Project 10073 Record Card and Related Correspondence — Killeen, Texas, October 1952

This document contains an Air Intelligence Information Report (IR-165-52) regarding a sighting of unidentified aerial phenomena on 17 October 1952 in Killeen, Texas. Two clergymen, a pastor and an assistant pastor of the First Methodist Church, reported observing approximately ten objects in a 'duck-like' formation flying over the city at an altitude of roughly 1,000 feet. The witnesses described the objects as an elongated rectangle of light that moved from north to south at high speed before suddenly disappearing. The witnesses noted that the objects were soundless and appeared to reflect light rather than emanate it. The report includes a detailed questionnaire completed by the witnesses and comments from the preparing officer, Captain Cliance A. Magee, who emphasized the integrity of the observers but noted the lack of technical expertise at the local level to evaluate such reports. A subsequent letter from Captain Edward J. Ruppelt of the 1125th FAG (ATIC) to Dr. Lincoln LaPaz of the University of New Mexico clarifies that the sighting was investigated for correlation with radar data. The investigation concluded that there was no correlation between the visual sighting and any radar returns, as the radar pickup was attributed to interference. The official conclusion reached by the Air Force was that the visual observation was a regular meteor. The document also notes that no corroborating reports were received from the nearby Fort Hood military installation or local authorities.