Project 10073 Record: Sighting Incident 23 September 1952, Newport Beach, California

This document contains a 1965 correspondence and a retrospective sighting report regarding an event that occurred on September 23, 1952, in Newport Beach, California. The witness, a 62-year-old woman who served as an observer for the Ground Observer Corps (G.O.C.), reported seeing 11 to 15 luminescent, pale gold objects flying in a straight-line formation from North to South. She described the objects as having a cigar or blimp-like shape, noting that they appeared to roll or change shape and made a sound like a soft breeze. The witness, who had previously read books by Donald E. Keyhoe, submitted her notes to the Department of Defense in 1965 after rediscovering them. The Air Force responded to the witness on September 7, 1965, through Lt. Colonel John P. Spaulding, stating that due to the significant time lapse, an investigation was not possible. The official conclusion reached by the Air Force was that the objects were birds, specifically migratory birds like ducks or geese, reflecting light from the ground. The document includes the original technical information sheet, correspondence from the witness, and the official Air Force reply, which dismisses the witness's concerns and characterizes Keyhoe's writings as science fiction.