Unidentified Flying Object Sighting Report — Sturgis, Michigan, December 1965

This document consists of a series of reports and correspondence regarding a series of Unidentified Flying Object sightings reported by a civilian witness near Klinger Lake, Sturgis, Michigan, beginning on November 4, 1965. The witness, identified as the General Manager of the Wilube Chemical Company, reported observing a circular object approximately 100 feet in diameter. The object was described as having an intense greenish light on top, similar to a mercury arc lamp, and an initially visible carmine light on the bottom that appeared to fluctuate like hot flames. The witness reported that the object hovered, descended, made rapid sideways movements, and eventually rotated on an axis. The sightings occurred multiple times between 2230 and 0100 Zulu. The reporting officer, 2nd Lt. Kenneth F. Wick II, expressed confidence in the witness's reliability and noted that the object did not appear to be a weather balloon or an airplane. However, a subsequent memorandum from the Air Force, dated December 28, 1965, and signed by Colonel Eric T. de Jonckheere, instructed that the witness be informed that the object was the planet Venus, suggesting that atmospheric conditions such as inversions or haze were responsible for the perceived distortions and movement.