UFO Sighting, LSU, Louisiana Photographs Taken

This document collection details a series of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) reports occurring in Louisiana between September 14 and 15, 1964. The reports originated from multiple civilian and military sources, including the Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office, the Houma Police Department, and the 657th ACW Squadron. Witnesses described seeing between two and seven objects that were egg-shaped, glowing white with red and green flashing lights, and moving erratically from the ground up to 15,000 feet. One witness, State Representative Charles G. Smither, reported seeing a shapeless, motionless metal object over Lake Pontchartrain on September 14. In response to these reports, the 32nd NORAD Region scrambled F-102 fighter aircraft from New Orleans to investigate the Baton Rouge and Houma areas. The pilots reported no visual or radar contact with any unidentified objects, noting only diffused stars visible through a haze layer. To assist in the investigation, Lewis M. Cook of the Louisiana State University Department of Physics and Astronomy took photographs of the stars Alpha Orionis (Betelgeuse) and Alpha Aurigae (Capella) at the request of the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Department. The subsequent analysis by the Foreign Technology Division (FTD) concluded that the objects observed were indeed these stars, with their perceived erratic movement and color changes attributed to atmospheric scintillation and a strong temperature inversion layer. The military concluded that the reports were likely reflections and illusions caused by stars near the horizon. The file includes correspondence between the Montgomery Air Defense Sector and the FTD regarding the transfer and evaluation of these photographic materials, confirming the final assessment that the sightings were astronomical in nature.