Correspondence Regarding Sighting of 17 April 1958 and Unidentified Object

This document collection contains correspondence and internal Air Force records regarding two distinct aerial sightings reported by an individual associated with Western River Tours in Richfield, Utah. The primary document is a memorandum dated 15 December 1958 from the Department of the Air Force, forwarding a letter from the witness to the Assistant Chief of Staff, Intelligence, in accordance with Air Force Regulation 200-2. The first sighting occurred on 17 April 1958, at the mouth of Bright Angel Creek in the Grand Canyon. The witness, a hydrographer, described a brilliant, bright white or pinkish object that appeared for one to two seconds before burning out completely. The Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) evaluated this report and concluded that the object was a fireball, determining that no further investigation was required. The second sighting, reported by the same individual, involved a cylindrical object that was observed approximately six weeks prior to the December 1958 correspondence. This object was described as moving through the atmosphere, executing right-angle turns, with no visible engine or sound. The Air Force acknowledged this second report and requested that a questionnaire be sent to the witness to gather more detailed information for evaluation by the Air Technical Intelligence Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. The file includes a Project 10073 record card summarizing the fireball sighting, a formal memorandum routing slip, and a letter from Major Lawrence J. Tacker to the witness confirming the Air Force's assessment of the fireball and requesting further information regarding the cylindrical object.