Project 10073 Record Card and Associated Correspondence — Bellingham, Washington, July 1959

This document collection details a UFO sighting reported on July 30, 1959, in Bellingham, Washington. A civilian witness reported observing two round, fluorescent bluish-white objects, described as being the size of a nickel or quarter, moving in the sky. The objects were observed for one to three minutes, exhibiting a flight path that included southbound movement, a brief northbound climb, and a return to a southbound trajectory. The report was initially filed by the 757th ACWRON at Blaine AFS, Washington, and forwarded to the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) and other military commands. Following an investigation, the Directorate of Intelligence of the 25th Air Division determined that the lights were not unidentified, but rather the result of flares emanating from Strategic Air Command (SAC) aircraft conducting a refueling mission in the area. A subsequent memorandum from March 1960 confirms that the Air Force concluded the sightings in the Washington state area—which included reports from Bremerton, Yakima, and Bellingham—were attributable to these known friendly refueling operations.