Project 10073 Record: Sightings of Unusual Objects

This document is a collection of reports and correspondence regarding sightings of unusual objects in the vicinity of Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington, during September 1950. The file includes a Project 10073 record for a sighting on 8 September 1950, where a witness observed a bluish-white light moving from the northeast to the southwest. This specific event was officially concluded to be a meteor. However, the document also contains detailed accounts of other sightings from early September 1950. On 3 September, Mrs. Fortney reported a similar bluish-white light that increased in size and emitted sparks while passing over the base. On the same day, Major Russell J. Gardinier observed three strange objects from his home in Spokane. He described these objects as flat, pancake-shaped, and approximately 20 to 30 feet across. He noted that they appeared to be held aloft by a force other than air currents, as they moved erratically and independently, sometimes hovering motionless. Major Gardinier and his wife observed these objects through a 6X23 monocular, noting a color change from khaki tan to metallic bronze. The objects eventually departed toward Fairchild Air Force Base. The correspondence included in the file shows the administrative handling of these reports, with the 57th Air Division forwarding the information to the Strategic Air Command and the Air Technical Intelligence Center. The documents emphasize that the 57th Air Division was instructed to report any future sightings of potential intelligence value in accordance with Air Force Regulation 200-15, particularly where no established procedures were already in place. The reports highlight a clear distinction between the official classification of the meteor sighting and the more complex, multi-object observations reported by military personnel and their families.