Project 10073 Record: Sighting in Sioux City, Iowa, 30 March 1950

This document is an Air Intelligence Information Report (IR-82-50) dated 11 April 1950, concerning a sighting of an unidentified flying object in Sioux City, Iowa, on 30 March 1950. The report details an observation made by three witnesses—a veterinarian and two stockyard employees—who were watching geese through field glasses when they spotted a silver, slender, round object with blunt wings. The witnesses observed the object for approximately 10 minutes as it hovered and flew in a square pattern at an estimated altitude of 20,000 feet before disappearing into the haze on a west-southwest heading. The report notes that the witnesses' descriptions were conflicting, with one individual suggesting the object might be a weather balloon. No sound was heard, and no exhaust trail was observed. The Lowry Flight Service Center confirmed that weather conditions in Sioux City at the time were clear with 15 miles of visibility. The official conclusion reached by the evaluating agency was that the object was a 'Possible Balloon,' citing the erratic motion and the witnesses' own speculation as factors supporting this evaluation. The document is marked as unclassified and includes standard declassification instructions.