N M C C THE NATIONAL MILITARY COMMAND CENTER WASHINGTON DC 20301 8 November 1975 0600 EST MEMORANDUM FOR RECORD Subject: Unidentified Sightings 1. 0308 EST FONECON from NORAD Command Director: at 0253 EST Malmstrom AFB Montana received seven radar cuts on the height- finder radar at altitudes between 9,500' and 15,500'. Simultaneously, ground witnesses observed lights in the sky and the sounds of jet engines similar to jet fighters. Cross-tell with FAA revealed no jet aircraft within 100NM of the sightings. Radar tracked the objects over Lewistown, Montana at a speed of seven (7) knots. Two F-106 Helicopters from the 24th NORAD Region were scrambled at 0254 EST and became airborne at 0257 EST. At the time of the initial voice report personnel at Malmstrom AFB and SAC sites K1, K3, L3 and L6 were reporting lights in the sky accompanied by jet engine noise. 2. 0344 EST FONECON, same source: Objects could not be intercepted. Fighters had to maintain a minimum 12,000' because of mountainous terrain. Sightings had turned west, increasted speed to 150 knots. Two tracks were apparent on height-finder radars 10-12 NM apart. SAC Site K3 reported sightings between 300' and 1,000' while site L-4 reported sightings 5NM NW of their position. Sightings disapeared from radar at position 4650N/10920W at a tracked speed of three (3) knots. 3. At 0440 EST, NMCC intiated contact with the NORAD Command director who reported the following: 0405 EST: Malmstrom receiving intermittent tracks on both search and height-finder radars. SAC site C-1, 10NM SE of Stanford, Montana, reported visual sightings of unknown objects. 0430 EST: Personnel at 4 SAC sites reported observing inter- cepting F-106's arrive in area; sighted objects turn off their lights upon arrival of interceptors, and back on upon their departure. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 0440 EST: SAC site C-1 still had a visual sighting on objects. 4.NORAD stated that Northern Lights will sometimes cause phenomena such as this on height-finder radars, but their check with weather services revealed no possibility of Northern Lights. 5. NMCC notified Washington FAA at 0445 EST of the incidents described above. They had not received any information prior to this time. 6. 0522 EST FONECON with NORAD Command Director: At 0405 EST SAC Site L-5 observed one object accelerate and climb rapidly to a point in altitude where it became indistringuishable from the stars. NORAD will carry this incident as a FADE remaining UNKNOWN at 0320 EST. since after that time only visual sightings occurred. (Signature) WILMAN D. BARNES Brigadier General, USA Deputy Director for Operations, NMCC Copy to: DDO ADDO CCOC ALL AREA DESKS