Simultaneous measurements of the energy spectrum of precipitating electrons and the resulting bremsstrahlung X ray spectrum were carried out during an auroral event on March 3, 1971, at the Churchill Research Range, Manitoba, Canada. The electron data were obtained with detectors on a Black Brant VB sounding rocket (275-km apogee), while the X ray flux was measured by an instrument package that was boosted to 60 km on an Arcas rocket. The X ray package was deployed on a parachute apogee to provide a slow descent through the atmosphere. Thick target bremsstrahlung theory is used to calculate the X ray flux produced by the incident electrons, and a Monte Carlo method is used to predict the X ray spectrum at various altitudes appropriate for comparison with the measured X ray data. Satisfactory agreement between theory and experiment is obtained, and the value of the constant in the thick target theory has been estimated to be (2¿0.5) ¿10-5.