Decatur, IllinoisMay 1960

# A Persistent Quest for Evidence in Decatur, Illinois

In May 1960, Dorothy A. Hott, a resident of Decatur, Illinois, reported that she had repeatedly observed what she described as "chemical flares" in the sky near her home. According to her letter to Congressman William Springer, these objects appeared over a span of approximately eighteen months. Hott said the flares were aimed at local industry, aircraft, roads, and bridges. She reported the sightings to local police, the Illinois State Security office, the sheriff's office, and civil defense, and she claimed to have taken multiple photographs of the objects in flight.

Hott's correspondence caught the attention of the Air Force Office of Information and Public Affairs at the Pentagon. In response to a congressional inquiry, the Air Force asked Hott to submit the original photographic negatives, color prints, and detailed information about her camera, film, and exposure settings so that analysis could be performed. Despite repeated requests throughout June and July 1960, the Air Force could not complete an analysis of the prints Hott provided. Her photographs did not show any objects that the investigators could identify. A memorandum from Lawrence J. Tacker, a senior Air Force official, noted that Hott's letters appeared "completely disjointed" and indicated "a great amount of hysteria on her part concerning various objects she sees in the sky." Tacker recommended closing the file without further reply.

The Air Force's official evaluation of this case was unidentified, though the investigators could offer no explanation for Hott's sightings and found no corroborating evidence in her photographic submissions. The full case file, comprising 19 pages as held by the National Archives, is reproduced below.