Project 10073 Record Card - White Lake, S. Dak. - 14 Sep 52

This document is an Air Intelligence Information Report regarding a UFO sighting that occurred on September 14, 1952, near White Lake, South Dakota. The report, authored by 2nd Lt. William R. Riley of the 31st Air Division, details the account of a Ground Observer Corps supervisor who observed a reddish, cigar-shaped object through high-power binoculars for approximately 30 to 40 minutes. The witness, deemed reliable by the preparing officer, described the object as having three puffs of smoke or vapor trailing behind it. The object was observed at a very high altitude, moving from east to west before veering south and disappearing. The report notes that the witness had observed a similar object in the same vicinity three weeks prior. Although the report acknowledges that weather balloons are frequently sighted in the area, the witness explicitly stated that the object did not appear to be a balloon, despite the extreme distance making it impossible to discern specific structural features. No physical evidence was recovered, no radar contact was made, and no interception or identification action was taken. The document includes a hand-drawn sketch of the object and its trajectory relative to the horizon and the sun. The report was forwarded to the Air Technical Intelligence Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base for further review.