Project 10073 Record Card and Related Correspondence — Wayne, Michigan, November 1957

This document details the recovery and subsequent identification of an object reported as a UFO in Wayne, Michigan, on November 25, 1957. The object, described as a flattened sphere approximately eight feet in diameter and two feet thick, was found in a tree. It was constructed of metal foil, cloth, and paper, with an internal framework of quarter-inch square balsa wood. The components were held together with glue, scotch tape, straight pins, and medical adhesive tape. The report notes that the object was destroyed by a night janitor who mistook it for trash before it could be fully preserved. The 30th Air Division (Defense) submitted a report (DI 18466) to the Director of Intelligence at the United States Air Force, including a photograph and a sketch of the device. The object was identified by Major Walker of the 6th Weather Group as a radar-target reflector, a type of equipment commonly used with weather balloons. The correspondence highlights that the military viewed this incident as a potential public relations opportunity to discredit other recent UFO reports if the object could be confirmed as a hoax or a mundane misidentification. The file includes the original Project 10073 record card, internal routing slips, and a technical drawing of the reflector's construction, which featured metal foil discs approximately six inches in diameter.