UFO Observation Reports — Perth Amboy, New Jersey and Crossville, Tennessee, December 1967

This document collection contains correspondence and sighting questionnaires related to unidentified flying objects reported to the U.S. Air Force in December 1967. The primary case involves a group of young astronomy club members in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, who observed a bright, orange-red, circular object on the night of December 1, 1967. The witnesses, observing from the roof of a local Y.M.C.A., described the object as being significantly brighter than a star and four times its size. They reported that the object moved toward them, stopped, made a 90-degree turn, and disappeared behind a church steeple and smokestacks. The Air Force's Aerial Phenomena Office, led by Major Hector Quintanilla, Jr., attempted to investigate the report by contacting the Perth Amboy Police Department, which confirmed they had no knowledge of the event. The Air Force subsequently requested the witnesses complete an AF Form 117 for further scientific investigation. Another report included in the file concerns a sighting in Crossville, Tennessee, on December 26, 1967, where an observer reported a cigar-shaped object that appeared to glow. The Air Force similarly requested additional information via AF Form 117, which was not returned. The documents reflect the standard administrative process of the Air Force's Aerial Phenomena Office during this period, including the solicitation of formal reports from civilian witnesses and the coordination with local law enforcement to verify sightings. The official conclusions for these cases ranged from 'Possible (HOT AIR BALLOON)' to 'Insufficient data for evaluation,' highlighting the difficulty the Air Force faced in investigating reports where witnesses failed to provide follow-up documentation.