Project 10073 Record: Sighting at Yellowstone National Park, July 8, 1949

This document contains a Project 10073 record regarding a UFO sighting reported by a civilian couple on July 8, 1949, at Shoshone Lake in Yellowstone National Park. The witnesses, who were fishing from a rubber boat, observed eight round, metallic objects flying at an estimated altitude of 800 to 1,000 feet. They described the objects as moving in a south-westerly direction, emitting a sound similar to the whir of duck wings, and noted that the objects lacked smoke or exhaust. One witness provided a detailed letter to the Air Force Commanders on January 1, 1950, describing the event and expressing his belief that the objects were controlled by a device and potentially belonged to the U.S. Government. The Air Force responded on January 16, 1950, via Colonel Brunow W. Feiling, acknowledging receipt of the letter. The official conclusion recorded in the Project 10073 file categorized the sighting as 'Other (BIRDS),' positing that the reflection of sunlight off the wet bodies of birds during dawn or dusk can create the illusion of large, distant objects. The document also includes a press clipping discussing the termination of 'Project Flying Saucer,' which notes that the Air Force concluded there were no such things as 'Flying Saucers' and attributed reports to misinterpretations of conventional objects, mass hysteria, or hoaxes.