PROJECT 10073 RECORD CARD — Cashmere, Washington, 30 September 1957

This document consists of a Project 10073 record card and associated military communications regarding a UFO sighting in Cashmere, Washington, on September 30, 1957. A group of 4-5 adults and 8-10 children reported observing six objects at approximately 0200Z. The witnesses described the objects as upside-down, light-colored cones with dark interiors and strings or ropes hanging from their perimeters. The objects were estimated to be the size of a quarter at a low altitude, moving erratically and very fast in a northwesterly direction before disappearing over the Cascade Mountains. The witnesses noted that the objects appeared to have dropped from an aircraft. The sighting lasted for three minutes. The report was investigated by 1/LT Robert B. Finlay, an Assistant Group Intelligence Officer. While the witnesses were adamant about their observation, the investigating state patrol officer initially expressed skepticism, which offended the witnesses. Official military evaluation concluded that the objects were likely balloons. This conclusion was supported by the fact that four balloon launches had occurred in the region at different times and areas, and the objects' movement was consistent with wind patterns blowing from the southeast to the northwest. No radar contact was made by nearby sites during the event. The document includes handwritten notes and diagrams illustrating the wind direction and the location of the sighting relative to the Hanford restricted area and Larson Air Force Base.