Project 10073 Record Card — East Prairie, Missouri, 20 March 1956

This document is a Project 10073 record card and accompanying teletype report concerning an Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) sighting that occurred on March 20, 1956, near East Prairie, Missouri. The sighting was reported by two individuals, identified as the Mayor and an Alderman of East Prairie, both associated with the Ground Observer Corps (GOC). The witnesses observed a single object described as having a teardrop shape with an orange color on its underside. The object was reported to be trailing another object underneath it and was estimated to be eight times the size of a fist. The observation lasted for approximately two minutes during a clear, bright day. The object followed a straight track and eventually passed out of sight. The report includes detailed meteorological data for various altitudes, ranging from 6,000 to 80,000 feet, noting wind speeds and directions. The military investigation, conducted by S/Sgt Allen E. Govin of the 797th ACWRON, concluded that the object was a weather balloon, specifically of the radiosonde type. The report was processed through military intelligence channels, including the 20th Air Division and the Intelligence Headquarters of the USAF. The document is marked as unclassified and provides a standard military assessment of a civilian-reported sighting, ultimately dismissing the object as a conventional meteorological device.