Project 10073 Record Card — Long Beach, California, 17 March 1954

This document consists of a Project 10073 record card and an associated teletype message regarding an unidentified aerial phenomenon reported on March 17, 1954, near Long Beach, California. The witness, a 35-year-old civilian teacher, observed a single round, platter-like object for approximately five minutes. The witness described the object as clear, shiny, and brilliant, with an estimated diameter of 70 feet. The object was observed moving slowly in a southward direction until it passed out of the observer's line of sight. The report notes that the observation was made during the day under clear weather conditions, with scattered clouds at 3,000 feet. The military investigation, conducted by the 2347th Air Force Reserve Training Center and reported to the Air Technical Intelligence Center and Air Defense Command, concluded that the object was a balloon. The report explicitly states that the description provided by the witness was in accord with this balloon analysis. No photographic evidence, radar contact, or physical traces were associated with the incident.