1961 UAP Sighting — AARO Records (D196P31)
AARO investigated an alleged Special National Intelligence Estimate (SNIE) from November 5, 1961, concerning UFOs and the nuclear threat. After research and consultation with the CIA and NSA, AARO concluded the document was not authentic due to inconsistencies in formatting, lang
Background
A UFO/UAP incident extracted from page 31 of AARO Historical Record Report Vol 1 2024, an All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) document published in 2024-2025. The incident is dated November 5, 1961 and located in Unknown location.
What the document records
AARO investigated an alleged Special National Intelligence Estimate (SNIE) from November 5, 1961, concerning UFOs and the nuclear threat. After research and consultation with the CIA and NSA, AARO concluded the document was not authentic due to inconsistencies in formatting, language, and tradecraft standards.
Witnesses on file: An interviewee, CIA’s Center for the Study of Intelligence, NSA Scientific Studies Board.
Status of the case
The page-level assessment recorded in the document is: identified as hoax. AARO designates unresolved cases as those for which the agency has not concluded the events were anomalous, has not concluded they were conventional, and has not ruled out either possibility. Conventional candidates for sightings of recent periods include drones, classified test platforms, satellite re-entry, balloon traffic, atmospheric optical phenomena, and astronomical objects.