Mexico, MaineDecember 1956

A Maine housewife reported seeing a glowing green disc-shaped object near her children's swing on the evening of December 21, 1956. The woman, who lived about two miles outside the town of Mexico, Maine, said she spotted the object while rinsing a bottle at her kitchen sink at around 5:30 p.m. She described it as about three feet in diameter, luminous green in color, and resembling the cover of a washing machine held at arm's length. The object appeared to descend at an angle toward her children's metal swing, coming within three feet of the ground before the light vanished. The woman estimated the sighting lasted only a few seconds. She noted that after the object disappeared, a whitish mark about four inches wide appeared on the top bar of the swing.

The woman reported similar flashes of light in the area about two weeks before and two weeks after the main sighting. She also mentioned that her dog had barked nervously one night for about fifteen minutes, which she speculated might have been a response to sounds from the object that human ears could not hear. The woman had previously read a book about flying saucers and was convinced these objects were genuine spacecraft from outer space, sent to gather samples. Because the report came with the backing of U.S. Senator Margaret Chase Smith of Maine, who forwarded it to the Central Intelligence Agency and the Secretary of the Air Force, the military ordered an investigation.

The Air Force interviewed the woman and investigated the scene. The weather bureau confirmed clear skies and calm conditions at the time. The Air Force interviewed the local police chief, who examined the mark on the swing and determined it was not a fresh impression but rather the remains of a manufacturer's decal that had partially worn away. The investigator noted that the woman's farmhouse sat near a road used by deer poachers at night who operated spotlights. Based on these findings, the Air Force concluded the sighting was most likely caused by automobile headlights or hunters' spotlights reflecting off the many windows of the farmhouse. The initial radio report from the field office indicated the cream-colored mark on the swing was a manufacturer's decal, consistent with this light reflection explanation.

The full case file is reproduced below as held by the National Archives, comprising 20 pages.