Project 10073 Record Card — Poughkeepsie, New York, 17 June 1954

This document contains a U.S. Air Force sighting report and associated teletype correspondence regarding an unidentified aerial phenomenon observed over Poughkeepsie, New York, on 17 June 1954. The witness, a 33-year-old male employed as a sales manager for a gas distributor, reported observing a single, round, silvery object for approximately one hour. The witness described the object as having the appearance of a round plastic balloon, with a surface resembling glass, silver, or unpainted metal. The object was observed moving at a slow rate of speed in a north-northwest direction. The witness, who had training at the Naval Reserve Midshipman School, noted that the object was visible in a clear, cloudless sky and reflected sunlight. He estimated the object's size to be 'several hundred feet' and noted that it made no sound. The witness was stationary at the time of the observation, located on Prospect Street in Poughkeepsie. Following the report, the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) and Detachment 3 of the 4602nd Air Intelligence Service Squadron conducted an investigation. Base operations and the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) were consulted, and they confirmed that there were no civil or military aircraft in the vicinity of the sighting at the time. The official conclusion reached by the Air Force was that the incident was a 'probable balloon sighting.' The documentation includes a completed U.S. Air Force Technical Information Sheet, a Project 10073 record card, and the original teletype message sent from Detachment 3, 4602nd AISS at Stewart AFB to the Air Technical Intelligence Center at Wright-Patterson AFB. The report was formally compiled by T/Sgt. Drepperd on 24 June 1954.