William R. Presley Oak Ridge photographs (July 1947)

Case

Overview

William R. Presley (also spelled Pressley) took two photographs at Oak Ridge in July 1947 that were investigated by the FBI and AEC. Air Materiel Command's technical intelligence unit at Wright-Patterson reported emulsion disturbance from developer or water droplets, with matching marks across adjacent negatives.

Investigative phases

FBI and AEC inquiry; Wright-Patterson technical analysis; Jan-Feb 1949 correspondence in FBI file 62-HQ-83894 Section 4.

Reported phenomena

Marks on two photographs initially taken to show aerial objects.

Public evidence status

Moderate: FBI/AEC correspondence reproduced online. Low: original prints and the full technical report not recovered.

Alternative explanations / caveats

Officially explained as a film-emulsion artifact. A separate case: do not associate with the October 1950 Oak Ridge reports (CASE-084).

Next research tasks

Locate original prints and the Wright-Patterson report; verify the correspondence against FBI originals.

Last reviewed

2026-11-12

Assessment

Not yet in the Case Assessment Matrix.

Evidence (3)

• FBI and AEC correspondence on Presley's July 1947 Oak Ridge photographs Documented
  CE-V99-035 · 1949-01/02 · Government correspondence (reproduced)
  Gaps: Original prints not recovered
• Wright-Patterson technical intelligence finds emulsion disturbance from developer or water droplets Documented
  CE-V99-036 · 1949 · Technical analysis (reported)
  Gaps: Full technical report not located
• Wright-Patterson analysis attributes Presley photo marks to emulsion disturbance with matching marks on adjacent negatives CorroboratedSecondhand
  E-V99-027 · 1949-01/02 · Technical analysis (reported in correspondence)

Documents gathered (3 lines of evidence)

0 readable here · 3 with a linked primary record · 0 still need a document · All cases on the evidence map

• FBI and AEC correspondence on Presley's July 1947 Oak Ridge photographs Primary record linked
  CE-V99-035 · FBI UFO file 62-HQ-83894 Section 4 (Presley Oak Ridge photograph correspondence, transcribed)
• Wright-Patterson technical intelligence finds emulsion disturbance from developer or water droplets Primary record linked
  CE-V99-036 · FBI UFO file 62-HQ-83894 Section 4 (Presley Oak Ridge photograph correspondence, transcribed)
• Wright-Patterson analysis attributes Presley photo marks to emulsion disturbance with matching marks on adjacent negatives Primary record linked
  E-V99-027 · FBI UFO file 62-HQ-83894 Section 4 (Presley Oak Ridge photograph correspondence, transcribed)

On the timeline (1)

• 1947-07 William R. Presley takes two photographs at Oak Ridge later investigated by FBI and AEC Reported
  Explained by Wright-Patterson as film-emulsion artifact