N of New Orleans, La., January 1958January 1958

# UFO Sighting North of New Orleans, January 1958

In early January 1958, a man and his two nephews traveling north of New Orleans reported seeing what they believed was the Soviet satellite Sputnik I falling from the sky. The incident occurred on January 2, 1958, around 7:50 p.m. on a desolate stretch of U.S. Highway 11. According to the witnesses, the object fell about one to one and a half miles ahead of them, descending nearly straight down, and they were able to watch it for approximately 10 to 15 seconds. They described it as a perfect sphere with a low glow around it, and the sphere itself appeared white. The man later wrote to Senator Lyndon B. Johnson requesting government assistance in locating and recovering the object.

The Air Force promptly launched a multi-agency investigation. The Office of Special Investigations, Keesler Air Force Base, Carswell Air Force Base, and the Air Technical Intelligence Center all took action. Air Force analysts questioned whether Sputnik I was actually responsible for the sighting. The satellite was a hollow, polished sphere roughly 23 inches in diameter, and the Air Force believed it would have burned up between 30 to 80 miles altitude upon re-entry. Additionally, Sputnik I did not begin to decay until January 3, one day after the reported sighting.

In March 1958, investigators interviewed the primary witness and found significant contradictions to his original account. When asked during the formal interview what he had actually seen, he replied that he could not be sure and that it might have been an airplane light, a falling star, or a reflection. He and his nephew also changed their description of how the object fell, now saying it came down at an angle rather than straight down, and acknowledged they could not accurately estimate its size. The interviewing officer noted that both men had become obsessed with news coverage of the satellite falling and appeared to have changed their attitude about the sighting entirely, stating they were no longer particularly interested in the matter. The officer further learned that the primary witness had been unemployed for some time and had become convinced his telephone was being tapped after making his report.

Ultimately, the Air Force concluded the sighting most likely resembled a meteor rather than the Soviet satellite. In a letter dated June 1958, the Air Force informed Senator Johnson that while all facts had been carefully studied, nothing indicated that the unidentified object sighted was Sputnik No. 1. The full case file, comprising 27 pages as held by the National Archives, is reproduced below.