Project 10073 Record Cards - El Centro, California (April 1957)

This document contains two Project 10073 record cards detailing Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) sightings reported in El Centro, California, in April 1957. The first incident occurred on 10 April 1957, involving a single, round, silver-white object described as the size of a pinhead. The object was observed for 11 minutes moving 'straight up' until it rose out of sight. Radar searches conducted during the event were negative, and the preparing officer concluded the object was likely a balloon. The second incident occurred on 24 April 1957, involving a round, orange object described as the size of a dime at arm's length. The witness, a civilian, reported the object moving from the South to the Northwest and then to the West, repeating this movement three times over a 15-minute period before disappearing in the West. An investigation involving an ATIC form 164 and discussions with the Commander of the Naval Air Station at El Centro suggested that the sighting was caused by flares from the El Centro bombing range. It was further noted that the Navy operated ASW-type aircraft in the area equipped with illumination lights that matched the witness's description of the sighting. The document includes teletype communications between various military commands, including the 751st ACWRON, the 27th Air Division, and the Air Technical Intelligence Center, confirming the administrative processing of these reports.