Project 10073 Record Card — Boston, Massachusetts, May 1956

This document details the investigation of a UFO sighting report from May 1956 in Boston, Massachusetts. The case involved a professional photographer employed by M.I.T. Lincoln Laboratories who submitted color transparencies showing two black objects in the sky. The photographer claimed the objects were not visible when the photographs were taken and that he had waited over two years to report the incident due to a fear of ridicule. The Air Force Cambridge Research Center forwarded the materials to the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base for expert analysis. ATIC conducted an intensive review, which included checking Air Force UFO case files for any corroborating reports from radar units, ground observer corps posts, or military and civil aircraft in the area at the time; none were found. The technical analysis of the transparencies concluded that the purported objects were not physical entities but rather the result of developing flaws. Specifically, investigators determined that air bubbles had clung to the film emulsion during the first development stage, preventing those areas from developing correctly and resulting in black spots on the final images. The report notes that these spots lacked the shape or gradation that would be expected of objects actually flying in the sky. The correspondence between the agencies highlights a degree of skepticism regarding the source's delay and the professional nature of the photographer, referencing past experiences where similar submissions led to unfounded accusations against the Air Force. The final disposition of the case was that the objects were definitively identified as photographic artifacts.