Project 1C073 Record Card and Associated Correspondence — Herkimer, New York, August 1951

This document contains a Project 1C073 record card and supporting documentation regarding a UFO sighting reported by a civilian tool and diemaker in Herkimer, New York. The incident occurred on August 5, 1951, at approximately 2330 hours. The witness, who was camping in the woods near Big Moose, reported seeing a solid, spherical red object with a green tail moving in a straight, level flight path toward the south. The object was observed for 3-5 seconds, produced no sound, and appeared to be at a low altitude, just above the tree tops. The witness noted that the object flickered and had a fuzzy or blurred outline. Following the sighting, the witness initially contacted the Hayden Planetarium, which had no reports of meteors at that time. In 1953, after reading Donald E. Keyhoe's book 'Flying Saucers from Outer Space,' the witness submitted a formal report to the U.S. Air Force. The witness provided detailed questionnaires, hand-drawn diagrams illustrating the object's flight path relative to the trees, and topographical map coordinates. The witness expressed significant doubt regarding the official classification of the object as a meteor, citing its low altitude, level flight, and symmetrical shape as inconsistent with typical meteor behavior. The Air Force internal correspondence indicates that while they did not have records of a special meteor shower on that date, they suggested the object could have been an ordinary airplane or a 'spurious' meteor, noting that height and distance are often deceptive to witnesses. The file includes a memo from Lt. White to Captain Hardin requesting that a questionnaire be sent to the witness, as no prior reply had been made to his initial letter. The documentation concludes with the witness's detailed technical analysis of the sighting, including his attempts to calculate the object's speed and altitude based on the duration of the observation and the angle of view.