Project 10073 Record — Watauga, S.D., 30 July 1965

This document is a Project 10073 record detailing a sighting of two unidentified aerial phenomena near Watauga, South Dakota, on July 30, 1965. The primary witness, a retired U.S. Navy Aviation Ordnance Chief with 20 years of service, reported observing two round, white, star-like lights for over an hour while driving. The witness described the objects as moving erratically in all directions, hovering, and occasionally moving toward each other as if to bounce. The witness noted that the objects were visible through a tinted windshield, which blanked out stars, suggesting they were brighter than stars. The witness explicitly stated that no structure was visible on the objects and that they made no sound. The sighting was reported to Detachment 10, 11th RBS in Bismarck, North Dakota, on August 1, 1965. The witness also noted subsequent sightings in August and September 1965 near Bismarck, which were reported to neighbors and the local Target Radar Base, though the radar base indicated they could not detect the objects. The official conclusion recorded on the form is 'Astro(STARS/PLANETS)'. The witness completed the questionnaire on March 23, 1966, and mentioned correspondence with J. Allen Hynek, the Scientific Consultant for Project Bluebook.