Project 10073 Record Card — Potsdam, New York, July 10, 1959

This document consists of a Project 10073 record card and an accompanying letter dated July 12, 1959, detailing an aerial sighting in Potsdam, New York. On the evening of July 10, 1959, between 8:30 and 9:00 PM, an unnamed civilian witness and a friend observed two objects in the western sky while driving. The witness described the objects as streaks of brilliant, constant light, approximately three feet long and one inch thick, with a space of about one foot between them. The witness noted that the objects appeared to be moving rapidly toward the west and that the lead object possessed a brighter light at the front. The observation lasted for approximately two minutes before the objects gradually faded from sight. The witness, who identified themselves as a college graduate, submitted the report to the Secretary of Defense, noting that they had not seen any mention of the event in the newspapers, though they enclosed a separate newspaper clipping regarding a different sighting of unidentified flying objects by Pan American pilots over the Pacific. The official evaluation on the record card concluded that the sighting was likely an aircraft, noting that the objects were too slow to be meteors and possessed characteristics consistent with aircraft. The investigating agency, ATIC, determined that the delay in reporting and the information provided did not warrant further follow-up questioning.