Project 10073 Record Card: Sighting in Tupelo, Mississippi, 25 November 1956

On 25 November 1956, at 0543Z, a civilian couple in Tupelo, Mississippi, observed an unidentified aerial object for approximately ten minutes. The witnesses, identified as Mr. Kenneth Stanford and his wife, reported seeing a round object that transitioned into a crescent shape. The object was described as being bright orange on one side and dark orange on the other, with an apparent size comparable to a quarter held at arm's length. According to the report, the object originated in the south, circled toward the west, and eventually disappeared in the northwest. The witnesses noted that the object's speed varied, moving from slow to fast and back to slow. The report was received by S/Sgt Richard W. Walker and forwarded to the appropriate military channels, including the 4717th Ground Observer Squadron and the Air Technical Intelligence Center. Military investigators attempted to verify the sighting with radar data from the Air Defense Direction Center (ADDC), but were informed that radar coverage did not extend into the area of the sighting. Despite the lack of radar confirmation, the investigators interviewed the post supervisor's wife regarding the credibility of the witnesses and concluded that the couple was considered very reliable. The official conclusion reached by the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) was that the description, duration, and flight path of the object indicated that the sighting was probably caused by an aircraft, although no definitive identification of the object could be made.