Report of Investigation of Unidentified Flying Object Sighting — Braidwood, Illinois, June 1960

This document is a formal report of investigation conducted by the Chanute Technical Training Center regarding a UFO sighting reported in the vicinity of Braidwood and Joliet, Illinois, on 1 June 1960. The investigation was initiated following an unclassified message (DAOIO 2000) from Detroit Air Defense Sector and was conducted by Captain Donald W. Hartranft under the authority of Air Force Regulation 200-2. Several witnesses, including an accountant, a construction manager, and a science teacher, provided detailed accounts of a bright, irregularly shaped object observed in the southeastern sky. Witnesses described the object as brilliant white, intermittently changing to pale yellow, and noted that it appeared to swing like a pendulum and trail a faint amber beam of light. The observation lasted for over six hours. The investigation involved interviewing these witnesses and conducting encyclopedic research. The findings concluded that the reported object was, in fact, the planet Jupiter. The report notes that Jupiter was at its brightest and closest to Earth during this period, which likely caused the optical illusion reported by the witnesses. The report includes supporting documentation, such as meteorological data from Detachment 3, 8 Weather Group, which confirmed clear skies in the area at the time of the sighting. The investigating officer, Captain Hartranft, recommended that no further investigation be conducted. The document also contains supplementary materials, including newspaper clippings from the Joliet Herald-News and correspondence regarding other sightings in 1960, such as reports from Venezuela and Massachusetts, which were also investigated or filed for information purposes. The final conclusion of the Air Force was that the Braidwood sighting was a natural phenomenon.