Project 10073 Record Card: Madagascar Flying Saucer Manufacturing Claim

This document file contains a Project 10073 record card and associated correspondence regarding a report from a civilian claiming that 'flying saucers' were being manufactured in Madagascar. The civilian provided sketches of the alleged craft, which were included as exhibits. The Air Force conducted an evaluation of the claim, which included an assessment of Madagascar's economic and industrial status based on the 1950 Statesman's Yearbook. The evaluation noted that the island's industry was primarily light or domestic in nature, such as straw hat manufacturing and beef canning, and that there was no evidence of the heavy industrial capacity required for the production of advanced aircraft. Furthermore, the report analyzed the island's geography and communication infrastructure, concluding that the claim was a hoax. The file also contains a separate, unrelated memorandum dated 14 July 1951, addressed to the United States Air Force Press Desk, regarding a request for information on two UFO sightings, including one allegedly occurring at White Sands, New Mexico. The Air Force responded that a search of Aerospace Technical Intelligence Center files revealed no such report, noting that the sighting mentioned by Major Keyhoe in his book was not reported to the Air Force.