UFO sighted in Puerto Rico in 1962

Summary

A civilian from Santurce, Puerto Rico, sent a letter to the Department of Defense in 1962 describing an unidentified aerial object he had seen six months earlier. The witness, who was lying down and looking through the window, observed a bright platinum-colored object with a tail and a red ball at the end. The object quickly rose into the clear sky until it disappeared from view. Although the report was classified as a balloon, the detailed description and clarity of the testimony make it an interesting case in the UFO files.

The letter also included an unexpected suggestion from the witness: that the government save money by reducing payments to the families of soldiers during peacetime. This part of the letter was ignored by military officials, who focused only on the object description. The document shows how civilian reports were processed at the time, with automatic classifications and little attention to other parts of the message. The image of the object and the sincerity of the witness add a personal touch to a more common case in the files.