What did the declassified documents reveal?

PROJECT ONE SEVEN ZERO ONE. AIR FORCE COORDINATED AERIAL RECONNAISSANCE OBSERVATION. DATE‑TIME GROUP: JANUARY TWENTY‑NINTH, ONE‑NINE‑SIX‑ZERO AT ZERO THREE TWO TWO ZULU. LOCATION: POITIERES, FRANCE. TYPE OF OBSERVATION: GROUND AND AIR. NUMBER OF OBJECTS: ONE. COURSE: EAST. ALTITUDE: APPROXIMATELY ONE AND A HALF MILES EAST OF POPPA INDIA DEACON, FRANCE. OBSERVER: MAJOR CYPERT, AIR FORCE COMMAND POST. EXTRACT FROM ATIC DUTY OFFICER REPORT, TWENTY‑NINTH JANUARY, ONE‑NINE‑SIX‑ZERO. “Received UFO telephone call from Major Cypert of the Air Force Command Post. Received report from Andrews Airways, operator at PAMEY Tower, as Charleston Tower. Intercepted readback indicated apparent missile or rocket approximately one and a half miles east of Poitiers, France at 03 22 heading east, moving roughly three hundred degrees, ascending. Propulsion flame observed, then stopped. Telephoned using 330‑46. Major Cypert requested a copy of the message first thing in the morning. Returned with further messages: Guard said Poitiers beacon is in Pora, Brazil. Subsequent conference with Major Cypert reported that the aircraft making the UFO report was actually above Poitiers, France, and according to Major Cypert’s guess probably saw a flare or flare climb to altitude with afterburner. Second sighting message: “Have cited three ships (one is an aircraft carrier, unconfirmed) close together; several aircraft are circling. Coordinates are 31 33 N, 74 55 W at 02 33 Z. Flagpost duty officer reports ships are our own including the USS JASP aircraft carrier.” Further notes from the duty officer: “Astronomy section indicates that a transit of Mercury will occur on October 7, beginning at 09 35 A M and ending at 14 12 P M. This will be visible along the eastern coast of the United States. The eclipse will be partially visible in the Pacific states. Venus and Jupiter will shine brightly in the early morning. On January 4 at 20 U P, the sun will be low in the sky, producing a cold winter. The celestial calendar for 1960 holds many prospects for astronomers, including four eclipses—two of the moon and two of the sun. The transit of Mercury will be visible from this part of the world. The report continues with a description of the night sky: “The brightest star in the night sky, Sirius, will be visible. The belt of Orion, including Betelgeuse and Rigel, will be prominent. Above Orion, the constellation Auriga and the star Capella will be seen. Low in the southern sky, Leo and the star Regulus will be visible. The constellation Taurus, with the star Aldebaran, will also be prominent.” END OF EXTRACT.” PROVENANCE. This document was released through The Black Vault, archived under the identifier 1960‑01‑6968601‑Poitiers‑France. The file was made publicly available on the archive.org platform, with the text version hosted at https://archive.org/download/1960-01-6968601-Poiteres-France/1960-01-6968601-Poiteres-Francedjvu.txt. No FOIA case number is listed; the declassification…

Why was this case declassified?

This material was released by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) through the U.S. declassification and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) process. The originating source document is linked on this page so the citation chain is auditable.

Project One Seven Zero One.

◆ BLUF — The short version

PROJECT ONE SEVEN ZERO ONE. AIR FORCE COORDINATED AERIAL RECONNAISSANCE OBSERVATION. DATE‑TIME GROUP: JANUARY TWENTY‑NINTH, ONE‑NINE‑SIX‑ZERO AT ZERO THREE TWO TWO ZULU. LOCATION: POITIERES, FRANCE. TYPE OF OBSERVATION: GROUND AND AIR. NUMBER OF OBJECTS: ONE. COURSE: EAST. ALTITUDE: APPROXIMATELY ONE AND A HALF MILES EAST OF POPPA INDIA DEACON, FRANCE.

Agency: Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
Date: JUL 18 · 2026
Release: Declassified · U.S. public record (FOIA)
Source document: View the primary source document

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What was Project One Seven Zero One. about?: PROJECT ONE SEVEN ZERO ONE. AIR FORCE COORDINATED AERIAL RECONNAISSANCE OBSERVATION. DATE‑TIME GROUP: JANUARY TWENTY‑NINTH, ONE‑NINE‑SIX‑ZERO AT ZERO THREE TWO TWO ZULU. LOCATION: POITIERES, FRANCE. TYPE OF OBSERVATION: GROUND AND AIR. NUMBER OF OBJECTS: ONE. COURSE: EAST. ALTITUDE: APPROXIMATELY ONE AND A HALF MILES EAST OF POPPA INDIA DEACON, FRANCE.
Why was this case declassified?: This material was released by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) through the U.S. declassification and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) process. The originating source document is linked in the case notes above so the citation chain is fully auditable.

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Project One Seven Zero One.

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