Pulp Magazine Cover, August 1953

This document is an Air Force intelligence report concerning an unidentified flying object sighting at Barksdale Air Force Base on August 11, 1953. Major Jack D. Swickard and S/Sgt Otis Rector observed a reddish ball of fire approximately three times the size of a large star traveling at high speed near Flagg Lake in the north-central part of the reservation at approximately 2100 hours. The object moved nearly parallel to the earth's surface, rising slightly before disappearing. Witnesses described its speed as considerably faster than nearby B-47 jet aircraft. The sighting lasted only seconds. Weather conditions were clear and cloudless with no moon. A weather balloon had been released at approximately the same time. Swickard, described as reliable and astronomy-trained, explicitly stated the object was not a meteor. Rector reported having observed similar objects on three other occasions but had not previously reported them due to fear of ridicule. No fragments or photographs were obtained, and no interception was attempted.