Quincy, MassachusettsAugust 1960

On the night of August 12, 1960, between 1:05 and 2:30 a.m., several witnesses in Quincy, Massachusetts observed an unusual object in the sky while watching the Perseid meteor shower. They initially thought it might be an aircraft, but the object made no sound and followed no recognizable flight path. Using 50-millimeter binoculars and a 10.5-inch reflecting telescope, the witnesses saw what they described as a craft with red lights on the front and back, and white lights on either side. The object appeared bright enough to fill much of their binocular field of view.

The witnesses reported that the object moved steadily at a low angle across the sky. When it reached the southwestern section of the sky, it stopped, and the red lights on its underside began to revolve and increase in intensity to about 28 revolutions per minute. At that moment, the observers saw the edge of a dark disk tilted upward, suggesting the object had structure and depth. As the object leveled out, the disk disappeared from view. The craft then accelerated, its red light revolutions slowed, and it traced a circle through the sky, heading from west to north to east, then from east to south.

When the moon's light illuminated the object during its second circular path, the witnesses could see its full profile clearly, including the dark disk shape and white light indicators. One witness attempted to photograph the object using a camera with a ten-second exposure, and another tried to signal it using a high-powered flashlight in dot-and-dash patterns, adjusting the rhythm to match the red light's revolutions. The object eventually headed north and then east, fading rapidly as if receding into the distance.

The Air Force's written analysis on page 15 of the file is heavily redacted and difficult to read in places, but it notes that weather conditions were hazy with mist, dull moonlight, and many visible stars. The conclusion printed on the cover sheet states "Probably Balloon," though the analysis section contains substantial redacted text that may have outlined the reasoning. The 16-page file, held by the National Archives, contains the original witness reports, technical information forms, and the Air Force's evaluation.