CIA Information Report: Sightings of Unidentified Flying Objects in Ladakh, Nepal, Sikkim and Bhutan, 1968

Source file: CIA-UAP-016-Sightings_of_Unidentified_Flying_Objects_in_Ladakh_Nepal_Sikkim_and_Bhutan.pdf Originating agency: Central Intelligence Agency Document type: Information Report Classification: CONFIDENTIAL / No Foreign Dissem / Controlled Dissem Date of Distribution: 11 April 1968 Date of Information (DOI): February – March 1968 Country: India / Nepal / Bhutan / China Page count: 4 (all read) VIRIN: 260508-O-D0360-1093 PURSUE Release: 3

Summary

This CIA Information Report, distributed on 11 April 1968, catalogues seven sightings of unidentified flying objects over the high-altitude border regions of Ladakh (India), northeastern Nepal, northern Sikkim, and western Bhutan during the period 19 February to 25 March 1968. The source of the information and the acquisition details are redacted. The report is explicitly labelled "THIS IS AN INFORMATION REPORT, NOT FINALLY EVALUATED INTELLIGENCE."

The sightings are presented in tabular form listing date, local time, area observed, direction of flight, and particulars of the object. The objects described include fast-moving luminous bodies emitting red and green light, objects bright enough to cause daylight conditions, objects following circular paths and leaving smoke trails, rocket-like objects at altitudes of 20,000–25,000 feet, and — most remarkably — the reported discovery of a metallic disc-shaped object with a six-foot base in a crater in the Kaski region of northwestern Nepal.

Research Article

Background and context

The Himalayan border regions of Ladakh, Nepal, Sikkim, and Bhutan were zones of active geopolitical sensitivity in early 1968. The Sino-Indian War of 1962 had established contested frontier lines through the region, and Chinese military activity in Tibet remained a persistent concern for Indian, Nepali, and Western intelligence agencies. The CIA maintained collection activity in the area, and reports of anomalous aerial observations from local populations and military posts in these high-altitude zones were of both air-defence and intelligence interest.

The document's database entry, visible in an earlier page of the file, assigns it Film Number 18R4/0185, Classification 1, Date 68, and notes 152 documents satisfying the search. The entry lists topic tags including "UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECT" and "AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT," suggesting the CIA's information system categorised at least some of these sightings alongside conventional aviation incidents.

The seven sightings

The report organises sightings by geographic region. The full text of the tabular entries, as legible from the document, is as follows:

Ladakh — 4 March 1968, 1300 hours, Chang La, Fukche and Koyul, East to West: "One white light and simultaneously two blasting sounds were heard. Also, one reddish light followed by white smoke."

Northeast Nepal — 19 February 1968, between 2100 and 2115 hours, Walungchung-Gola and Ghunsa area, North-East to South-West: "A fast-moving object, long and thin, emitting red and green bright lights, as bright as to cause daylight. Thunder sound heard after few seconds of sighting of object."

Sikkim — 19 February 1968, between 2100 and 2115 hours, Lachung, Lachen, Thangu, Muguthang and Chholhamu, direction confusing: A note in the "Direction of flight" column states "This information is rather confusing. Direction was reported as being from South-east to North-west over Thangkarla, Lachung, Lachen and Muguthang. Over Cha Lhamo and Sese La, the direction was reportedly from North-east to South-west. The latter direction coincides with the one over Nepal and is likely to be more correct since the date and times of the flight of object also coincide." Particulars: "Object giving light from tail. It was bright enough to brighten the entire area. Thunder sound was heard at Cholnamu after sighting the object."

Bhutan — 21 February 1968, 2130 hours, Thimpu, East to West (with note): "A bluish colored object moving at high speed without any noise. It was bright enough to brighten the area." The direction note adds: "However since due east of Thimpu there is nothing but Indian territory the direction of flight could well be from North-east to South-west, that is, from the direction of Tibet."

Ladakh — 4 March 1968, 1300 hours, Ane La area: "Object was following a circular path. Left a trail of smoke behind it."

Ladakh — 25 March 1968, 2150 hours, Fukche, Koyul, Demchok, from Chang La side moving towards Demochok (north to south): "Rocket-like object leaving white-yellow light trail about 20 yards long at a height of 20–25,000 feet."

Nepal — 25 March 1968, 2115 hours, Kaski region in NW Nepal, appeared to be north to south: "A blazing object, flashing intermittently, accompanied by big thunder sound disintegrated over Kaski region. A huge metallic disc-shaped object with a six-foot base and four feet in height was found in a crater at Baltichaur, five miles NE of Pokhara. Portions of a similar object were found at Talakot and Turepasal."

The Kaski crater finding

The most significant entry is the last: the reported recovery of a large metallic disc-shaped object from a crater near Pokhara (Baltichaur), with fragments also found at Talakot and Turepasal. The object is described as having a six-foot base and standing four feet in height. This constitutes one of the more concrete physical-evidence claims in the PURSUE Release 3 collection, though the CIA report itself offers no further analysis, follow-up, or identification of the object. The document does not indicate whether investigators examined the object or what its eventual disposition was.

Direction patterns and Tibet

A recurring editorial note in the report flags that sightings initially attributed to an east-to-west flight path were probably north-east to south-west — that is, originating from the direction of Tibet. This is noted explicitly for the Bhutan sighting (21 February) and is implied by the analysis of the Sikkim sightings (19 February), where the report notes that the north-east to south-west direction "coincides with the one over Nepal and is likely to be more correct." The Chinese military's presence and active testing activity in Tibet during this period would have made any aerial anomaly moving from that direction of particular intelligence interest.

Significance

The report's significance lies in the breadth and geographic clustering of its sightings across a tense Cold War frontier zone, the recurring pattern of objects associated with thunder sounds and luminous emission, and above all in the physical recovery claim from the Kaski region of Nepal. While the report offers no analysis or follow-up, its inclusion in the CIA's PURSUE Release 3 collection indicates that the sightings were considered worthy of preservation and disclosure.

Key People

Locations

Incidents

Notable Quotes

"A fast-moving object, long and thin, emitting red and green bright lights, as bright as to cause daylight. Thunder sound heard after few seconds of sighting of object." — page 4 (Northeast Nepal, 19 February 1968)

"A bluish colored object moving at high speed without any noise. It was bright enough to brighten the area." — page 5 (Bhutan, 21 February 1968)

"A huge metallic disc-shaped object with a six-foot base and four feet in height was found in a crater at Baltichaur, five miles NE of Pokhara. Portions of a similar object were found at Talakot and Turepasal." — page 6 (Nepal, 25 March 1968)

"The direction of flight could well be from North-east to South-west, that is, from the direction of Tibet." — page 5 (editorial note, Bhutan sighting)