Project 10073 Record Card: Sighting in Saudi Arabia, 20 November 1958

This document contains a Project 10073 record card and associated correspondence regarding a UFO sighting reported by a senior construction engineer employed by the Arabian American Oil Co. in Ras Tanura, Saudi Arabia. On the evening of November 20, 1958, between 11:15 and 11:20 PM, the witness and a group of people on a beach observed a bright object traveling horizontally in a north-south direction. The witness described the object as an extremely bright ball of light with a short tail, which turned greenish in color as it receded and eventually vanished. The observation lasted approximately 10 seconds, and no sound was heard. The witness, seeking an explanation, wrote to the Commanding Officer at Wright Air Force Base on November 22, 1958. The Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) evaluated the report and concluded that the phenomenon was a fireball, which they defined as a meteor of uncommon brightness, specifically brighter than -3 magnitude. The official response, signed by Major Lawrence J. Tacker on December 16, 1958, informed the witness that fireballs are sporadic, often leave short trails, and may change color in flight. The report notes that such sightings are rare and can have a startling effect on observers. The documentation includes the original record card, the witness's letter, an internal routing sheet, and the final response from the Air Force.