Project 10073 Record Card and Associated Reports — Wheelus Air Base, Libya, 1 September 1958

This document consists of a Project 10073 record card and associated military teletype reports detailing an Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) sighting on 1 September 1958 at Wheelus Air Base in Tripoli, Libya. The primary witness was George Hilas, a Philco Corporation technical representative and a trained investigator with the 8th District CSI. At approximately 2215Z, Hilas observed a round, bluish-white object that initially appeared the size of a large star before expanding to the size of a baseball. The object moved from the northwest to the southeast, exhibiting variable speeds ranging from very fast to motionless. It was observed descending from a high altitude to between 2,000 and 3,000 feet before rising again and disappearing into clouds. The total duration of the sighting was approximately two minutes. The witness, who was on the roof of a three-story building, initially suspected the object might be a kite with lights, but dismissed this theory because the object lacked navigational lights, made no sound, and covered a significant distance across the horizon. The report notes that a significant temperature inversion existed at the time, from 24 degrees centigrade at the surface to 5.6 degrees centigrade at 1,000 feet. Military intelligence officers, including Captain Fruce K. Hereruck, evaluated the witness as highly trained, sober, and reliable. Official military records confirm that no intercept action was taken and that Ground Controlled Intercept (GCI) radar, while operational, detected no unusual activity in the area. The report explicitly states that the object was 'UNIDENTIFIED' and notes that a similar sighting by another observer five miles away was submitted in a separate report. The documentation includes detailed weather data and coordinates for the observer's location.