Department of Defense Intelligence Information Report: Unidentified Flying Object Sighting, 19 April 1965

This document is a Department of Defense Intelligence Information Report concerning a UFO sighting that occurred on 19 April 1965 at McClellan Air Force Base, California. A civilian witness reported observing a spherical object with a flame at the bottom, flying in a northerly direction near Building 1410. The object was described as blue-white, roughly the size of a star or planet, and was visible for approximately four minutes. The witness noted that the object traveled on a level flight path, gradually increasing in speed until it disappeared from sight. The report includes detailed follow-up information from military personnel, specifically Captain Garth W. Skouson and SSgt James H. Perkins of the 963rd AEW&C Squadron. They noted that the object was observed at dusk and moved swiftly across the sky in a straight line before suddenly disappearing after a slight brightening. Radar surveillance during the incident yielded no contact. SSgt Perkins estimated the object's velocity at approximately 18,000 mph based on the duration of the sighting and estimated altitude. The official conclusion provided in the report suggests that the object could possibly have been a satellite that disappeared into the Earth's shadow. The report was processed under Air Force Regulation 200-2.