Bartlett, IllinoisDecember 1961

On a December evening in 1961, a witness in Bartlett, Illinois saw an unusual object in the sky as the sun was setting. The witness described it as an elongated, cloud-like shape that appeared solid and gleaming. The object seemed to hang stationary at times, then broke apart into pieces. It gave off smoke, flickered with golden and orange-red light, and resembled what the witness called a "two foot long gleaming orange red banner with two balls dropping off the end of it." The observation lasted about ten minutes, and the object drifted from the southwest toward the northwest, with fragments detaching from it as it moved.

The Air Force's investigation appears to have been straightforward. In January 1962, the project officer sent the witness a standard questionnaire asking for more details, including questions about the object's appearance, movement, the weather conditions, and whether anyone else had observed it. The witness was asked to provide drawings and descriptions in their own words.

The Air Force's conclusion was recorded in an analysis sheet as a contrail (a condensation trail left by aircraft). The evaluator noted that the witness's description of the sighting fit the observation of an aircraft contrail and that the object's color and appearance matched what one would see when sunlight shines on a cloud at sunset. The file lists the case as closed based on this explanation.

The full case file, as held by the National Archives, is reproduced below in 16 pages.