Scranton, PennsylvaniaSeptember 1960

On the evening of September 5, 1960, a resident of Scranton, Pennsylvania, wrote to the U.S. Air Force to report seeing an unusual object in the sky. The witness described a light blue object, somewhat smaller than the Echo satellite, that appeared to move deliberately across the night sky. When first observed, the object seemed to turn slightly, then moved to its left and passed between the stars of the Big Dipper constellation. The witness watched it appear to rise gracefully, then fade in brightness until it became a small bluish-white dot before disappearing from view.

The Air Force's initial response, dated September 1960, acknowledged the report but found the letter contained insufficient information for analysis. Officials asked the witness to complete a detailed technical questionnaire so that the Aerospace Technical Intelligence Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio could examine the case more thoroughly.

The case file also contains reports from two additional witnesses in the area. One observer near Dayton, Ohio, reported seeing a bright, aluminum-colored object similar in appearance to a bomber but somewhat larger, with visible wings and tail. This object gave off a bright flash before vanishing. The second witness, also in the Dayton area, described a red-lighted object that moved beneath and to the right of the moon before disappearing as if it had vanished instantaneously.

In its evaluation, the Air Force concluded that the Scranton sighting was probably a balloon. The file notes indicated that while the object's characteristics and general description suggested a balloon, no confirming data existed. For the Dayton sightings, the Air Force probably identified them as aircraft, noting that a B-52 bomber was in the area at the time of one report.

The full case file, consisting of 32 pages, is reproduced below as held by the National Archives.