Project 10073 Record Card and Related Correspondence — Montebello, California, December 1957

This document collection details a UFO sighting reported in Montebello, California, on December 1, 1957, by a civilian witness who captured the event on 8mm film. The witness reported seeing six objects in formation that traversed the sky three times. The Air Force, specifically the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC), investigated the report and the film. Initial reports from the witness described the objects as having a reddish glow and vapor trails, though later interviews clarified the objects were white-blue-green, circular, and relatively flat, with no visible trails. The witness expressed frustration with the Air Force's handling of the case, alleging a 'policy of secrecy' and claiming that the film had been tampered with or 'clipped' by the Air Force. The Air Force strongly refuted these allegations, providing documentation that they had made an exact copy of the film upon receipt and that the original film was returned intact. ATIC investigators, including Major Buckmaster and Captain Gregory, examined the film under magnification and concluded that the objects were balloons, likely a balloon cluster. The investigators noted that the film was of poor quality, slightly out of focus, and over-exposed. Internal Air Force correspondence reveals significant frustration among personnel regarding the handling of the case, with some officers suggesting that the witness was attempting to create a 'big project' out of five seconds of film and that the case had been 'badly handled' by public relations personnel. The documents include the original record card, correspondence between the witness and Captain Schaller, internal routing slips, and technical analysis reports. The Air Force maintained that the objects were balloons and that the witness's claims of fraud were unfounded, noting that the Air Force routinely makes duplicates of all submitted media to prevent such disputes. The file concludes with the Air Force's firm stance that the objects were explainable phenomena and that the witness's accusations were inaccurate.