Project 10073 Record Card — Olympia, Washington, 5 September 1956

This document consists of a Project 10073 record card and associated teletype reports regarding a UFO sighting on September 5, 1956, in Olympia, Washington. The primary witness, a 31-year-old television newsman, reported observing two round, bluish-white objects for approximately 40 minutes. The objects were described as being the size of a dime at arm's length and were observed both visually and through binoculars. The witness reported that the objects moved from a 25-degree elevation in the South to a 25-degree elevation in the Northeast, arcing to a 30-degree elevation during the flight before fading out of sight. Additionally, the witness reported an associated phenomenon: an explosion without noise, followed by a sheet of light. The official evaluation by the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) concluded that the primary sighting was likely caused by balloons, noting that the size, shape, color, wind direction, and duration supported this hypothesis. The presence of two objects was attributed to the possibility of two balloons or the misidentification of a single balloon light through binoculars. The reported explosion and sheet of light were deemed unrelated to the initial sighting and were identified as a probable shooting star, which was also reported by a jet pilot at 0440Z. The documentation includes teletype communications between various Air Force commands, including the 669th ACWRON and the Air Technical Intelligence Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, confirming the details of the report and the subsequent investigation.