Project 10073 Record Card — Atlantic City, New Jersey, 29 July 1954

This document details the investigation into a UFO sighting reported in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on 29 July 1954. Approximately 300 witnesses observed a round, shiny object hovering in the sky for one and a half hours. The report was initiated after the Air Force Press Desk in Washington received newspaper clippings regarding the event. Upon review by ATIAE-5, investigators noted that the description of the object as 'hovering' strongly suggested the presence of a balloon. A search of balloon launch records identified an experimental balloon, designated MHT-160 QU, which had been launched on 27 July 1954 in the vicinity of Manchester, New Hampshire. Meteorological tracking data confirmed that this balloon traveled inland, moved out to sea, and was positioned over the Atlantic City area on the date of the sighting, eventually descending near Chestertown, Maryland, on 30 July 1954. The official conclusion of the investigation was that the object was a balloon. The file includes a record card, a memorandum for the Director of Intelligence, a summary of the case, and a weather plotting chart illustrating the balloon's flight path.