Project 10073 Record Card and Related Correspondence Regarding Radar Detection of Airborne Targets on Guadalupe (AO-32)

This document collection details a series of radar-only sightings reported by the ship Guadalupe (AO-32) in the Far East during January 1951. On January 26, 1951, at approximately 1405 local time, radar operators tracked an unidentified target moving at an estimated speed of 3000 mph. The target was tracked for 15 minutes, with no corresponding visual sighting. The radar reports noted that the target appeared to originate from the scope center and that the radar blips elongated to 3/8 inch and 1/8 inch during the tracking. Subsequent naval messages and internal Air Force memoranda, including those from the Technical Analysis Division of the Intelligence Department, indicate that the military authorities were highly skeptical of the reports. Major J. E. Libbert and other analysts consistently suggested that the data was 'sketchy' and 'misinterpreted.' The official conclusion reached by the Air Force was that the radar returns were likely caused by interference from other radar sets, interference from the detecting radar set itself, or abnormal weather conditions. The documents emphasize that such radar observations are difficult to evaluate without personal interrogation of the operators involved. The file includes various routing sheets, naval messages, and internal memoranda documenting the administrative process of evaluating these 'unusual radar targets' and the eventual determination that they were not indicative of unconventional aircraft.