Sighting Incident Report — Rangoon, Burma, 25 March 1965

On March 25, 1965, at approximately 1350Z, a civilian USAID employee and a Japanese diplomat in Rangoon, Burma, observed an unidentified aerial phenomenon. The witnesses, who were sitting outside, reported a bright flash at an 80-degree elevation in the north-northwest. This initial event was followed by two or three additional flashes that left an after-image. The witnesses described a bright white streak that lasted for five to ten seconds. The entire episode was estimated to have lasted between ten and fifteen seconds. The witnesses initially speculated that the incident might have been an exploding comet. Official analysis conducted by the Foreign Technology Division (FTD) concluded that the sighting was likely astronomical in nature, specifically a meteor or the decay of satellite debris. The report notes that there was considerable decay activity on that date, specifically citing the reentry of sections of Cosmos 57 between March 20 and March 26, 1965. The direction and description of the observed object were found to be in accord with satellite decay.