A newly declassified CIA document has reignited interest in one of the most enduring mysteries of the Cold War era after revealing reports of unidentified flying objects allegedly travelling between Budapest and Moscow in the mid-1950s.
The document is part of a third batch of UFO-related files recently released by the Pentagon, following an order by US President Donald Trump to make previously classified records public. The latest release contains 72 documents from the archives of the CIA, FBI and Pentagon, including witness accounts, sketches and reports of unexplained aerial phenomena.
A letter from Budapest in the CIA file
Among the most intriguing files is a CIA briefing dated 1956 that records testimony from a Hungarian-born American citizen. According to the report, the man received a letter from his niece in Budapest in November 1955 describing unusual objects seen in the skies above Hungary.
In her letter, she wrote that the so-called “flying saucers” had unsettled local residents for weeks. She claimed the mysterious objects were travelling at extraordinary speeds and had attracted the attention of scientific groups attempting to understand the phenomenon, reports 444.hu based on Russian outlet Meduza’s article.
“I’m sure you’ve already read about this in the newspapers,” the letter reportedly stated, adding that the objects’ speed had been estimated at around 12,000 kilometres per hour (around 7,500 miles an hour). The CIA report notes that this was the first time the niece had ever mentioned such sightings to her relative.
Sketch links Budapest and Moscow
Perhaps the most remarkable element of the document is an accompanying sketch included with the report. According to the CIA file, the drawing illustrates the formation of the alleged flying saucers and their presumed route.
The sketch prominently features the names of two cities: Budapest and Moscow. The report suggests that several unidentified objects were observed travelling between the Hungarian and Soviet capitals, although no further evidence was provided to verify the claim.
Growing public fascination
The release is part of a broader effort from the White House — as President Donald Trump claimed there is an “enormous interest” — to make historical UFO records available to the public amid renewed global interest in unidentified aerial phenomena.
The Pentagon published the first two batches of files in May on a dedicated website. The newly released documents contain a variety of reports dating back decades, including accounts of glowing spheres and unexplained objects observed in different parts of the United States.
While the Budapest-Moscow report offers no definitive proof of extraterrestrial activity, it provides a fascinating glimpse into how UFO sightings were documented and investigated during one of the most tense periods of the Cold War.
