PROJECT 10073 RECORD CARD - LEIBNITZ, AUSTRIA - MARCH 1950

This document compiles reports and internal records regarding a UFO sighting that occurred on March 2, 1950, near Leibnitz, Austria. A newspaper photographer, identified in press clippings as a correspondent for the Vienna newspaper 'Wiener Montag', claimed to have encountered a white, glowing, spider-shaped object while riding a motorcycle through the countryside at 1:30 a.m. The witness reported that the object hovered approximately 45 feet above the ground for about 10 seconds. He further claimed that he could feel heat radiating from the object and that he heard a noise similar to a jet aircraft when it departed. The witness stated he took several photographs of the object. The incident received significant press coverage, with the newspaper publishing the image as a 'sensational' photograph. However, the official ATIC record card indicates that the negatives were never received for analysis. Internal evaluations by ATIC personnel were highly skeptical, suggesting that the witness likely fabricated the story to create a sensational narrative for the newspaper. The official conclusion noted that without the negatives, no valid evaluation could be made, though it was suggested the object might have been a leaking weather balloon carried by surface winds. The document includes various iterations of the report, including a memo routing slip and multiple press clippings, highlighting the discrepancy between the public claims of a 'flying saucer' and the military's assessment of insufficient data and potential hoax.