UFO Sighting, Duluth, Minnesota Area, 13-14 March 1959

This intelligence report details a series of UFO sightings occurring in the Duluth, Minnesota area on 13 and 14 March 1959. The events involved both visual and radar observations by military personnel, including crews of B-52 and F-102 aircraft, as well as ground-based radar stations. Witnesses described the object as having a tubular or round shape, emitting red, orange, white, and green light, with rotating red and green lights on the top and bottom. The object reportedly maintained a high-speed, straight flight path and disappeared by fading from sight. Military interceptors were scrambled to investigate, but were unable to close in on the target. Radar operators reported multiple contacts and electronic jamming, which they initially suspected might be related to the object. However, subsequent analysis by the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) concluded that the radar returns were likely caused by interference, possibly from the Aurora Borealis, which was active in the area at the time. The visual sightings were attributed to the planet Venus, which was near the horizon and subject to atmospheric refraction and distortion, creating the appearance of movement and color changes. The report includes technical data sheets, radar scope film analysis, and statements from the pilots and radar observers involved in the intercept attempts.