Project 10073 Record: UFO Observation, 8 January 1968

This document contains the official Project Blue Book record and associated correspondence regarding a UFO sighting reported on January 8, 1968, by personnel at the Johnston Island Control Tower in Hawaii. Three Air Force staff sergeants—Donald E. Ellis, Edgel E. Brown, and Mark J. Magdefrau—along with a civilian weather observer, Robert Johnson, reported observing a bright, white, round object for approximately two hours and twenty-five minutes. The witnesses, all of whom had experience in air traffic control or weather observation, described the object as appearing like a landing light at a distance of over ten miles. They noted that the object rose vertically very slowly, changed intensity, and exhibited zig-zagging movements. The observers utilized binoculars and a theodolite to track the phenomenon. The Air Force, through the Foreign Technology Division, requested formal statements from the witnesses via AF Form 117. Following the investigation, the official conclusion reached by the Aerial Phenomena Office was that the object was likely the planet Jupiter. The file includes the original sighting questionnaires, official correspondence from Major Hector Quintanilla, Jr., and a priority teletype message summarizing the event and the technical observations made by the tower personnel.