Plasma and magnetic field data from Imp 6 are examined statistically to study the occurrence of reconnection in the near-earth region (within ~20 RE) of the magnetotail. It is confirmed that the southward polarity of the magnetic field observed in the low-latitude magnetotail (within a few RE of the estimated neutral sheet position) is strongly coupled to a tailward flow of plasma, as expected from the near-earth reconnection model. It is noted, however, that reconnection is not the unique source of the tailward flow, and plasma is seen to be flowing back and forth regardless of the occurrence of near-earth reconnection. It is fast tailward flow having speeds greater than about 400 km/s that is mostly due to near-earth reconnection. There is an indication that detectability of an associated signature in the auroral zone magnetic field is related to the reconnection rate.