Project 10073 Record Card and Related Correspondence — Hawthorn, California, July 1957

This document consists of a Project 10073 Record Card and associated military teletype communications regarding a UFO sighting reported on July 22, 1957, in Hawthorn, California. A civilian witness reported observing a round, red object, described as being the size of a dime at arm's length, moving back and forth from the north to the west. The report was processed by the 669th AC&W Squadron and forwarded to the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) and the Director of Intelligence at Hq USAF. Military personnel, including Senior Controller Art and a controller named Swanny, were notified to maintain surveillance of the area. Radar checks were conducted at the time of the report, but no unusual activity was detected. The official conclusion reached by the investigating authorities was that the object observed was the bright star Arcturus, which was positioned in the sky at the location reported by the witness. The documentation includes internal notes questioning whether a nuclear device had been exploded in Southern Nevada, though this was dismissed in favor of the astronomical explanation. The observers were described as well-qualified individuals who, despite the astronomical conclusion, were noted to have seen something they perceived as out of the ordinary.