UFO Sighting Report — Independence, Missouri, 5 July 1965

This document consists of a military sighting report and associated teletype communications regarding an unidentified aerial phenomenon observed on 5 July 1965 in Independence, Missouri. The primary witness, a housewife, reported seeing a round, white object, approximately the size of a half-dollar, moving in a level flight path toward the east. The witness noted that the object exhibited a zig-zag pattern at times, its light flickered on and off, and it made no sound. The observation lasted for approximately one minute under clear, calm weather conditions. The report was processed by the 328th Fighter Wing at Richards-Gebaur Air Force Base and forwarded to the Foreign Technology Division at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. The official conclusion reached by the military authorities was that the object was the Echo I satellite, which was calculated to be at a 55-degree elevation moving northeast at the time of the report. Captain E. L. Wiesel, the Wing Intelligence Officer, noted that based on the available information, no further analysis could be conducted, though he acknowledged the witness believed the object was the same one reported in the Kansas City Times on 7 July 1965.