Spokane, WashingtonJune 1947

On Saturday, June 21, 1947, a resident of Spokane, Washington was in his yard shortly before noon when he spotted something unusual in the sky. He had been watching a twin-engine military plane flying south at about 10,000 to 12,000 feet when a bright, shiny flash caught his attention. The flash came from objects positioned below the plane but slightly ahead of his line of sight.

The observer described the objects as quite large, despite their altitude. He initially thought the plane might have dropped leaflets, but the objects were ahead of the aircraft rather than behind it. Most notably, the objects appeared to be traveling slower than the plane and seemed to be moving south against the prevailing winds. He noted that some of the smaller flashes were as high as or higher than the plane itself, though the nearest one appeared lower. The objects flashed intermittently as they traveled.

The Air Force file indicates that the information provided was too limited to suggest any definite explanation. However, the investigating officers concluded that the objects might possibly have been a series of balloons. The file offers no further analysis or details about the investigation beyond this assessment.

The full case file is reproduced below as held by the National Archives, comprising 8 pages.