Declassified 1970 Cable: U.S. Attaché Seized Mysterious 'Moo

Declassified 1970 Cable: U.S. Attaché Seized Mysterious 'Moon Dust' Sphere in Chad

A declassified October 1970 Joint State-DIA message reports that a U.S. Defense Attaché was called by Chad's Minister of Interior to inspect a metal sphere that reportedly fell near Lai with three loud explosions and burned for five days — an object filed under the codename 'MOON DUST.'

Published

September 11, 2026

Declassified

Date not listed

Source agency

The Black Vault (FOIA archive)

foiadeclassified1970cableattachseizedmysteriousmoon

Declassified 1970 Cable Documents Chad Moon DustSphere A single-page Joint

Minister reported that the object had fallen in the area accompanied by three loud explosions and then burned for five days. The DATT's inspection produced a physical description rather than an identification. The object was a metal sphere roughly 18 inches in diameter and weighing 20-25 pounds, formed from two halves welded together, with ports at each pole that had been melted closed.

The sphere showed evidence of burning, and lighter streaks ran through the burned areas. The cable notes that the object resembled a pressurized fuel tank — a comparison, not a conclusion. The DATT took possession of the object and offered to forward it if desired, and the message closes by requesting advice.

That is the record's outer edge. The document does not name the Minister of Interior or the DATT, does not state whether the sphere was ever forwarded, and does not determine the object's nature or…

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Based on the official release at https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/project-moon-dust-october-1970-unidentified-metal-sphere-burned-for-5-days/

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