Project 10073 Record: UFO Sighting, Fargo, North Dakota, 25 February 1967

On 25 February 1967, at approximately 1950 hours, two teenage boys in Fargo, North Dakota, observed and photographed an unidentified aerial object. The witnesses, while driving east on a frontage road near Interstate 94, noticed a bright, round object with a bubble-like top and a small trail emanating from its base. The object reportedly rose from the ground and accelerated in a northeasterly direction. The witnesses estimated the object to be approximately five feet in diameter and about 200 feet away when first sighted. They captured two Polaroid photographs of the object before it disappeared. The Fargo Police Department investigated the incident, and the case was subsequently referred to the United States Air Force. The Air Force, through the Foreign Technology Division (FTD), conducted a photo analysis. The analysis concluded that the images were inconclusive, noting that while the photographs appeared authentic, the lack of a scale factor prevented a definitive size appreciation. Dr. J. Allen Hynek, acting as a consultant, suggested that the light streak at the bottom of the first photo might have been caused by reflections from street lights or automobile headlights on the road embankment. Despite follow-up requests for additional information and weather data, the witnesses did not provide further details. The case remained under investigation for several years, with correspondence continuing into 1968 and 1969 between the Air Force and Dr. Hynek, who eventually recommended that the local officer conduct a test series of exposures using the same camera to verify the photographic conditions. The official conclusion categorized the sighting as 'Possible Other (PLASMA)' due to insufficient data.