S of Roosevelt, OklahomaJanuary 1961

In mid-January 1961, observers near Roosevelt, Oklahoma reported seeing bright objects in the night sky. Over the course of five days, military personnel and civilians submitted separate sighting reports to the U.S. Air Force.

The first sighting occurred on January 9, when two Air Force majors traveling between air bases spotted what they believed was a meteorite or piece of satellite entering the atmosphere. Major Warren R. Aiken, who had experience investigating UFO reports, concluded the object was likely space debris on a reentry path. No other witnesses reported this same object.

Two sightings on January 10 proved more significant. Multiple ground observers reported seeing an object that matched descriptions given by two pilots flying in an aircraft. A witness named in the Air Force report as reliable corroborated both the object's appearance and its path across the sky. However, the Air Force office found it difficult to obtain complete witness information because news media had already reported the sighting. Despite the corroboration, the Air Force was unable to determine what the object was.

On January 14, an object appeared in the southwest sky near Wichita Falls, described as extremely bright. The Air Force investigator noted that the witness, a television weatherman, seemed trustworthy and had good judgment. No other sightings of this particular object were reported, and investigators could not identify its cause.

On January 15, television station employees in Wichita Falls observed a bright object similar to the one seen the previous evening, positioned at approximately 250 degrees (roughly southwest) and 10 degrees above the horizon. The object remained visible for roughly fifteen minutes but did not emit the red glow some earlier witnesses had described. The Air Force again found itself unable to determine what had been seen.

The Air Force's investigation concluded that the objects were probably astronomical in nature, most likely the planet Venus, which was exceptionally bright in the sky at that time. The January 14 and 15 sightings in particular matched Venus's position and appearance. Witnesses who saw similar objects on consecutive nights supported this assessment. The full case file, consisting of 22 pages as held by the National Archives, is reproduced below.