Project 10073 Record Card and Air Intelligence Information Report — Pitcairn, Pennsylvania, November 1957

This document consists of a Project 10073 Record Card and an Air Intelligence Information Report regarding two sightings of an unidentified aerial phenomenon in Pitcairn, Pennsylvania, on November 9 and 10, 1957. The witnesses, a housewife and a railroad shopman, described observing a round, brilliant white light, approximately the size of a pea, positioned 5 to 10 degrees above the horizon in the west-southwest direction. The first sighting lasted for five minutes, while the second lasted over fifteen minutes. The object was described as stationary and eventually decreasing in altitude. The investigating officer, Captain John B. Sleeman of the 424 Fighter Interceptor Squadron, noted that the object was in the direction of the Duquesne-McKeesport industrial area, which contains steel mills. While initial internal comments suggested the possibility of light reflection from steel mill activity, the final conclusion reached by the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) was that the object was the planet Venus. The report notes that Venus was exceptionally bright at the time, resulting in widespread media coverage. The document includes standard military intelligence report formatting, including weather conditions (cloudy with 10/10ths coverage) and administrative distribution lists.