UFO Sighting Report — Charleston, South Carolina, 15 July 1965

This document is an incoming Air Force message dated 17 July 1965, detailing a UFO sighting reported by two students from The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina. The incident occurred on 15 July 1965 at 0335 Zulu. The witnesses, who were outdoors observing the stars, reported seeing a round, silver object with no tail or trail, appearing the size of a pinhead. They observed the object moving from West to East at approximately 85 degrees altitude, before it changed course to the Southeast at 70 degrees altitude and disappeared. The observers noted a zig-zag motion during the sighting, which lasted for five minutes. The Air Force investigation concluded that the object was likely the ECHO I satellite, noting that the reported zig-zag motion and changes in direction were likely illusions caused by atmospheric conditions. The reporting officer noted that while the witnesses appeared sincere, their reliability could not be determined, and the lack of corroborating information made it difficult to reach a definitive conclusion regarding the nature of the object.