Project 10073 Record Card and Correspondence — Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, 1961

This document consists of a series of correspondence and a Project 10073 record card regarding a student's reports of unidentified aerial phenomena in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, during August and September 1961. The witness, a student at the Wisconsin State College of Eau Claire, reported multiple sightings of objects that appeared as stars but flashed red and green, and in one instance, a large, long object resembling a passenger plane with yellowish-orange interior lights that made no sound. The witness contacted local police, the Eau Claire airport, and the Civil Defense unit, but received no definitive explanations. The witness also noted a perceived correlation between the sightings and news reports of Soviet space activities, such as a man en route to Venus and atmospheric nuclear tests. The witness eventually wrote to General Mills' Balloon and Aerospace Systems Department, which suggested the objects might be weather balloons and advised contacting the U.S. Air Force. The Foreign Technology Division (FTD) of the Air Force Systems Command reviewed the case and concluded that the information provided was too general to reach a valid conclusion. The FTD suggested the objects could have been balloons, aircraft lights, or stars appearing to move due to cloud cover. Because the sightings occurred approximately two months prior to the report and no other corroborating reports were received, the FTD decided not to pursue the matter further. Major William T. Coleman, Jr., the UFO Information Project Officer, also responded to the witness, reiterating that the descriptions were too general and providing information on how weather balloons and aircraft lights might be mistaken for UFOs. He enclosed questionnaires for future sightings, though the FTD had already determined the case was closed.