East Prairie, MissouriApril 1953

On April 16, 1953, a man and three companions near East Prairie, Missouri, watched seven unidentified circular objects maneuver in the sky for about 25 minutes. The objects appeared silver in color, roughly as large as the wingspan of a B-36 bomber, and were observed between 3:10 p.m. and 3:35 p.m. The witness reported that the objects showed no visible propulsion system, exhaust, or sound.

The sighting began when the main observer spotted a single object trailing a B-36 aircraft. The object made a sharp left turn and was then joined by three additional objects. These four objects completed a tight 360-degree turn, formed a line abreast formation, and then accelerated rapidly, disappearing parallel to the B-36's flight path at speeds estimated between 400 and 600 miles per hour, with a top speed exceeding 600 mph. Shortly after, three more objects were spotted northeast of the observers' position. One of these hovered motionless for about ten minutes while the other two maneuvered in the vicinity. The witness also reported observing what appeared to be alternating flashing signals between two of the objects, a detail he found puzzling since such signaling was unusual for the aircraft he was familiar with.

The witness emphasized that the objects appeared to be under controlled flight and ruled out the possibility that they were free-floating weather balloons. He noted that the objects were perfectly circular from his vantage point, with no visible wings, tail, or other breaks in their smooth outline. Air Force investigators confirmed that the 85th Fighter Interceptor Squadron did conduct interception missions in the area, though no mission was logged at the exact time of the sighting. Weather conditions at the time were ideal, with clear skies and unlimited visibility. The Air Force investigation concluded that no definite determination could be made about what the objects were.

The full case file, comprising 17 pages, is reproduced below as held by the National Archives.