Sighting Report: Atherton, California, 18 September 1953

This document collection details a UFO sighting reported on September 18, 1953, in Atherton, California. The witness, Leonard Brodery, observed a stationary object at an estimated altitude of 30,000 feet or higher for approximately four hours and twenty minutes. The object was described as appearing similar to a balloon or a blimp. Following standard procedures outlined in Air Force Regulation 200-2, the report was forwarded to the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) for investigation. Subsequent inquiries by military authorities determined that three Project Moby Dick weather balloons were in the vicinity at the time of the sighting. Consequently, the official conclusion reached by the Air Force was that the observed object was likely one of these balloons. The file includes various military communications, including a joint message form and teletype reports between Hamilton Air Force Base and ATIC, confirming the investigation and the final identification. Additionally, the document set contains an unrelated excerpt from a Hydrographic Bulletin regarding an Aurora Borealis sighting in the North Atlantic on September 19, 1953, involving the SS Italia, which appears to have been included in the file for reference or administrative reasons.