FBI Files from 1960 Reveal Handling of Michigan Man's UFO Ph

FBI Files from 1960 Reveal Handling of Michigan Man's UFO Photo Claim

Declassified FBI files show that in 1960, Joseph Perry of Grand Blanc, Michigan, reported photographs of an unidentified flying object silhouetted against the moon. The FBI stated it was not investigating the matter and turned the photos over to the Air Force, while also correcting a newspaper report that suggested otherwise.

Published

September 7, 2026

Declassified

Date not listed

Source agency

The Black Vault (FOIA archive)

fbiufofoia1960handlingmichiganmanphoto

Michigan Man's UFO Photo Claim Reaches FBI

In May 1960, Detroit office became aware of a claim by Joseph Perry, a restaurant owner and amateur photographer from Grand Blanc, Michigan, that he had captured on film what appeared to be an unidentified flying object. The matter first came to the FBI's attention through a telephone call from the Detroit Times to the Flint Resident Agency on May 20, 1960. The newspaper sought to clarify whether FBI agents had previously "snatched" photographs from Perry, a characterization the Bureau disputed.

S. Air Force's Office of Special Investigations at Selfridge Air Force Base in Mt. Clemens, Michigan.

The FBI emphasized that it was not conducting an investigation into Perry's photographs and had merely acted as a conduit, passing the material to the Air Force, which had jurisdiction over UFO-related matters. Perry's claim involved a color transparency he had taken of the moon on May 3, 1960, which appeared to show…

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Based on the official release at https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/federal-bureau-of-investigation-fbi-files-on-ufos/

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