Project 10073 Record Card and Air Intelligence Information Report — Le Grand, Iowa

This document details a series of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) sightings reported between September 4 and October 7, 1955, in the vicinity of Le Grand and Marshalltown, Iowa. The primary witness, Robert Tierson, a farmer and Ground Observer Corps (GOC) observer, reported observing three stationary objects in the sky for approximately two hours and fifteen minutes nightly. He described the objects as round, pinhead-sized, and exhibiting alternating red and green flashing lights. A second witness, a service station attendant in Marshalltown, reported observing one of these objects from the top of a hotel, noting it appeared as a steady green light with a flashing red light. The investigation was conducted by Flight 2-A of the 4602nd Air Intelligence Squadron (AISS). The investigators performed a thorough check of research agencies in the Minneapolis area to rule out the presence of weather balloons, specifically noting that 'Moby Dick' balloons did not match the description provided by the witnesses. The University of Minnesota observatory also reported no unusual activity in their logs for the nights in question. Despite the initial difficulty in identifying the objects, the preparing officer, 2nd Lt. Walter E. Sampson, concluded that the sightings were likely astronomical in nature. He suggested that the objects were stars or planets, such as Capella, Altair, Aldebaran, and Antares, and that the observed red and green flashing lights were the result of atmospheric scintillation. This conclusion was concurred with by the approving officer, Colonel John M. White Jr., who noted the consistency of the sightings over five successive nights as further evidence of their astronomical origin. The report includes various teletype communications between military units, including the 789th and 788th AC&W Squadrons, documenting the administrative handling of the reports under Project 10073. The documentation emphasizes the lack of radar contact and the absence of any physical evidence, ultimately classifying the event as an astronomical phenomenon.