Project 10073 Record Card and Related Correspondence — Red River Arsenal, Texas, 8 June 1954

This document collection details an incident occurring on 8 June 1954 at the Red River Arsenal in Texarkana, Texas. At approximately 0100 hours, a civilian employee of the General Supply Division observed a circular, bright golden-yellow object, estimated to be the size of a wash tub, traveling at a rapid speed from the northeast toward the southwest at an altitude of 5,000 to 10,000 feet. The witness noted that the object made a 'peculiar sound' and lacked a tail. Approximately two minutes after the object passed from his sight, he heard an explosion in the direction of the arsenal. At 0236 hours that same morning, an explosion of fragmentation cluster bombs occurred in an earthen revetment within a restricted ammunition area at the Red River Arsenal. The blast created a large hole in the ground and scattered containers and unexploded ordnance over a 500-yard radius. No personnel were injured, though a patrol car was in the vicinity. Military authorities, including the G-2 section of the Fourth Army, investigated the incident and noted the potential relationship between the descending aerial object and the explosion. Preliminary examinations ruled out sabotage and suggested that a minor electrical storm occurring at the time might have been a factor. The witness, whose name is redacted, was deemed reliable by the Military Intelligence Officer and was noted as not having 'fantastic tendencies.' The documentation includes the Project 10073 record card, official correspondence from the Fourth Army to the Air Materiel Command, and the witness's formal statement.