Project 10073 Record Card — Misawa AB, Japan, 19 July 1960

On July 19, 1960, at 1035Z, a sighting of an unidentified aerial phenomenon occurred at Misawa Air Base, Japan. The primary witness, a USAF Senior Master Sergeant, observed a brilliant white object with a bluish tint while traveling in a taxicab. The witness reported that the object, which lacked a visible tail, moved vertically at a very slow rate of speed—notably slower than a shooting star—before disappearing below the horizon from an altitude of approximately 10 degrees. The witness estimated the object's size to be five times that of the evening star. Two other individuals in the taxicab, the driver and his wife, did not observe the object. The weather conditions at the time were clear with high scattered clouds, 10 miles of visibility, and winds from the east-northeast at four knots. The incident was documented on a Project 10073 record card and reported via operational immediate cable to HQ USAF and ATIC. The official conclusion suggested the object was a possible daytime meteor, noting that tails are not always observed in such cases. An intensive effort was initiated at Misawa AB to locate additional witnesses.