Chippewa Falls, WisconsinAugust 1961

A student in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, reported several sightings of unusual objects in the sky between late August and early September 1961. The first sighting occurred about four weeks before the student's initial letter, when he and others saw an object resembling a star but flashing red and green lights. After watching for some time, the object began moving: it shifted horizontally near a nearby star and then rose above it. The student called a local TV station and police department but received no explanation. When he contacted the Eau Claire police, an officer suggested it was probably a weather balloon reflecting light from a city's fluorescent lights. The student found this explanation unlikely, since no large city was in that direction.

About three weeks later, the student and witnesses spotted similar objects in different directions. One was in the north, another in the south-southwest. The second object suddenly accelerated rapidly toward the east, moving faster than any jet plane the student had ever seen. The student called Eau Claire Airport, and the operator confirmed seeing the northern object but was uncertain what it was. He also suggested a weather balloon and later speculated that the fast-moving object might have been caught in a jet stream.

A few nights later, on a partly cloudy night, four witnesses observed two objects moving slowly in the sky for about two hours. Then, on the night of September 6, the student saw something more striking. An object approached overhead at roughly a 75-degree angle from the ground. It appeared to be less than 1,000 feet away and was traveling at a moderate speed. Unlike an aircraft, it had no flashing lights. Instead, it was "all lit up" with steady yellowish-orange lights resembling the windows of a large passenger plane with interior lights on. The rear light burned bright orange. Most notably, the object made no sound as it passed overhead and was visible for about 20 to 30 seconds before disappearing.

The Air Force investigated the case but determined the information was too vague to reach a valid conclusion. Officials noted that large weather balloons sometimes carry running lights, though not in the configuration the student described. They also pointed out that aircraft lights do not always flash and that airliners routinely keep interior cabin lights on during flight. Because the sightings occurred two months before the report and generated no corroborating reports to the Air Force, the Foreign Technology Division declined to pursue the matter further. The case remains unresolved in the file.

The full case file, consisting of 20 pages, is reproduced below as held by the National Archives.