Project 10073 Record Card: Salem, Arkansas Sighting

This document file contains a Project 10073 record card and associated correspondence regarding a civilian report from Salem, Arkansas, dated 3 April 1960. A local resident reported finding multiple strips of metal foil on the ground near their home, which they suspected were radar deflectors. The witness noted that they lived in an area crossed by radio plane beams and expressed concern about the presence of such material. The witness enclosed samples of the foil in their letter to the Commanding Officer at Patterson Field, Dayton, Ohio. The Aerospace Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) evaluated the report and the physical samples. In a memorandum dated 6 May 1960, Colonel Philip G. Evans of the ATIC informed Major Tacker that the material was identified as aluminum foil 'chaff,' a substance used by the military for radar jamming during training exercises. The report concluded that the foil was likely dropped from a high altitude and drifted over the area due to wind conditions, or potentially dropped in the immediate locality during a training mission. A follow-up letter from Major Lawrence J. Tacker to the witness on 17 May 1960 formally acknowledged the report and provided this explanation, confirming that the material was standard military training equipment.