Project 10073 Record Card: Sighting of Unidentified Object, April 14, 1958

This document consists of a Project 10073 record card and associated SITREP cables detailing an unidentified aerial phenomenon reported on April 14, 1958, in the West Indies. The primary witness, the Master of the SS Andros Merchant, reported observing a brilliant, cigar-shaped object at 0155 GMT. The object was described as having a bluish-white head, an orange-yellow tail, and emitting small balls of fire and smoke. It was visible for approximately four minutes at an altitude of 2,000 feet, traveling on an easterly course. The report notes that the sky was clear at the time of the sighting. The document includes internal ATIC comments suggesting that the object was likely a missile from a Cape Canaveral test firing or the decay of the Sputnik II satellite. The records indicate that the sighting occurred in the vicinity of 14-49N 58-33W. The document also contains a broader discussion on the nature of UFO reports, noting that many such sightings are often misidentified meteors, balloons, or rockets, and specifically references the re-entry of Sputnik II as a known event that generated similar reports during that period. The investigators concluded that the sighting was likely a missile or satellite decay, noting that information on satellite re-entry was accessible to ATIC for cross-referencing with reported UFOs.