Project 10073 Record Card and Related Correspondence — Whittier, Alaska, December 1958

This document collection details a UFO sighting reported on 1 December 1958 near Whittier, Alaska. A civilian witness observed a reddish-orange object, described as larger than a basketball with a short flaming tail and no smoke, performing a vertical descent before disappearing behind a mountain three miles northeast of Whittier. Initial reports suggested the object might have landed on the Seth Glacier, prompting the Alaskan Air Command (AAC) to schedule a reconnaissance mission to the area. However, subsequent correspondence between the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) and the AAC reveals that the reconnaissance mission was aborted due to adverse weather conditions. Further investigation, including a consultation with the Geophysical Institute in Fairbanks, led officials to conclude that the object possessed all the characteristics of a meteor. Additionally, intelligence assessments noted that knowledgeable sources discounted the possibility of the object being part of an Earth Satellite Vehicle (ESV). Later communications reference radar tracking by Stanford University of the Sputnik III carrier rocket, which was considered in the context of the sighting. The documentation includes the original Project 10073 record card, various military teletype messages (cables) between command centers, and administrative follow-ups confirming the status of the investigation.