UFO Sighting Report — Fairpoint, South Dakota, 6-7 July 1966

This document collection details a series of UFO sightings reported by two Air Force security policemen, A2C William D. Offord and A2C Kenneth E. Hatcher, assigned to the 821st Combat Defense Squadron at Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota. The incidents occurred on 6 and 7 July 1966 near Fairpoint, South Dakota. The observers reported seeing multiple objects, described as oval and round, exhibiting various colors including red, greenish-white, yellow, and green. The objects were observed hovering, darting rapidly, and moving in up-and-down patterns at altitudes estimated between 500 and 2,500 feet. The observers reported that the objects were silent. An Air Force helicopter was dispatched from Ellsworth AFB to investigate the area, but the crew reported seeing nothing unusual, though they did observe a red light in the distance which they attributed to a light aircraft. The base commander and the Foreign Technology Division (FTD) concluded that the sightings were likely caused by lights on low-flying aircraft, such as local farmers or ranchers, combined with atmospheric phenomena including reflections and refractions off haze patches and water puddles. The reporting officers expressed skepticism regarding the reliability of the reports, noting that this was the second incident reported by the same airmen in two days, and suggested that 'considerable imagination' was involved. The documentation includes multiple technical information questionnaires completed by the witnesses, internal Air Force message traffic, and correspondence between the 821st Combat Support Group and the Foreign Technology Division regarding the need for more detailed information to evaluate the sightings.