Dallas, TexasJune 1955

On the evening of June 20, 1955, multiple witnesses in Dallas, Texas reported seeing unusual objects in the sky. The sightings lasted from roughly 2200 hours (10 p.m.) until around 2240 hours (10:40 p.m.), with observers reporting three separate incidents spaced about five minutes apart.

The first witness, Captain Richard S. Barry of the U.S. Marine Corps, described a dull red object that changed to a yellowish-white color. He watched it drop from a 70-degree elevation (looking high) to about 45 degrees (lower on the horizon). The object appeared to hover briefly, then accelerated to speeds faster than any jet aircraft he had seen. When Barry retrieved his binoculars, he saw what he described as three brilliant whitish-yellow lights arranged in a straight line, with a red light leading them. The total observation time was roughly 60 to 90 seconds. Two subsequent sightings that evening followed similar patterns, with the object moving erratically across the southwestern sky.

Other witnesses, including a civil engineer named Alex Elder who used 8-power binoculars, reported seeing bright white incandescent lights with a small red light trailing behind them. One witness, Mr. [redacted], observed four separate incidents and described colors ranging from silver to red to bright white, with some sightings showing three olive green lights accompanied by a white light. All witnesses emphasized the object's tremendous speed and erratic flight pattern, along with the complete absence of sound or exhaust.

The Air Force investigated thoroughly. They checked with the Weather Bureau and found no weather balloons had been released at the time. The Civil Aeronautics Administration reported no aircraft in the area. The nearby Duncanville Radar Station saw no radar blips during the sighting window. A nearby naval air station and experimental aircraft manufacturers also reported no activity matching the sightings.

The investigating officer, 1st Lieutenant Dean S. Jameson, initially concluded that the sighting was probably caused by a meteorite, pointing to the round shapes reported and the high speeds. However, the approving officer disagreed with this conclusion. The approving officer noted that the witnesses' descriptions of the objects' flight path and characteristics did not match those of a meteorite. Additionally, the duration of the sightings was too long for a meteor, which typically appears and disappears almost instantly. The witnesses stated they believed they saw the same object three separate times rather than three different objects, with time gaps between sightings. The approving officer noted that one reliable witness explicitly stated the object was not a meteorite. The case was forwarded to the Air Technical Intelligence Center as unidentified. The full case file of 30 pages is reproduced below as held by the National Archives.