Project 10073 Record Card and Related Correspondence — Greensboro, N.C., September 1952

This document collection details a series of reports concerning an unidentified aerial phenomenon observed on the night of September 12, 1952, in the vicinity of Greensboro, Lumberton, and Fayetteville, North Carolina. Multiple witnesses, including a former military armorer-gunner and an Army Reserve officer, reported seeing a large, round, white object with a trailing streamer of a darker color, traveling at a very high rate of speed from the southeast to the northwest. The object was described as having a flat, round shape and emitting sparks as it traveled on a downward trajectory. The duration of the sighting was estimated to be between two and five seconds. The reports were compiled by the Air Technical Intelligence Center and the Directorate of Intelligence. The investigation concluded that the object was a meteor, noting that the characteristics described—specifically the downward arc, the appearance of sparks, and the short duration—were consistent with meteoric activity. This conclusion was supported by reports from local newspapers in Fayetteville and Raleigh, which also identified the phenomenon as a meteor observed at the same time and place. The reporting officer, 2d Lt. Melvin M. Glass, interviewed several witnesses and determined that their accounts were reliable, though they were describing a common astronomical event rather than an anomalous craft. The documentation includes a Project 10073 record card, observer questionnaires, and official intelligence reports summarizing the findings. The military investigation confirmed that there was no air traffic in the area at the time of the sighting, further supporting the conclusion that the phenomenon was natural in origin.