Project 10073 Record: Unidentified Aerial Objects, 9 January 1950

This document is a formal Report of Investigation conducted by the 17th District Office of Special Investigations (OSI) regarding a series of sightings of an unidentified aerial object over Los Alamos, New Mexico, on the night of 9 January 1950. The investigation was initiated following reports from several scientists employed at the Los Alamos facility, including Mr. Sidney Newburger, Jr., the Chief of Security Operations. The sightings occurred between 2220 and 2230 hours. Multiple witnesses, all identified as scientists, provided detailed accounts of the event. One witness described the object as an incandescent green, teardrop-shaped light that was visible for approximately two seconds before disappearing behind trees. Another witness described the object as a bluish-white point of light, while a third witness, observing from a moving vehicle, described it as greenish-white with a magnitude comparable to Jupiter. Despite the varying descriptions of color and shape, the witnesses consistently reported a brief duration of visibility, ranging from two to three seconds, and a lack of sound or mechanical features. The investigation concluded that the object was an extremely bright meteor. The report includes formal correspondence from Lt. Col. Doyle Rees to the Air Materiel Command at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, confirming that the investigation was closed and that the findings were consistent with a meteor observation. The document is marked as confidential and includes instructions for periodic downgrading and eventual declassification.