Nome - Unalakleet, AlaskaFebruary 1960

On February 14, 1960, residents of western Alaska reported seeing a mysterious bright object streaking across the sky near Nome and Unalakleet. A station manager for an airline saw the object moving rapidly at tremendous speed, perhaps 2,000 to 3,000 feet above the ground. He described it as tubular and silvery, with an orange flame shooting from the back, and said it was heading southeast toward the coast. A housewife in Nome also watched the object, calling it brilliant white and star-like. The sightings spanned an area of roughly 150 miles and lasted only seven to ten seconds from each vantage point, suggesting whatever was in the sky was moving at extreme speed and flying at very high altitude.

The Air Force launched an immediate investigation. Military officials coordinated with civilian observers at multiple locations, including Nome, Unalakleet, St. Michael, and Holikachuk. Using trigonometric calculations based on the angle and direction of the sightings, the Air Force determined the object was at least 100 miles high. Military messages ruled out jets and known satellites, which were too slow and followed different orbital patterns.

Within days, the Air Force and a university scientist reached a conclusion. Dr. Christian Elvey, director of the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska and a member of the U.S. Air Force Scientific Advisory Board, agreed with the Air Force's assessment that the object was a very bright meteor traveling at extremely high speed. The file indicates this was a natural phenomenon, not a foreign aircraft or satellite.

Not everyone accepted this explanation. Pete Walsh, the airline station manager who had seen the object, publicly disagreed with the finding. He questioned how a meteor could travel on a horizontal plane and change course as this object appeared to do. His skepticism drew the attention of Alaska's congressional representatives, who contacted the Air Force seeking additional clarification.

By March 1960, a second unexplained event occurred in the same area. A commercial airline pilot reported observing a brilliant flash that temporarily blinded both him and his co-pilot. The brightness was so intense that they were unable to see for about two seconds, though they heard no sound. Two ground observers also reported seeing a flash. The Air Force classified this second sighting as a bright meteor, possibly the kind known as a "fireball" or bolide, which can produce a very bright explosion.

The case file consists of 40 pages held by the National Archives, including military intelligence summaries, civilian witness accounts, press clippings, correspondence with Congress, and official Air Force conclusions on microfilm T1206, Roll 37.