Project 10073 Record Card — Truk Atoll, 13 July 1960

This document contains a collection of correspondence and a formal record card regarding an Unidentified Flying Object sighting in the Truk District of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. On July 13, 1960, a civilian named Penian, accompanied by two others, observed an object while fishing near Patta Island. The witness described the object as being approximately the size of a drum-can, with a flat top and a bottom narrower than the top. The object was painted half red and half white. According to the witness statement, the object moved vertically and then at an angle toward the west, reaching the height of a tall coconut tree. The witness reported no sound and no visible features such as doors or windows. The incident was investigated by the District Attorney, Alfred J. Gergely, who interviewed the witnesses and concluded they were intelligent and reliable. The report was subsequently forwarded through the Trust Territory administration to the Commander of Naval Forces Marianas, and eventually to the Pacific Air Forces and the United States Air Force (AFCIN-1) for evaluation under AFR 200-2. The official conclusion recorded on the Project 10073 record card suggests that the object was likely a balloon, noting that the physical description and the observed motion were consistent with such an explanation.