Project Blue Book Correspondence and Sighting Reports - 1966-1967

This document collection comprises a series of correspondence, sighting reports, and press clippings related to Project Blue Book, primarily spanning late 1966 through early 1967. The records include official responses from the U.S. Air Force, specifically from Major Hector Quintanilla, Jr., to various citizens reporting unidentified flying objects. A significant portion of the documentation concerns the case of Ralph Ditter, a barber from Zanesville, Ohio, who claimed to have photographed a disc-like object hovering over his home in November 1966. These photographs were widely publicized in the Zanesville Times-Recorder and other media, drawing the attention of the National Investigating Committee for Aerial Phenomena (NICAP). The Air Force's official stance, as reflected in the correspondence, was that scientific investigation of many reported sightings was not feasible, often citing insufficient data or the location of the sightings being outside the continental United States. The documents also include various completed FTD Form 164 questionnaires from witnesses in different locations, including Sandusky, Ohio, and Canada, detailing their observations of lights and objects in the sky. Some witnesses expressed fear of ridicule, while others provided detailed sketches and descriptions of their experiences. The collection also contains a summary list of sightings from November 1966, categorizing them by location and evaluation, with many labeled as 'Insufficient Data' or 'Aircraft'. The overall tone of the Air Force correspondence is formal and dismissive of the possibility of conducting comprehensive investigations into these reports, emphasizing the retention of data for the project's database rather than active field investigation.