PROJECT 10073 RECORD CARD — Winston-Salem, North Carolina, 1 June 1961

On June 1, 1961, at approximately 0040 local time, a civilian observer in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, reported a sighting of three bright white lights in a triangular formation. The observer, described as a 26-year-old unemployed individual, reported that the objects were moving at a speed faster than a normal jet aircraft and made no sound. The objects followed a straight flight path into the horizon, and the observation lasted between five and six minutes. The report was processed via a Project 10073 record card and a priority cable from the 792nd ACW Squadron at North Charleston AFS. Investigating officers noted that there were F-101 and B-66 aircraft from Shaw AFB operating in the area at the time of the sighting. While anomalous propagation was noted on the 'Paris Green' radar, the 'Bush Coral' radar reported negative results, which was attributed to the objects being in the immediate vicinity of the radar site and potentially lost in ground clutter. The official conclusion reached by the investigating officers was that the objects were likely the military aircraft operating in the area, and there was no reason to believe the sighting involved anything else.