Department of Defense Intelligence Information Report 417-64

On September 6, 1964, at approximately 0245 hours, a group of individuals in Macon, Georgia, reported observing an unidentified aerial phenomenon. The primary witness, a 21-year-old laborer, reported seeing a reddish-orange, egg-shaped object with a light beam protruding from its front. This object was observed for a few seconds, moving from North to Southeast at an elevation of approximately 45 to 55 degrees above the horizon before disappearing. Shortly thereafter, the witnesses observed two additional objects that appeared star-like in the same general location. These two objects reportedly moved in an up-and-down and side-to-side pattern, described as resembling the letter 'W', and remained visible for approximately two hours until fading at daybreak. The witnesses, who had just returned from a fishing trip, were interviewed by Air Policeman AlC Lewis M. Swartzbaugh. The report was prepared by Lt. Lonnie Z. Wetherington of the Security and Law Enforcement Division at Robins AFB. Weather conditions at the time were reported as clear with 8-mile visibility and calm surface winds. A civilian policeman at Robins AFB, James E. Macon, also reported observing a shooting star in the same area at approximately 0330 hours. The official conclusion reached by the investigating officer was that the first object was likely a shooting star, and the subsequent observation of the two star-like objects was likely a result of the 'power of suggestion, excitement, fatigue, and imagination' of the witnesses.