UFO Sighting Report — Ewa Beach, Hawaii, 27 January 1965

On 27 January 1965, at 0930Z, Willard E. Bedford, a control tower operator at the Naval Air Station in Barbers Point, Hawaii, observed an unidentified aerial object. Bedford, who was outdoors at the time, reported seeing a single, elliptical, white object that appeared to be climbing at a high speed. The object was in sight for approximately four seconds, moving from the Northeast to the Southwest before disappearing below the horizon. Bedford noted that the object was brighter than the stars, comparable to the brightness of the moon, and produced no audible sound. He estimated its altitude to be between 40 and 50 miles. Bedford initially reported the sighting to the Hawaiian Air Defense Command via a CIRVIS report, describing it as a possible missile or satellite. The Foreign Technology Division (FTD) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base subsequently investigated the report. In a memorandum dated 4 February 1965, Colonel Eric T. de Jonckheere of the FTD noted that there were no missile launches recorded at the time of the sighting. Furthermore, the FTD concluded that the object's flight path from the Northeast to the Southwest ruled out a satellite. Based on the description and the short duration of the observation, the FTD concluded that the object was likely a meteor. The documentation includes the completed FTD Form 164, the original CIRVIS message, and internal correspondence regarding the investigation. The file was also readdressed to the CIA.