Satsuma, AlabamaAugust 1953

On the night of July 31, 1953, a Methodist preacher named Mr. Lister was driving home to Satsuma, Alabama on Highway 43 when he saw something unusual in the sky. The object had a curved leading edge and glowed amber colored. It was heading north to south at high speed and disappeared within a few seconds. Lister said it made no sound and didn't look like any star or meteor he knew.

Over the next two and a half weeks, four more people reported similar sightings near Creola and Satsuma. On August 1, a grocer saw a bright object cross Highway 43 heading northeast. On August 2, Mrs. Lister (the preacher's wife) spotted a reddish object with an amber glow on the leading edge. A few hours later that same day, someone else saw an amber colored glow moving from north to south. On August 17, two observers saw a reddish glow heading north to south near Highway 43. All the witnesses described the objects as silent, fast moving, and traveling in straight lines. Most said they lasted only a few seconds to a few minutes.

The Air Force investigated the sightings and interviewed the witnesses. The observers were found to be generally reliable. Weather data from the dates of the sightings showed clear to scattered cloud conditions. The case file notes that no aircraft were seen or heard in the area at the times of the sightings. The file does not state a final conclusion about what the objects were.

This case file, consisting of 11 scanned pages, is held by the National Archives on microfilm T1206, Roll 19.