Project 10073 Record Card and Related Correspondence — Duncanville, Texas, December 1957

This document collection details a UFO sighting reported by a Ground Observer Corps (GOC) instructor at the 745th ACW Squadron in Duncanville, Texas, on December 10-12, 1957. The witness, a GOC instructor, observed a bright, multi-colored object for approximately two to three hours. The object was described as a 'three-cornered star' with points resembling antennas, which appeared to change size and color (white, green, and blue). The witness captured 50 feet of 8mm color motion picture film of the object. The report was forwarded to the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base for analysis.

Correspondence between the 745th ACW Squadron and ATIC reveals administrative difficulties in the handling of the film, which was initially sent to Eastman Kodak in Dallas by mistake. Once the film was received, ATIC analysts expressed frustration, noting that the footage showed only a 'mere speck against a black background' and was filmed from a moving, vibrating platform, making detailed analysis impossible. ATIC officials emphasized that the report was not related to other UFO reports and questioned the credibility or motives of the source.

Ultimately, ATIC concluded that the object was the planet Venus. They supported this finding by citing the seasonal brilliance of Venus during December 1957 and noting that the object's observed track and elevation (40 degrees) over the two-hour period closely matched the predicted path of Venus. The Air Force returned the film to the owner in July 1958, along with Department of Defense fact sheets and press clippings regarding the visibility of Venus, in accordance with Air Force Regulation 200-2. The documents reflect the Air Force's standard procedure for handling civilian UFO reports, emphasizing the return of physical evidence and the provision of astronomical explanations for sightings deemed to be celestial bodies.