Project 10073 Record Card — Herford, Germany, 11 April 1959

This document details a UFO sighting report filed by a British soldier serving in Herford, Germany, on 11 April 1959. The witness, who was performing national service, reported observing an oval-shaped, bright white object with a bright tail in the southern sky at approximately 2150Z. The observation lasted for three to four seconds, during which the object appeared to be falling at a high altitude. The witness explicitly stated that there was no sound associated with the event. In his report, the witness admitted that he had recently finished reading 'Flying Saucers Have Landed' by Desmond Leslie and George Adamski and was, in fact, looking at the stars with the intention of seeing an object in outer space. He noted that he was quite surprised to see an object in the sky. The official analysis conducted by Major Robert J. Friend of AFCIN-4E4 concluded that the description provided by the witness was characteristic of a meteor. Major Friend noted that while the source acknowledged it was a meteor, he reported it as a UFO, likely out of curiosity and the influence of the book he had just finished reading. The file includes a formal acknowledgment letter from Major Lawrence J. Tacker, Executive Officer of the Public Information Division, confirming receipt of the soldier's letter and reiterating the conclusion that the phenomenon was a meteor. The documentation includes the original Project 10073 record card, the witness's completed questionnaire, a hand-drawn sketch of the sighting location, and the internal memo routing slips used by the Air Force to process the report.