Sighting Report — Dodson, Montana, 22 February 1953

This intelligence report details a sighting of an unidentified flying object that occurred on the night of February 22, 1953, near Dodson, Montana. The report, filed by the 1701st Air Transport Wing and processed by the Intelligence Division at Kelly AFB, Texas, documents the testimony of five civilian observers, including Mr. Donald H. Lee, an ex-service man. According to the witnesses, the object was first observed at approximately 2130 MST, appearing as a brilliant white light at an estimated altitude of 3500 to 4000 feet. The object remained motionless for about four minutes before moving in a northerly direction at a speed comparable to an aircraft. After traveling for approximately five miles, it halted for another three minutes before abruptly departing in a northwesterly direction at a very high speed. As the object's speed increased, the witnesses reported that the light changed from white to a rose color and finally to a piercing red glow. No sound was heard during the observation. The report notes that the witnesses were interviewed by an investigation team from the 1701st Air Transport Wing on February 24, 1953. Additionally, Mr. Lee mentioned that local residents on a neighboring reservation had reported similar sightings in the area over the preceding months. The document also includes extraneous material, such as a personal account from a Mrs. [illegible] regarding a separate sighting, which she compared to a 1951 report by a Captain Bicknell over Mt. Kilimanjaro, and a separate report from Sydney, Australia, regarding a large saucer sighting in 1947. Despite the detailed witness accounts provided in the Montana report, the official conclusion reached by the evaluating agency was that the object was 'Astro (VENUS)'.