Project 10073 Record Card and Air Intelligence Information Report — Mikkeli, Finland, 9 June 1951

This document consists of a Project 10073 record card and an accompanying Air Intelligence Information Report (IR-179-51) dated September 21, 1951. The report details a sighting that occurred on June 9, 1951, near Mikkeli, Finland, at approximately 2005 hours. The primary witness, identified as an ex-Finnish Minister and graduate engineer, observed a disc-shaped object while driving with his wife. The witness described the object as being approximately 25 meters in diameter, aluminum in color, and lacking visible windows. He estimated the object was flying at an altitude of 3,000 meters (approximately 10,000 feet) at a speed of 800 mph, traveling from the northwest toward the southeast in the direction of Leningrad. The witness reported that the object moved in a straight and level flight path and produced no noise. He further noted that he could not see any cockpit canopy, though he assumed this was because he could only view the underside of the craft. The witness observed the object through broken clouds and an overcast sky. The reporting officer, Lt. Col. Howard T. Von De Car of the Office of the Air Attache in Helsinki, noted that the witness was a credible individual—a graduate engineer—and not a 'crackpot,' which warranted serious consideration of the report. The officer suggested that the cloudy conditions and the lack of noise might explain why the flight had not been reported by other sources. The official conclusion recorded on the project card is 'Probable aircraft.'