Project 10073 Record Card — Sighting at Wichita Falls, Texas, 2 May 1952

This document is an Air Intelligence Information Report (IR-1-52) regarding an unidentified aerial sighting reported by Steven R. Horn, a retired U.S. Army Sergeant, on May 2, 1952, in Wichita Falls, Texas. According to the report, at approximately 1000 hours, Horn observed a single, disc-shaped object while he was at his residence at 409 Star Avenue. The witness described the object as being of a dull metal color, approximately 18 to 24 feet in diameter, and roughly 7 feet thick at the center, tapering toward the edges. The object was observed traveling in a north-east to south-south-west direction at an altitude of approximately 4,000 feet. Horn estimated the speed of the object to be between 900 and 1,000 miles per hour. The observation lasted for approximately five seconds. The witness reported that the object made no sound and he did not know how it was propelled. The report includes a formal interview conducted by 1st Lt. James P. Lewis, the Base Intelligence Officer at Sheppard Air Force Base. In his comments, Lt. Lewis noted that the witness was unknown to him personally, though he was considered a reliable source based on his 20 years of military service, which included time in the Military Police. The report also provides meteorological data for the area at the time of the sighting, noting high scattered clouds at 10,000 feet and a temperature of 69 degrees at 0930 hours, transitioning to clear skies and 71 degrees by 1030 hours. The document includes several enclosures, such as statements from the witness, a sketch of the locality, and newspaper clippings from the Wichita Daily Times and the Wichita Falls Record News. The official conclusion on the Project 10073 record card indicates that there was insufficient data for evaluation, with the investigator remarking that the report contained too many 'exact details.' The file also contains subsequent communications between Sheppard Air Force Base and the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) regarding the potential presence of other aircraft in the vicinity at the time of the sighting, as well as requests for further information. The document is marked as confidential and includes instructions for downgrading and declassification.