Case · C-122

Puerto Rico, November 1964: the USS Gyatt's radar, an F-8C pilot and the CIA's analysis

Atlantic Ocean north of Puerto Rico and Hispaniola, near the Atlantic Fleet Weapons Range (AFWR) (estimated position) · International waters · Nov 19, 1964

In flight Military witnesses Radar

What happened

According to the CIA, on November 16, 17, 18, 19 and 24, 1964, there were radar tracks and apparently valid observations of unidentified aircraft near the Atlantic Fleet Weapons Range (AFWR) in Puerto Rico. On the evening of November 19, the pilot of an F-8C described a delta-shaped object as large as a fighter, with much higher performance and an estimated speed beyond Mach 3, and the destroyer USS Gyatt reported a radar track exceeding 3,800 knots. The ship's AN/SPS-49 radar, then being tested, was recorded by a camera: by analyzing those images, the CIA measured a track more than 300 nautical miles long, with a relative speed of a few hundred knots. The CIA memoranda, classified Top Secret within the OXCART compartment, were released in the fifth PURSUE series (August 7, 2026); the position on the map is estimated by the Observatory based on the distance from Cuba given in the memorandum.

Proposed explanation

A cable from the Caribbean naval command reported that the commander of Ramey Air Force Base had identified the object as a Lockheed YF-12A, but on February 1, 1965, the CIA wrote that it believed it had convinced Navy intelligence that it was not. On February 11, 1965, the Office of Scientific Intelligence concluded that there had been no extremely high-speed UFO: the object of November 19 was “probably” a delta-wing fighter with climb performance superior to the F-8C. The CIA suggested a reconnaissance mission from Cuba (the ship was 325 nautical miles from the eastern tip of the island), specifying that it had no evidence for or against; the aircraft's nationality was not established.

Official investigation

U.S. Navy (USS Gyatt; Commander Caribbean Sea Frontier); CIA (Office of Special Activities and Office of Scientific Intelligence)

Words of the document

there was, in fact, no high altitude ultra-high-speed UFO north of Puerto Rico

Official documents

1. Unidentified Flying Object Reported near Puerto Rico, 1965 (CIA-UAP-D022): memorandum BYE-2081/65 del 1/2/1965 e BYE-35171/65 dell'11/2/1965 · CIA – Office of Special Activities and Office of Scientific Intelligence (PURSUE, The Black Vault copy) · Feb 11, 1965

Sources

1. Department of War, PURSUE series 5: CIA-UAP-D022 (original PDF; automated download blocked) (primary source)
2. uapbrowser, entry for CIA-UAP-D022 with official description and transcript (unofficial aggregator) (other)
3. OpenStreetMap – Punta de Maisí (Cuba), reference for the position estimate (other)

On this site

Timeline 1

• Aug 7, 2026: Fifth PURSUE release: 41 files, including a 1950s naval analysis

Open in the interactive archive The whole section: Map of UAP and USO cases

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