Project 10073 Record Card and Related Correspondence — Independence, Missouri, July 1960

This document collection details a UFO sighting report filed by the Kansas City Air Defense Sector regarding an incident on July 11, 1960, in Independence, Missouri. A civilian witness reported observing two objects that were round and oblong, red in color, and described as being the size of a pea or a dime. The objects were observed for approximately 3 to 4 seconds, traveling at high speed from 360 degrees toward the SSE, before fading out of sight. The report notes that the objects left an 'intrail' and were 'glowing.' Following the initial report, the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) requested further investigation, specifically asking if the objects passed directly overhead, the duration of the sighting, and whether radar installations had been checked. Subsequent correspondence clarified that the objects did not pass directly overhead but were at a very high altitude. The official conclusion reached by the military authorities was that the duration and characteristics of the sighting were consistent with a large meteor that had begun to break up in the atmosphere. Radar checks conducted by the FAA and local military installations yielded negative results for any aircraft in the area at the time of the sighting.