Oct. 12, 1957; nr. Martha's Vineyard, Massachussets (BB)
3:20 p.m.  Three members of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Ronald A. Veeder, Capt. Scott Bray, and Capt. Eugene Mysona, and two fliers from Charleston, South Carolina, one a Air Force jet pilot, observed a strange round object. . All five men where aboard Veeder's boat, the Sports Fisherman. The object seen first in the SE, approached the boat at high speed. As observed by Veeder and the others, through binoculars, the UFO appeared to be a sphere with sensing elements or spikes protruding from it. The tips of the "spikes" were red. The object hovered for about two minutes then took off to the SW at a speed greater than any object the witnesses had ever encountered. The sighting was reported to Otis AFB, Mass. (UFO Investigator / JULY - AUG 1960, page 6) [Project Blue Book evaluated this sighting as a balloon. Note: Listed in Oct Sightings Listing. (*). On October 22, 1957, OSI sent information on this report to the Commander AF Cambridge Research Center, L.G. Hanscom Field, Bedford, Mass].

Jan Aldrich:
Nine copies of the Navy report were sent to the CIA. Two were sent to the Bureau of Aeronautics, which has air technical intelligence assets in its office. Yes, "trained observers" can make mistakes, however some of these are entrusted with expensive aircraft to (they) go out and make identification of possible hostile intrusions. If a radar target were involved, wouldn't it be picked up on someone's radar in the area?  What is the origin, of the hypothetical balloon with radar target?

Detailed reports and documents
NARA-PBB89-1140 (Dan Wilson) *
1957_10_12_US_MA_Martha's Vineyard_BB (Barry Greenwood)