Project 10073 Record Card and Incoming Message — Versailles, Missouri, 24 June 1963

On 24 June 1963, at approximately 2040 hours local time, a 47-year-old farmer in Versailles, Missouri, observed a round, white object in the sky. The witness, who observed the object through binoculars at dusk, described it as appearing like a light that would alternate between bright and dim. The object was initially spotted at a 60-degree elevation at an estimated altitude of over 60,000 feet. Over the course of a 20-minute observation, the object reportedly followed a zig-zag path, moving to the North behind trees, while exhibiting changes in speed. The witness reported the information via a letter dated 26 June 1963, which was subsequently supplemented by a telephone call. The 340 Bomb Wing received this report on 1 July 1963. Intelligence estimates provided by 1/LT Jon D. Nylander noted that the reliability of the observer and his family could not be determined. Weather data obtained from the AWS Detachment at Whiteman AFB indicated clear conditions with no clouds, though thin clouds were noted at 25,000 feet. The weather officer concluded that the object was likely a weather balloon with an attached light. The officer reasoned that the observed behavior—the zig-zagging, speed changes, and the alternating brightness—could be attributed to the instrument package swinging beneath the balloon.