UFO Report from Attorney, Mr. Edwin T. Phillips, Jr. — Fort Worth, Texas

This document collection details the investigation of a UFO sighting reported by Edwin T. Phillips, Jr., an attorney from Fort Worth, Texas. On the evening of January 23, 1958, Phillips and his daughter were attempting to observe the passage of the Soviet satellite Sputnik II. Phillips reported seeing a very bright, star-like object that moved in a northeasterly direction before appearing to slow down and either disappear or merge with a nearby star. He explicitly rejected the possibility that the object was an aircraft, a weather balloon, or a meteor, citing its color, lack of blinking lights, and the nature of its movement. Phillips subsequently contacted various agencies, including the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC), to report his findings. The official military response, coordinated by Major Lawrence J. Tacker and Captain George T. Gregory, concluded that the object was almost certainly a high-altitude F-100 series jet aircraft. The report notes that jet aircraft, particularly when adjusting their afterburners, can create visual effects that might be misinterpreted by lay observers. The investigation included checks with the Dallas Air Defense Command (ADC) Filter Center and the U.S. Moonwatch teams, both of which reported no unusual activity in the sky at the time of the sighting. Dr. J. Allen Hynek, a consultant to the Air Force, was also involved in the correspondence, providing context on other cases and confirming the assessment that the object was likely an aircraft. The documents include the original Project 10073 record card, internal memos between military personnel, and formal correspondence between the Air Force and Phillips. The case highlights the military's process for vetting civilian reports during the height of the Sputnik era, emphasizing the use of radar data and professional astronomical observations to debunk reports that were initially perceived as anomalous.