Whitman AFB, MissouriNovember 1957

Multiple unidentified objects were tracked on radar at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri on November 6, 1957. The objects appeared on both search radar and precision radar equipment, with the clearest activity recorded between 1751 (5:51 p.m.) and 2134 (9:34 p.m.) Central Standard Time.

The radar operators noted that the objects gave strong, clear radar returns comparable in size and brightness to the return from a B-47 bomber that was also in the area at the time. On the precision radar, the unidentified objects appeared similar to an aircraft return. However, on the search radar scope, the objects had a distinctly round appearance and were not distorted by the radar sweep, whereas the B-47 target gave an elongated appearance. The objects changed direction sharply when plotted on paper, though operators observed that their actual turns appeared more gradual when watched in real time on the radar scope.

According to the report, the initial inbound radar tracks appeared to home in toward the radar transmitter. The targets changed direction when they were within one to two miles of the transmitter. There was no set pattern to the direction in which the targets moved. The greatest radar activity took place within three miles of the runway, with much of it within one mile of the base.

No visual sightings of the objects were reported by personnel at the base. Military radar operators kept nearby commercial and military aircraft informed of the sightings, but no traffic was reported in the area except for the B-47 already mentioned. Weather conditions at the time included overcast skies with 50-mile visibility at the surface.

Air Force analysts concluded that the targets displayed unusually slow speeds, consistent with ground targets rather than aircraft. One Air Force official noted that the fact that the greatest radar activity occurred within three miles of the runway with no visual confirmation suggested spurious radar responses of some kind. No definitive explanation appears in the case file, though analysts suggested the radar contacts may have been false echoes or equipment artifacts rather than actual objects. The full case file is reproduced below as held by the National Archives and consists of 57 pages.