Sighting Report — Waterville, Maine, 12 October 1953

This document is a formal sighting report concerning an unidentified aerial phenomenon observed on 12 October 1953 in Waterville, Maine. The witness, a 51-year-old civilian photographer with prior experience as a ground observer during World War II, reported seeing a round, white or aluminum-colored object at approximately 1600Z. The object was described as appearing similar to 'milk weed pod floss' and was observed for five minutes at an elevation of approximately 15 degrees above the NNE horizon. The witness noted a slight haziness around the object, resembling a halo or pale smoke. The object maintained a level flight path toward the NNE without any deviations, rising, or falling, before eventually disappearing from sight. Weather conditions at the time were described as a slightly hazy atmosphere with scattered thin clouds, though the object was visible against the blue sky. The report was investigated by Captain Clyde H. Mann of the 20 Weather Detachment at Dow Air Force Base in Bangor, Maine. The official conclusion stated that the object was believed to be an aircraft, though the investigator noted that it was impossible to verify flight records for the area due to the delay in reporting the incident. The investigating officer explicitly stated he had no comment regarding the possible cause of the phenomenon. The document includes meteorological data, such as wind speed and direction at various altitudes, provided by the weather detachment. The report is marked as unclassified and includes standard declassification instructions under DOD Directive 5200.10.