Project 10073 Record Card and Related Incoming Messages — June 1960

This document collection comprises a series of reports and internal communications regarding a sighting of an unidentified aerial phenomenon in the West Indies on June 24-25, 1960. The primary incident involved seven sources reporting a brilliant yellow object traveling from west to east, which exhibited no sound and eventually disappeared after turning in a southerly direction and climbing at an extremely high speed. The object was observed for approximately three to five minutes. The Aerospace Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) investigated the report, noting that the object was brighter than Mars and lacked a discernible shape or size. Following an inquiry to Cape Canaveral, Florida, an official from the base, Col. Thompson, confirmed that a Titan missile had been launched at 0005Z on June 25, 1960. The trajectory of this missile was determined to be approximately the same as the reported object, leading to the conclusion that the sighting was a result of the missile launch. The document file also includes several other incoming messages (MERINT and CIRVIS reports) from various vessels and aircraft in the region during the same timeframe, describing similar high-speed, high-altitude objects, some with halos or red streaks, which were also being tracked or reported by maritime and aviation entities. These reports were forwarded to various military commands, including NORAD and the Air Force, for evaluation. The collection highlights the military's process of cross-referencing civilian and maritime reports of aerial phenomena with known missile test schedules to determine if sightings could be attributed to classified or routine aerospace activities.