Correspondence Regarding Unidentified Flying Object Sighting in Florence, Massachusetts

This document collection details a 1957 correspondence regarding an unidentified flying object sighting that occurred in 1954 in Florence, Massachusetts. The primary witness, an employee at the Prophylactic Brush Co., reported observing a 'tremendous' object described as a 'fish plane' descending behind trees. The witness initially reported the event to the Civil Defense and the 4670th Ground Observer Squadron, but later wrote to the U.S. Navy Bureau of Ships in 1957, suggesting that the object's design might be useful for testing underwater equipment. The Navy, in its response dated August 8, 1957, politely declined the suggestion, stating that their own research into underwater craft was already advanced. The Navy subsequently forwarded the report to the Department of the Air Force, noting that the Air Force is responsible for coordinating reports on unidentified flying objects. The official record card for the incident, filed under Project 10073, concludes that there was insufficient data for evaluation, primarily because the report was submitted three years after the event took place. The file also contains a personal account from a Mrs. Alice J. David, who describes a separate, vivid encounter with a brilliant light in 1954, though the connection between this narrative and the Florence sighting is presented as part of the broader archival record of such reports.