Project 10073 Record Card — Oakland, California, 20 March 1957

This document consists of a Project 10073 record card and associated teletype communications regarding an unidentified aerial phenomenon reported on March 20, 1957, in Oakland, California. The witness reported observing a single, fiery orange object moving in a southwesterly direction at an estimated speed of 500-600 miles per hour and an altitude between 2,000 and 4,000 feet. The sighting occurred at 0252Z near Lake Merritt in the center of Oakland. The weather conditions at the time were reported as high scattered clouds with 15 miles of visibility. Following the report, a limited investigation was conducted by Detachment 1. The investigation concluded that the object was a weather balloon released from the Oakland airport approximately 22 minutes prior to the sighting. The report was processed through military channels, including the 1229th AACS Squadron at Hamilton AFB, and was addressed to the Air Technical Intelligence Center at Wright-Patterson AFB. The documentation includes internal notes regarding the telephoning of the report to a Lieutenant McGrath and confirms the final assessment that the object was a weather balloon.