Project 10073 Record Cards and Related Correspondence — Butler, Missouri, September 1954

This document contains a series of Project 10073 record cards and related military communications regarding Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) sightings in Butler, Missouri, in early September 1954. On 4 September 1954, a group of 20 to 30 white lights in formation was observed by civilians moving in a straight and level flight path toward the southwest at an estimated altitude of 40,000 to 50,000 feet. The observation lasted approximately 1.5 minutes. A subsequent sighting occurred on 5 September 1954, involving a single silver-to-white object with a slight sweep-back line, which was observed for 25 to 30 seconds. This object also moved in a straight and level flight path toward the southwest before veering to the south and disappearing. In both instances, radar checks by GCI sites 'Picnic' and 'Mastiff' were negative. Kansas City ARTC confirmed that a B-47 aircraft was in the vicinity at the time of the 5 September sighting, flying at an altitude between 34,000 and 39,000 feet. The document also includes an excerpt from a CRIFO newsletter regarding 'Case 22' in Rockford, Illinois, dated 5 September 1954. In this incident, amateur astronomers Peter Bartkus and Theodore McColm observed a spherical object through a telescope while watching the moon. They estimated the object to be 12,500 feet in diameter and traveling at 1,081 mph. They concluded the object was a powered body in space, as it was ascending while the moon was descending. The editor of the newsletter used this incident to argue against the notion that 'saucer' vehicles are confined to the Earth's atmosphere, suggesting they may be extraterrestrial and using the moon as a 'hopping-off point.' The official conclusion for the Butler, Missouri sightings remained 'UNIDENTIFIED,' with investigators noting that the witness for the 5 September event had also reported a sighting the previous night, though the descriptions of the objects were inconsistent.