Project 10073 Record Card and Associated Correspondence - Minot, North Dakota, 7 July 1960

On 7 July 1960, Airman Second Class M.E. Huyge of the 32nd Fighter Group at Minot Air Force Base reported a sighting of an unidentified aerial object. The observation lasted approximately three hours, beginning at 0610Z. The witness described the object as round, larger than any star in sight, and roughly the size of a pea held at arm's length. The object was observed to be very bright and white, but it flickered between white, red, and blue. It appeared to drift slowly while circling the city of Minot in a clockwise direction at an elevation of 75 to 85 degrees. The object disappeared as daylight approached. Following the report, the 786th ACWRON initiated an investigation, which included increased radar surveillance and inquiries to local and regional air traffic control centers, including Minot FAA, Minneapolis ARTC, and Winnipeg ARTC. No radar contacts were made, and no other reports were received by the radar sites, although the Minot AFB switchboard operator noted that several calls had been received regarding the sighting. An investigator from the base also went outside to observe the sky and reported seeing an unusually bright star, but noted no movement during a twenty-minute observation period. The official conclusion reached by the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) was that the object was the star Vega. The reported movement and flickering were attributed to atmospheric conditions, specifically warm air and foreign particles in the atmosphere. The report notes that it was considered doubtful that a genuine object could remain in the vicinity of a radar site for three hours without being detected by radar if it were near the earth.