico
- ◆Time period: 1948–1950 — during the earliest phase of U.S. nuclear weapons development
- ◆Sandia Base was the primary U.S. nuclear weapons assembly and storage site at this time
- ◆Previously classified; released for the first time in DOW PURSUE Release 02 (May 22, 2026)
What Remains Unresolved
- ?How many individual sighting reports are included in D017?
- ?Were any of these incidents investigated by Project Sign or Project Grudge?
- ?Do the sightings cluster around specific dates or locations within the Sandia Base perimeter?
