Project 10073 Record Card and Related Correspondence — Bakersfield, California

This document file contains a Project 10073 record card and associated correspondence regarding a civilian report of an unidentified aerial object in Bakersfield, California, between August 9 and August 13, 1957. The Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) evaluated the report and concluded that the sighting was consistent with the Perseids meteor shower, which occurred during that timeframe. The correspondence includes a letter from Major Lawrence J. Tacker of the Department of the Air Force to Captain Wallace W. Elwood at the Air Technical Intelligence Center, forwarding the civilian's report for investigation and evaluation. The Air Force response to the witness explains that the object observed was likely a 'bolide' or 'fireball,' noting that these phenomena are distinct from ordinary meteors due to their appearance as magnesium flares and their tendency to break into smaller sections before crashing to earth. The record card explicitly notes that there was 'no report in file' regarding the specific details of the witness's observation beyond the request for information. The file also references a separate report of unexplained aerial phenomena in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area from September 9 and 10, 1957, which was also referred to the Air Force for review.