Unidentified Flying Object Report (AFR 200-2) — Anniston Ordnance Depot, Bynum, Alabama, 6 December 1958

This document is an Air Intelligence Information Report (IR-1-58) regarding an Unidentified Flying Object sighting that occurred on December 6, 1958, at the Anniston Ordnance Depot in Bynum, Alabama. The witness, a civilian guard, observed an oval object approximately 6 to 8 feet in diameter and 4 feet in height. The object was first spotted at an altitude of 75 feet, moving at a speed of 10 to 15 miles per hour. The witness, who was in a vehicle with his lights off, followed the object for approximately one-half mile. During the encounter, the object hovered over a warehouse (referred to as an 'igloo') for a few seconds, teetered from side to side, and eventually departed to the northeast at a 'terrific rate of speed.' The witness reported that the object had no exhaust, no propellers, and made no noise. The sighting lasted between three and four and a half minutes. The report notes that the witness became scared and backed into a driveway to turn around during the incident. The information was debriefed by Special Agent Loren W. Vaughn of the CIC and subsequently passed to the Intelligence Division at Maxwell AFB. The official conclusion recorded on the Project 10073 record card is that the description is characteristic of a balloon. The reporting officer, Captain Clyde W. Snodgrass, noted that while the B-3 analysis by Mr. Vaughn was significant, the possibility of a weather phenomenon was considered but discounted by the Air Weather Service, which reported normal conditions at the time. No physical evidence was found, and the area air traffic was not investigated to expedite the report.