A Portuguese-language radio broadcast from Rio de Janeiro reported that a large metal sphere had fallen in the Brazilian city of Conde. According to the report, it had dug a deep hole, and a human body was found inside.
The report described more than the sphere and the body. It also mentioned window-like openings covered with thick glass. A few days later, U.S. officials asked the embassy to find out whether anyone in the area could confirm the story. The request is documented, but what happened next is less clear.
A Sphere, a Hole, and a Body in Heavy Clothing
On November 8, 1963, a radio station in Rio broadcast the report. It described what was said to be an accident in the city of Conde, in the state of Bahia. According to the broadcast, a large metal sphere fell in the city center and dug a hole four meters deep.
The sphere reportedly had window-shaped openings covered with thick glass. Inside, the broadcast said, was a human body dressed in heavy clothing. The clothes bore markings no one could decipher. The report added that residents of Conde were curious and that the authorities had been notified.
These details come from the broadcast. The source documenting it does not say who saw the sphere, who called the station, or who found the body.
Five Days Later, Officials Asked for a Check
On November 13, handwritten notes recorded a request from officials at the U.S. Space Council. They contacted the U.S. State Department and asked it to have the embassy in Rio check whether the report had local confirmation. They wanted to know whether people in the area could confirm what had been broadcast.
The following day, the embassy sent a diplomatic telegram on the matter. Its dispatch is documented, but the information available to us does not say what the inquiry found. The gap remains between the radio report and what could be verified on the ground.
What We Still Don’t Know
The document records the broadcast and the request for a check, but it does not prove that the sphere or the body was found. Nor does it say what the inquiry uncovered or who told the radio station about the sphere.
What remains is the image from the broadcast: a metal sphere in the middle of a city, with thick-glass windows and a body inside.
