Project 10073 Record Card and Investigation — Riverside, California, November 1951

This document details the investigation into an alleged 'flying saucer' photograph taken in Riverside, California, on November 23, 1951. The case, tracked under Project 10073, involved a photograph submitted by a civilian witness who claimed to have observed an oval object with a greenish halo. The witness, an illustrator for the Northrop News, provided a detailed account of the sighting, claiming the object moved like a bouncing ball and remained in view for thirty minutes. The photograph was subsequently publicized in newspapers and submitted to Life Magazine. Air Force investigators from the Office of Special Investigations (OSI) were tasked with determining the authenticity of the image. Upon interviewing the witness in March 1952, investigators discovered that the photograph was a hoax. The witness admitted that the 'object' was actually a wheel cover from a 1937 Ford automobile that had been thrown into the air and photographed. The witness stated that the incident began as a 'gag' among friends but escalated beyond his control. The investigation concluded that the photograph was not an authentic image of an unidentified aerial object. The file was subsequently closed, and the Air Force determined that no further investigative action was required. The documentation includes internal correspondence, record cards, and copies of the newspaper coverage that prompted the initial inquiry.