Chicago, IllinoisMay 1954

On May 20, 1954, at 2300 (11 p.m.), a civilian witness in Chicago, Illinois saw an unidentified object in the night sky. The object looked like a tube-shaped, silvery projectile and remained visible for about three minutes.

The witness photographed the object, but the photos turned out unclear and could not be analyzed properly. The Air Force noted that there was insufficient data to determine what had been seen.

The case file includes eight pages of documentation, though much of the detailed witness statement and investigation notes are too degraded in the scanned copy to read with confidence. Based on the available evidence, the Air Force concluded the sighting was "unidentified," though it noted that the object might have been a balloon.

The full case file is reproduced below as held by the National Archives, totaling 8 pages.