Project 10073 Record Cards and Observer Questionnaires — Washington, D.C. Area, September 1952

This document collection comprises a series of Project 10073 record cards, observer questionnaires, and military intelligence teletype reports concerning a wave of unidentified aerial phenomena sightings in the Washington, D.C. area on 12 September 1952. Numerous civilians reported observing a brilliant, flaming object streaking across the night sky. Descriptions of the object were remarkably consistent, with many witnesses characterizing it as a round, silvery-white, or greenish-blue light with a prominent tail, often comparing it to a rocket, a roman candle, or a child's play ball. The duration of these sightings varied, typically lasting between two and twelve seconds. Observers noted that the object moved at high speeds, often in a westerly or north-northwesterly direction, and frequently appeared to descend toward the horizon. Despite the high volume of reports, which flooded the Weather Bureau and Naval Observatory, military radar at Washington National Airport and Andrews AFB returned negative results. The Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) initiated a follow-up process, sending questionnaires to witnesses to standardize the data collection. The official conclusion reached by the military, supported by the lack of radar confirmation and the visual characteristics described by witnesses, was that the phenomena were caused by a meteor. The documents also include press clippings from the period, which reflect the public's fascination with 'flying saucers' and the subsequent efforts by authorities to clarify that the sightings were not related to extraterrestrial craft. The reports emphasize that while the sightings caused significant public concern, the consensus among observers and officials was that the object was a natural astronomical event, specifically a meteor, rather than an aircraft or a saucer.