Forrest City, ArkansasJuly 1953

On the evening of July 10, 1953, residents of Forrest City, Arkansas saw a bright, silver-colored object hovering over their city for about thirty to forty-five minutes. The object appeared from the northwest, moved slowly, and eventually disappeared toward the south. Witnesses reported that it made no sound, left no vapor trail, and showed no visible means of propulsion. The object was very high in the sky and appeared almost round.

The sighting was reported to Maxwell Air Force Base Flight Service Center by Memphis Control and later verified by a phone call from the Arkansas State Police radio operator in Forrest City. The Air Force sent out a questionnaire to gather more details from the observers. The available witnesses included a police officer and at least one other person, though full names and addresses for all observers were not recorded at the time.

The weather that evening was clear with moderate winds, with no meteorological conditions that could account for the sighting. Air traffic at the time could not be determined because the report arrived too late for investigators to check the records. No physical evidence was recovered, and no interception or identification action was taken by military authorities.

The file notes that civilian researchers from Ohio State University considered the case puzzling and wanted additional information from the witnesses. The Air Force's final evaluation listed the sighting as "unknown," though an initial assessment suggested it might have been a weather balloon, despite the absence of any known balloon releases in Arkansas on that date.

The full case file, comprising 43 pages, is reproduced below as held by the National Archives.