Sighting Report — Clovis, New Mexico, 4 September 1964

On 4 September 1964, a civilian witness in Clovis, New Mexico, reported observing an unidentified aerial object for over an hour. The witness, a 21-year-old barber, described the object as oval-shaped, slightly pointed at the top and bottom, with an amber color. The object was observed in two distinct time periods: 0530Z-0645Z and 0750Z-0815Z. The witness used 10x50mm binoculars to observe the object, noting that it had clear, concise lines, did not shimmer, and emitted small spears of light. The object appeared to be relatively motionless, though it changed position in relation to the stars and eventually gained altitude while appearing to grow smaller. The witness initially assumed the object was below the cloud cover. Intelligence Officer 2/LT Stephen S. Lovell of the 474th TFW investigated the incident. He contacted the FAA Control Center at Tucumcari, the ARTC at Albuquerque, and the 20th Communications Squadron (RAPCON), all of which reported no air traffic or activity in the area at the time. Holloman AFB was also contacted and reported no balloon launches, though they noted that other military and private balloon launch facilities existed in West Texas. The official conclusion reached by the investigating officer was that while the object's description was consistent with a balloon, the identification could not be definitively confirmed.