14 JANUARY 1947

  SUBJECT:  Report of Unusual Circumstance
 
 

  TO:    Commanding Officer, 332nd Fighter Wing, Lockbourne Army Air
            Base, Columbus 17, Ohio.
 
 

       On Wednesday January 7th between the hours of 1915 and 1939, there
  appeared in the sky a bright glowing object which I could not identify.
  At first I assumed it to be a star but the sky being overcast, I knew
  definitely that it was not a star nor an aircraft because the only air-
  craft flying in the local area was landing at the time.  It was not an
  aircraft flare nor a balloon because it appeared to be enormous in size.
  I then observed it through the binoculars.  It appeared to be cone-
  shaped, blunt on top and tapering off toward the bottom.  I could not
  distinguish the attitude in which the object appeared to be.  It was
  glowed   from a bright white to an amber color with a small streak trail-
  ing.  It was at a distance between 5 and 7 miles from the control tower
  at an altitude of approximately 2000 to 3000 feet bobbing up and down and
  moving in a south-southwesterly direction at a speed exceeding 500 miles
  per hour.  Also the wind at the time was blowing from east to west and if
  it had been a balloon or lighter-than-aircraft it would have drifted in
  the direction the wind was blowing.  There was no sound or unusual noise.
  Its performance was very unusual and the light emitting from it seemed to
  fade out at times.  Just before it disappeared beyond the horizon the
  light changed to a sort of red color.  The same object was later sighted
  in the vicinity of Clinton County Air Field by operators on duty in
  the control tower.

       I have been actually engaged in aviation as an Air Traffic Control
  Tower Operator and a Private Pilot for a period of 5 years and thus far
  in all my experience, I have never encountered an optical illusion or
  any physical defect that would disqualify my possessions of such ratings.
 
 
 

                                               //signed//
                                            ALEX A. BOUDREAUX
                                            Air Traffic Controller
                                            CAF-6

 Mantell Doc. 4ab