Project 10073 Record Card: Chitose Air Base, Japan, 1 September 1957

This document is an Air Intelligence Information Report (IR-23-57) concerning a reported Unidentified Flying Object (UFO) sighting at Chitose Air Base, Japan, on 1 September 1957. An airman from the 1385th AACS, E and I Squadron, reported seeing a black, elliptical object while photographing flagpoles at the base. The observation lasted approximately two to three seconds. The airman did not initially attach significance to the sighting until returning from temporary duty, at which point he was persuaded to report it. The report includes photographic evidence, specifically an 8x10 photograph, an enlargement, and the original negative. The Air Technical Intelligence Liaison Office (ATILO) conducted an investigation into the incident. Official inquiries to the GCA unit at Chitose Air Base and the AC and W units yielded no confirmation of the sighting, with no unidentified tracks reported for the period between 0300Z and 0600Z. A technical analysis of the photographs was performed by AFCIN-4A2f. The analysis concluded that the dark blotch appearing on the film was not a flying object, but rather a photographic flaw. Specifically, it was determined that the development process was interrupted, causing the emulsion side of the film to touch the tank or another part of the film, resulting in a clear area that, when printed, appeared as a dark, elliptical shape. The report concludes that the incident was a result of this negative flaw, and no evidence of an actual unidentified aerial phenomenon was found.