Project 10073 Record Card — Texas-New Mexico Area, 5 November 1957

This document consists of a series of reports and correspondence regarding a UFO sighting on 5 November 1957 in the Texas-New Mexico area. The primary report, filed under Project 10073, describes an object observed by a civilian and later corroborated by a member of the US Border Patrol and a GOC post observer. The object was described as being the size of a basketball, silver in color, and changing to red while rotating and descending on a southwest heading. The observation lasted approximately 20 minutes. The military investigation, led by Lt. Robert W. Debolt of the 685th ACWRON, concluded that the object was the planet Venus. The documentation includes internal military communications, a record card, and an attached newspaper article by James Stokley titled 'Venus Most Prominent,' which explains the planet's high visibility during that period. The file also contains notes from investigators expressing skepticism regarding the reports, attributing the surge in sightings to 'mass suggestion' and public interest in the planet's brightness. Despite the initial reports of an unidentified object, the final assessment determined that the sightings were consistent with the position and appearance of Venus, and no evidence of an anomalous craft was found.