Within Arizona UFOs
Why the Rhodes Photos Still Matter
The 1947 Rhodes photographs put Phoenix into the early flying saucer archive, but the evidence remains suggestive rather than decisive.
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- Phoenix in the 1947 saucer wave
- Government interest and missing certainty
- Photography as evidence and problem
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Introduction
In the summer of 1947, long before the Phoenix Lights or later modern UFO discussions, Arizona briefly entered the fledgling era of “flying saucer” reports through a pair of photographs taken over Phoenix. Known as the Rhodes UFO photographs, these images were among the earliest claimed photographic records of an unidentified flying object (UFO) in the United States and helped embed Arizona in the historical UFO archive right at the start of the post‑World War II “flying disc craze”. Although the photographs were widely circulated at the time and even attracted official attention, their evidential value remains debated. They matter in Arizona’s UFO history because they exemplify how early sightings were documented, how local media framed them, and how government interest intersected with both belief and scepticism in the first years of the modern UFO era. [Wikipedia]WikipediaRhodes UFO photographsRhodes UFO photographs
Phoenix in the 1947 Saucer Wave
The Rhodes photographs were taken against a backdrop of rapidly spreading “flying saucer” interest in the United States. On 24 June 1947, pilot Kenneth Arnold reported seeing nine fast‑moving objects near the Cascade Mountains in Washington State; news of his sighting triggered a wave of similar reports nationwide. Within days, newspapers from coast to coast were carrying accounts of enigmatic airborne objects. [Wikipedia]WikipediaList of reported UFO sightingsList of reported UFO sightings
It was into this environment that William A. Rhodes, a self‑described amateur astronomer, inventor and electronics enthusiast living in Phoenix, stepped on 7 July 1947. According to contemporary reports, Rhodes heard an unusual sound near his workshop and looked skyward to see a strange, silent object moving over his neighbourhood. He retrieved his camera and snapped two photographs of the craft as it moved across the Arizona sky. The following day, The Arizona Republic published the images under the headline “Mystery ‘Whatsis’ Photographed over Phoenix”, describing the object as shaped “like the heel of a shoe, with a small hole in the centre”. [Wikipedia]WikipediaUFO photographsUFO photographs
The object in Rhodes’s account was described as grey, elliptical and relatively close—Rhodes later estimated it to be between 20 and 30 feet in diameter and manoeuvring at speed. These details mirrored, in broad strokes, the kinds of shapes and behaviours reported elsewhere during the same summer. [Phoenix New Times]phoenixnewtimes.comPhoenix New Times Most infamous Arizona alien encounters | Phoenix New TimesPhoenix New TimesMost infamous Arizona alien encounters | Phoenix New TimesMay 29, 2024…
Government Interest and Missing Certainty
The Rhodes photographs did not simply vanish after appearing in a Phoenix newspaper. Within a day or two, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) obtained copies, and through July and August 1947 federal investigators, including Army Counterintelligence Corps personnel, interviewed Rhodes and inspected his photographs and negatives. In 1948, officers from the Air Materiel Command and early Air Force UFO study programmes examined the case. Internal records later showed the Rhodes photos were catalogued in the fledgling military UFO files — including what would become Project Blue Book, the Air Force’s official UFO investigation archive. [Wikipedia]WikipediaRhodes UFO photographsRhodes UFO photographs
Despite this attention, there is no surviving public record of an authoritative explanation from these agencies that definitively identifies what Rhodes saw. Official documents suggest scepticism: in the Air Force chronology the case was marked as a potential hoax, yet some commentators at the time reportedly thought the images were genuine photographic captures rather than lens artefacts or film defects. [Marcianitos Verdes]marcianitosverdes.haaan.comMarcianitos Verdes Las fotografías Rhodes (27) | Marcianitos VerdesMarcianitos VerdesLas fotografías Rhodes (27) | Marcianitos VerdesDecember 10, 2017…
This ambiguity is central to the Rhodes legacy. Government interest lent the case a gravitas that few individual 1947 sightings achieved, but the absence of a clear conclusion left room for competing narratives: believers cited the official scrutiny as validation, while sceptics pointed to the lack of substantive resolution as evidence of misinterpretation or error.
Photography as Evidence and Problem
The Rhodes photographs are significant partly because visual documentation was rare in 1947. Many early reports were word‑of‑mouth or newspaper anecdotes; images, especially published front‑page in a major local paper, were unusual. That immediacy gave the Phoenix case a kind of archival presence that many other reports lacked. [Wikipedia]WikipediaList of reported UFO sightingsList of reported UFO sightings
Yet the photographs themselves raise interpretive challenges. The object’s shape—described as U‑shaped or shoe‑heel‑like—is distinctive, but photographic technology of the era was limited, and the published versions were cropped and reproduced at low resolution. There is ongoing debate over whether the object’s appearance reflects a real airborne craft, a model or artifact, or even a misidentified mundane object. Some later historical commentators have even argued that Rhodes’s own character and background make his claim less reliable, noting that aspects of his self‑presentation did not always withstand scrutiny. [ufoexplorations]ufoexplorations.comUFO Explorations | The UFOs That Never Were: Classic Photos ExposedufoexplorationsUFO Explorations | The UFOs That Never Were: Classic Photos Exposed…
The Rhodes case also highlights the broader evidential problem of early UFO photography: single witness photographs, taken without corroborating data such as radar traces or multiple independent observers, are hard to assess reliably. In many cases from the 1947 surge, images that initially seemed persuasive were later reinterpreted as hoaxes, misunderstandings, or commonplace aerial phenomena.
Why the Rhodes Photographs Still Matter
For Arizona’s UFO history, the Rhodes photographs represent a formative moment. They show that long before the Phoenix Lights became a cultural touchstone in the 1990s, Arizonans were already part of the fledgling “flying saucer” narrative playing out across the United States in 1947. The Phoenix images joined a small set of early visual claims — alongside reports elsewhere like the Frank Ryman and Albert Weaver photos — that contributed to the early mythology of UFOs in American skies. [Wikipedia]WikipediaUFO photographsUFO photographs
The case also illustrates enduring themes in UFO reporting: how eyewitness testimony and imagery combine, how media amplification shapes public perception, and how official scrutiny can be interpreted through competing lenses of belief and scepticism. While the Rhodes photographs have never been widely accepted as definitive evidence of extraterrestrial visitation, their place in Arizona’s UFO record is secure as an early, high‑profile claim that captures both the excitement and uncertainty of the very first flying saucer wave. [Wikipedia]WikipediaUFO photographsUFO photographs
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Further Reading
Books and field guides related to Why the Rhodes Photos Still Matter. Use these as the next step if you want deeper reading beyond the article.
The Report on Unidentified Flying Objects
Places the Rhodes photographs within the formative years of UFO investigations.
The Interrupted Journey
Represents the evolution of UFO evidence and witness interpretation.
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Endnotes
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Source: Wikipedia
Title: Rhodes UFO photographs
Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhodes_UFO_photographs -
Source: Wikipedia
Title: List of reported UFO sightings
Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_reported_UFO_sightings -
Source: ufoexplorations.com
Title: UFO Explorations | The UFOs That Never Were: Classic Photos Exposed
Link: https://www.ufoexplorations.com/ufos-that-never-were-classic-photosSource snippet
ufoexplorationsUFO Explorations | The UFOs That Never Were: Classic Photos Exposed...
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Source: Wikipedia
Title: UFO photographs
Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UFO_photographs -
Source: phoenixnewtimes.com
Title: Phoenix New Times Most infamous Arizona alien encounters | Phoenix New Times
Link: https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/arts-culture/extraterrestrials-in-arizona-the-five-most-infamous-alien-encounters-in-the-state-8300570/Source snippet
Phoenix New TimesMost infamous Arizona alien encounters | Phoenix New TimesMay 29, 2024...
Published: May 29, 2024
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Source: marcianitosverdes.haaan.com
Title: Marcianitos Verdes Las fotografías Rhodes (27) | Marcianitos Verdes
Link: https://marcianitosverdes.haaan.com/2017/12/las-fotografas-rhodes-27/Source snippet
Marcianitos VerdesLas fotografías Rhodes (27) | Marcianitos VerdesDecember 10, 2017...
Published: December 10, 2017
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Source: alienconspiracy.tripod.com
Link: https://alienconspiracy.tripod.com/photos.htmSource snippet
Accounts of photographs of UFOs are listed below. Rhodes Photo July 7, 1947 Phoenix, Arizona Summary: Some of the first photographs to sh...
Published: July 7, 1947
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Source: thenightskyii.org
Link: https://thenightskyii.org/rhodes1.htmlSource snippet
Rhodes PhotographsJuly 7, 1947 — WILLIAM A. RHODES PHOTOGRAPHS Image: William A. Rhodes Photographs DATE: JULY 7, 1947 LOCATION: PHOENIX...
Published: July 7, 1947
Additional References
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Source: theufochronicles.com
Link: https://www.theufochronicles.com/2010/06/counter-intelligence-report-photographs.htmlSource snippet
June 15, 2010 — COUNTER INTELLIGENCE REPORT & PHOTOGRAPHS OF UFO CAPTURED ON FILM OVER PHOENIX, ARIZONA JULY 7, 1947 - click on image(s)...
Published: June 15, 2010
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Source: alienconspiracy.tripod.com
Title: The man who took the pictures was William A. Rhodes who described
Link: https://alienconspiracy.tripod.com/photos/rhodes.htmSource snippet
PhotosJuly 7, 1947 — JULY 7, 1947 >> PHOENIX, ARIZONA The Rhodes photos were some of the first reported to show a UFO in flight taken in...
Published: July 7, 1947
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Source: commons.wikimedia.org
Title: Other resolutions: 320 × 111 pixels | 640 × 222 pixels | 1,024
Link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ARhodes_UFO_photos.pngSource snippet
wikimedia.orgFile:Rhodes UFO photos.png - Wikimedia CommonsJuly 9, 1947 — FILE:RHODES UFO PHOTOS.PNG * File * Discussion [Input] English...
Published: July 9, 1947
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Source: spacepage.be
Title: Het Rhodes UFO-incident: foto’s die vragen opriepen
Link: https://www.spacepage.be/artikelen/buitenaards-leven/ufo-waarnemingen/het-rhodes-ufo-incident-foto-s-die-vragen-opriepen.htmlSource snippet
Christiaens Hoofdcategorie: Buitenaards leven Image Foto: William A. Rhodes Het jaar 1947 neemt een bijzondere plaats...
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Source: rr0.org
Title: Les photographies de William Rhodes
Link: https://rr0.org/science/crypto/ufo/enquete/dossier//RhodesSource snippet
La manchette dans l'Arizona Republic du 9 juillet Image: La manchette dans l'Arizona Republic du 9 juillet 1ʳᵉ photo: l'objet "approche"...
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Source: youtube.com
Title: Aliens Uncovered: Origins | The Secrets of Project Blue Book
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdRBvxDWiucSource snippet
UFO Warning Incident 40 William Rhodes UFO hearing: Whistleblower says he's witnessed harm by "non-human" entities Global News...
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Source: kids.kiddle.co
Title: Rhodes. These photos supposedly
Link: https://kids.kiddle.co/Rhodes_UFO_photographsSource snippet
UFO photographs Facts for KidsRHODES UFO PHOTOGRAPHS FACTS FOR KIDS Kids Encyclopedia Facts The Rhodes UFO photographs The Rhodes UFO pho...
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Source: youtube.com
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bretHCA89bQSource snippet
Aliens Uncovered: Origins | The Secrets of Project Blue Book...
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Source: youtube.com
Title: Kenneth Arnold and the First UFOs
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdXNAOxs6moSource snippet
BW - EP129—001: Radio, Roswell And The Flying Saucer Craze—Kenneth Arnold And The...
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Source: archives.library.rice.edu
Title: Haines Ufology pa
Link: https://archives.library.rice.edu/repositories/2/archival_objects/330019Source snippet
photo: William Albert Rhodes, Arizona, 1947 | ArchivesSpace Public InterfaceUFO PHOTO: WILLIAM ALBERT RHODES, ARIZONA, 1947 File — Box: 1...
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