This article was published in the daily newspaper The Raleigh Times, Raleigh, USA, August 4, 1965.
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OKLAHOMA CITY (UPI). -- Thousands of persons across the nation's Midlands and Southwest again Tuesday night reported seeing mysterious flashing, winking and sparking phenomena that sped and sometimes zig-zagged across the skies.
The Air Force contends most of the sightings were probably just stars or planets.
Najeeb E. Halaby, former director of the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) said the rash of reports may signal a new "American mythology."
"Reports of such objects seem to reach their peak in August and September. It may be that the long, hot summer expedites the imagination," he said in Los Angeles.
Most of the objects people saw were described as red or yellowish and speeding across the sky from southwest to northeast at very high altitudes.
It was the fourth consecutive day of UFO sightings, which have harried some police departments so much they have referred all inquiries to Air Force bases.
A lot of people took issue with the Air Force's claim they were stars or planets.
A 23-year-old Sioux City, Iowa high school English teacher said he saw a flashing object and that "anyone who would say this is a star would be out of their minds."
The teacher, who would not give his name, said he spotted the phenomenon when he and his wife drove out in their car to look for flying saucers.
Something zipped overhead that was bright, yellowish and zigzagged slightly. It was replaced, he said, with a red light surrounded by three white lights. The red light was the brightest, he said.
He said he got out of the car and turned off the ignition to try to hear an airplane engine.
