Gaffney, SC being encounter — November 17, 1966

Patrolmen Charles Hutchins and A. G. Huskey reported an encounter on the West Buford Street extension outside Gaffney, South Carolina, before dawn on November 17, 1966. They said a metallic object appeared near a right-angle bend while they were making their rounds. Later descriptions give a saucer or Saturn-like shape, a diameter of roughly seven metres, and a ladder-like device extending toward the ground. A small, humanlike occupant reportedly emerged and addressed the officers. An August 1967 newspaper feature described a four-foot figure with a greenish complexion and a gold-coloured suit. It characterised the English as stilted, whereas later summaries call it perfect or accentless. The figure was said to ask about the officers' clothing and to promise a return in two days. No subsequent verified return is established by the sources examined. The encounter became widely known through John Keel's writing and later compilations. The officers' names and contemporary press coverage provide a clearer testimony trail than an anonymous catalogue entry, but they do not independently identify the object or speaker. The inherited institutional coding should not be mistaken for an Air Force confirmation. Differences in timing, speech and costume remain part of the report's publication history.