Project 10073 Record Card — Baxley, Georgia, 11 January 1958

This document is a Project 10073 record card and associated teletype correspondence regarding an unidentified aerial phenomenon reported in Baxley, Georgia, on January 11, 1958. The report details a sighting by multiple witnesses, including an attorney, a merchant, and a construction engineer. The witnesses described a single, basketball-sized object that appeared silver, grayish, or greenish, with red lights that flashed on and off. The object reportedly performed erratic movements, including rising, dropping, remaining low, and moving right and left before moving northward into the ground, at which point it turned deep orange. The observation lasted approximately 45 minutes. The official military evaluation, conducted by the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC), concluded that the report was too garbled to allow for a proper analysis. The investigators noted a complete lack of elevation or azimuth data. They suggested that the object might have been the planet Venus distorted by atmospheric conditions, but emphasized that without positional information, no definitive analysis could be made. The document includes internal military routing information, indicating the report was submitted in accordance with Air Force Regulation 200-2. Handwritten notes on the document express skepticism regarding the description, with one remark stating that the account sounds like something a small child would report rather than adults. The final assessment by the investigating officer, 2nd Lieutenant Lawrence Gresko, reiterated that the report was garbled and did not make sense, ultimately classifying it as having insufficient data for evaluation.