Project 10073 Record — Portland, Salem, Corvallis and Oregon Area, 23 September 1965

This document consists of a Project 10073 record and a subsequent Air Force staff message regarding a sighting on 23 September 1965 in the Portland, Salem, and Corvallis areas of Oregon. A civilian observer reported seeing a circular, red object that appeared to be the size of a light bulb. The object was observed through binoculars on a dark night characterized by smoke and fog. The witness described the object as emitting a trail of red sparks, blinking, and moving back and forth at a speed faster than a jet aircraft at high altitude. The observation lasted for several minutes before the object faded from view. Major Arthur F. Shiflett, a USAF Staff Intelligence Officer at HQ POADS, investigated the report and concluded that the object was almost certainly a meteor. This conclusion was supported by a newspaper article from the Oregon Statesman, which reported that a spectacular meteor had been observed across the Willamette Valley by spectators in Salem, Corvallis, Albany, and Dallas on the same night. The Air Force determined that the reported discrepancies in speed and duration were likely due to personal interpretation by the witnesses, and that all reports were consistent with a single meteor event moving from south to north.