Project 10073 Record Card and Related Correspondence regarding Sgt. Gordon Richardson Sighting

This document collection details the administrative handling of a UFO sighting report filed by Sergeant Gordon Richardson of the Kennewick, Washington Police Department. In June 1956, Richardson reported to the FBI that approximately one year earlier, in June 1955, he had observed a large, shiny, spherical metal object, approximately 30 feet in diameter, hovering at a low altitude of 200 to 300 feet. Richardson claimed the object emitted a 'chug chug' sound similar to a tractor engine and departed at a high rate of speed. He further theorized that the object utilized electron beams or natural phenomena to defy gravity, expressing concern that the technology might be of Russian or extraterrestrial origin.

The report was forwarded through the Office of Special Investigations (OSI) to the 25th Air Division and subsequently to the 4602d Air Intelligence Service Squadron. Internal military correspondence reveals a dismissive attitude toward the report. Investigators noted that the sighting occurred a year prior, rendering an on-the-spot investigation impossible. Furthermore, the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) characterized Richardson as a 'flying saucer enthusiast' with a 'highly-active imagination' and a 'nuisance' to the FBI. ATIC concluded that the object was almost certainly a weather balloon, citing the presence of a nearby weather bureau balloon-launching station and the common appearance of metallic-sheened radiosonde balloons at night. The military decided not to conduct a formal investigation, though they recommended that Richardson be instructed to report future sightings to the nearest Air Force unit rather than the FBI, and suggested that a standard UFO questionnaire be sent to him to document his personality and claims for the record.