Crete, IllinoisAugust 1960

Unidentified

Summary

On August 29, 1960, a man driving north on Illinois Route 1 near Crete, Illinois saw a gleaming, chrome-colored object hovering just above the ground. He watched it through his car window as he approached. When the object spotted the approaching vehicle, it suddenly began to rise, accelerating until it disappeared from sight. The entire sighting lasted less than a minute.

The witness, a farmer in his sixties, described the object as football-shaped and shiny silver in color. He estimated it started at about 30 degrees above the horizon (roughly eye level, looking slightly upward) and climbed to about 90 degrees (straight overhead) before vanishing. The object rose at a speed much faster than the roughly 1,000 feet per minute typical of weather balloons, according to Air Force analysis.

A Navy officer named Lieutenant John T. Cizek reported the sighting to the Air Force on August 30, 1960. He noted that the witness seemed credible and had no previous interest in UFOs. Cizek added that the object's motion and speed did not match any known aircraft pattern. The Air Force sent the witness a detailed questionnaire asking him to describe the object's color, shape, sound, speed, and the exact directions and angles at which it appeared and disappeared.

The Air Force's official evaluation concluded the sighting was unidentified. The case file is reproduced below as held by the National Archives, comprising 14 pages.

Reported location

Crete, Illinois

Date of incident

August 1960

State / country

IL / US

Page count

14 scanned pages

USAF evaluation

unidentified

Microfilm

T1206, Roll 39

Original case file scans

Original case file · scanned by NARAPage 1 of 14

View transcribed text

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GRR PROJECT 10073 RECORD CARD
R |i pate - 2. LOCATION TY
€ 29 iugusb 2 960 Crete. Illinois 7 Wos Bolloon
i | Lads St ViSULT, 1l1linois C1 Probobly Bolieon
jy or Pp ib L }
BE DATE-TIME GROUP 4. TYPE OF OBSERVATION W.-TWNeny. Stew
s 1605 O Woes Aivcraf
3 ! . I AEe ge ~ w 0s hheratt
3 | Lore — Sana Aaa R Ground- Visual 0 Ground-Radar 0 Probobly Aireroft
SIN fs ! : .
BE. ST RENE 0 AirVisval 0 Air-intercept Rador DO Possibly Aireraht
i 8-13 PHOTOS . SOURCE fw | Was Astronomicol
3 hh PERN O Probobiy Astronomicoi
i X W LW dodl ¢ i
i | tfNs v an 0 Possibly Astronomical
E | 7. LENGTH OF OBSERVATION 3. MUMBER OF OBJECTS | 9. COURSE O Other eee
3 | a Insuiticiont, Data for Evaluation |
7 I a oun ikoad Ty 3 Unknown JINIDENT AF LD |
4 18 = 15] onds Cne Risin g
f 10. BRIEF SUMMARY OF 3IGHTING 11. COMMENTS
3 Tarr bricht shiny, object, silver color, rcund Chservation does not fit any k
gE | S dl Vi ASIL OllAldy 9 VIVE VY De Va CO LOX de PIO E104 STEAL VOL L ages nou hoy any K10WnN
4 | in shape, observed moving from moving aato pattem of observaticn, Motion not
| | through winshield, Object appeared to go consistent with aircraft. Balloon |
3 | straicht up and disaprearsd after about X2 18 rises at about 1,000 ft per min,
4 szaconds, Initdzd observation at 0 deg true This object rose much faster, "itness|
4 | at about 30 deg elsvation, Disappeared abt located about 20 mi 5 of Chicago
f | 90 deg elevation, and the object was signted to the Nozph
i ascending overhead where it disar aarkd
BR Case listed as @nidentified,
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3 ATIC PORM 329 (REV 26 3EP 32)
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Source: National Archives Catalog · NAID 28988608