Project 10073 Record: Sighting near Seligman, New Mexico, 30 June 1949

This document is a collection of reports and correspondence regarding an Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) sighting that occurred on June 30, 1949, near Seligman, New Mexico. The primary report, filed under Project 10073, details the account of a civilian witness who observed a single, dull grey, circular object moving in a straight and level flight path toward the north. The witness, a veterinarian and meat inspector with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, reported that the object was visible for approximately eight seconds, appeared to be traveling at speeds of 2,000 mph or faster, and emitted no sound. The witness, described by investigators as steady and observant, noted that the object was not a meteor, despite the official conclusion reached by the Air Force. The documentation includes a Report of Investigation (File No. 24-3) dated August 10, 1949, signed by Lt. Col. Doyle Rees of the Office of Special Investigations, which forwards the findings to the Air Materiel Command at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. The file also contains press clippings from the Los Angeles Times dated August 30, 1949, which discuss various sightings by military personnel at White Sands Proving Ground, including reports of 'flying saucers' and metallic objects tracked by telescopes. These clippings highlight the tension between official explanations, such as weather balloons or meteors, and the observations of trained personnel and reliable witnesses who reported maneuvers that defied conventional explanation, such as rapid turns and high-speed flight. The documents reflect the early administrative efforts of the U.S. Air Force to categorize and investigate these reports, often resulting in classifications of 'Astro (METEOR)' or similar conventional explanations, even when witness testimony suggested more anomalous characteristics. The file is marked as having been originally classified as 'CONFIDENTIAL' and includes instructions for downgrading and declassification at three-year intervals, consistent with DOD Directive 5200.10.