Texarkana, TexasJune 1963

On the night of June 26, 1963, a resident of Texarkana, Texas watched two round white-to-orange objects move slowly across the northern sky. The witness noticed the objects while listening to a ball game on the radio in his back yard at 420 Delk Road. He saw them at a high elevation toward the northwest, initially about 45 degrees north of Texarkana. The objects changed course and gradually faded in the northern direction after about half an hour of observation.

The Air Force initially classified the objects as "unknown" on its case record card, but the file indicates that analysis of the sighting points to an ordinary explanation. The objects matched the description of balloon observations in size and appearance. They were white to orange in color, consistent with light reflecting off a balloon envelope at night. The wind data from the upper atmosphere supported this conclusion. Winds at various altitudes showed variable directions and speeds, which would cause a drifting balloon to change course as it climbed through different wind layers. The duration of the observation, about thirty minutes, was consistent with a balloon drifting across the sky and gradually becoming too faint to see.

No radar echoes were reported within 150 miles of Texarkana on the night of the sighting. The weather conditions were clear with good visibility, favorable for observing objects high in the sky. The witness was considered reliable by the reporting agency.

Based on the investigative materials in the file, the Air Force concluded that the sighting was "probably balloon," indicating that the objects were most likely weather balloons or similar balloons being tracked for meteorological purposes. Nothing in the file suggests the objects posed any special significance.

The full case file is reproduced below as held by the National Archives, comprising 38 pages.