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Declassified UFO / UAP Document

Project 10073 Record Card — Des Moines, Iowa, 6 October 1957

📅 6 October 1957 📍 Des Moines, Iowa 🏛 Air Technical Intelligence Center 📄 Sighting report and teletype correspondence
Project 10073Des MoinesIowaUFO1957aircraft

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AI-Generated Summary

TL;DR

A civilian report of a silver, round object in Des Moines, Iowa, was investigated by the 788th ACW. The reporting officer deemed the source unreliable and concluded the object was likely an aircraft.

This document consists of a Project 10073 record card and associated teletype correspondence regarding a UFO sighting reported in Des Moines, Iowa, on 6 October 1957. A civilian witness reported observing a single, round, silver object, described as being the size of a basketball at arm's length, flying from the northwest to the southwest for a duration of one minute. The report notes that the object made no sound and left no vapor trail. The sighting was reported through the Des Moines Iowa Filter Center. The investigating officer, LT James Stiles of the 788th ACW in Waverly, Iowa, provided a critical assessment of the report, labeling the source as 'UNRELIABLE'. The official conclusion recorded on the card states that the description, duration, and flight path indicate the sighting was likely caused by an aircraft. Handwritten annotations on the teletype correspondence further characterize the report as a 'typical balloon description'. The document includes technical data regarding the reporting process, referencing JCADF interim changes and standard military communication protocols for the 20th Air Division.

COMMENTS OF REPORTING OFFICER -SOURCE--UNRELIABLE--

Official Assessment

Description, duration, flight path indicate that this sighting was probably caused by an aircraft.

The sighting was determined to be an aircraft, with handwritten notes on the document suggesting it was a 'typical balloon description'.

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