U.S. Air Force Technical Information Sheet - Sighting Report, Jamestown, North Dakota, August 29, 1953

This document contains a U.S. Air Force Technical Information Sheet regarding a UFO sighting reported by a 37-year-old cafe cook in Jamestown, North Dakota, on August 29, 1953. The witness, while walking south on 4th Avenue at approximately 10:00 P.M., observed a single light moving horizontally in the southeast sky. The witness initially thought it was an airplane but noted it was moving too fast. The object's appearance changed from a large star to a ball of fire with a fiery tail, which the witness described as 'sizzling red hot.' The observation lasted approximately 12 seconds before the object was obscured by a tree. The witness provided detailed sketches and estimated the object's speed at 5,000 m.p.h. and its altitude at 63,360 feet. In his correspondence to the Secretary of Defense, the witness speculated that the object might be a radio-controlled air apparatus operated by a foreign government, such as Russia. The official conclusion recorded on the form by the Air Force was that the object was an astronomical event, specifically a meteor. The file also includes a separate, unrelated document regarding 'Abnormal Refraction' observed off the coast of Portugal on the same date, which appears to have been misfiled or included as a reference for atmospheric phenomena.