Air Intelligence Information Report — Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 16 March 1954

This document is an Air Intelligence Information Report dated 24 March 1954, concerning a sighting that occurred on 6 March 1954 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The report details an observation made by four individuals, including students and a wholesale tobacco dealer, who witnessed a bright, round, silver object in the southwest sky at approximately 1745 hours. The object was described as being the size of a baseball held at arm's length, displaying a bright silver tapering exhaust when in motion, and exhibiting a red glow on its leading edge when it decelerated or stopped. The object performed a series of arcs on a horizontal plane and rose to a higher altitude over a duration of 35 minutes before disappearing behind clouds. The witnesses reported that the object made no sound. The investigating officer, 2nd Lt. Ray S. Tittle, Jr., noted that while there were minor discrepancies in the witnesses' accounts regarding the object's exact size and color, all witnesses agreed they saw the same unusual object. The report evaluates several potential explanations, including commercial searchlights, weather balloons, and the planet Jupiter, but concludes that none of these adequately explain the observed maneuvers or physical characteristics. Consequently, the object was tentatively classified as unidentified. The report was transmitted by Major Troy A. Hargis of the 2473rd Air Force Reserve Combat Training Center to the Air Technical Intelligence Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in accordance with Air Force regulations.