Project 10073 Record Card and Correspondence — Coeburn, Virginia, August 1959

This document contains the records of a UFO sighting report filed by a 19-year-old high school student in Coeburn, Virginia, in August 1959. The witness reported observing three objects that appeared twice as bright as the largest star, which rose steadily and followed a mountain ridge for approximately 30 minutes. The witness claimed to have captured the objects on film using a Japanese 35mm Kalimar A camera. The witness subsequently contacted the Air Force, under the impression that the government offered a $100 reward for photographs of Unidentified Flying Objects. The Air Force initiated an investigation through the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC). Upon analysis of the negative, ATIC investigators concluded that the images were not of an anomalous aerial phenomenon. Instead, they identified the spots on the film as 'air bells'—bubbles formed during the film development process—and suggested that the wispy images were likely the result of out-of-focus cigarette smoke or poor developing techniques. The correspondence between the Air Force and the witness is documented, including internal memos from Colonel Philip G. Evans and Major Lawrence J. Tacker. These memos confirm that the Air Force had no intention of paying for the photograph and explicitly instructed the witness that the claim regarding a reward was false. The case was ultimately dismissed as a fabrication or a misinterpretation of photographic artifacts, with the Air Force providing a formal response to the witness returning the negative and clarifying their policy on UFO-related compensation.