Air Intelligence Information Report: Unidentified Flying Object — White Sands Proving Grounds, New Mexico, 3 November 1957

This document is an Air Intelligence Information Report (AISS-UFOB-389-57) dated 13 November 1957, detailing two separate sightings of unidentified flying objects by U.S. Army military police patrols at the White Sands Proving Grounds in New Mexico on 3 November 1957. The first sighting, reported by Cpl. Glenn H. Toy and PFC James E. Wilbanks, involved a bright, egg-shaped object that descended to approximately 50 yards above the ground before disappearing. The second sighting, reported by SP-3 Henry R. Barlow and SP-3 Forest R. Oakes, involved a bright light that pulsated and climbed into the sky. The report includes statements from the witnesses and supplementary investigative efforts, including consultation with Dr. Lincoln LaPaz of the University of New Mexico. The official conclusion of the investigating officer, Captain Patrick O. Shere, and the preparing officer, Lt. Colonel William P. Brunson, is that the first patrol mistook the moon setting for an unidentified object, and the second patrol witnessed the planet Venus. The report emphasizes that the witnesses were young, impressionable, and influenced by widespread media publicity regarding UFO incidents at the time. The document also includes supplementary message traffic regarding other UFO reports, such as the 'Blue Light' case in Levelland, Texas, and the 'Sabego' Coast Guard cutter sighting, further illustrating the Air Force's efforts to provide conventional explanations for these phenomena.