Project 10073 Record Card — Durenville, Texas, 22 August 1960

This document contains the official record and correspondence regarding a UFO sighting reported by a civilian on 22 August 1960, near Durenville, Texas. The witness, an amateur astronomer who possessed a 3-inch refractor telescope, reported observing a bluish-white light that changed to yellow, which he estimated to be the size of a street light at a distance of 3 to 5 miles. The object was observed for approximately 10 minutes, moving from a north-northeasterly direction to an overhead position. The witness initially reported his observation to the Harvard College Observatory, which subsequently forwarded the information to the Aerospace Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) via Spacetrack. The witness provided detailed, albeit subjective, accounts of the object's behavior, comparing it to the brightness of Sirius and noting its motion relative to celestial bodies. He also speculated that the object could have been a Soviet rocket or a satellite. The official Air Force evaluation of the report was highly skeptical. Investigators concluded that it was impossible to determine if the witness had actually observed anything at all. The report explicitly states that the witness appeared to have a strong desire to see objects in the upper atmosphere and space, leading the evaluators to conclude that the sighting was likely a 'complete figment of his imagination' or a natural occurrence embellished by his imagination. The file includes the original Project 10073 record card, the technical information sheet completed by the witness, and various pieces of correspondence between the witness, the Harvard College Observatory, and the Air Force's Public Information Division. The correspondence highlights the administrative process of handling such reports, with the Air Force requesting that the witness complete formal questionnaires to facilitate further analysis, while simultaneously dismissing the validity of the initial report. The witness's own notes and sketches, which include detailed star charts and descriptions of the object's movement, are preserved in the file, providing a contrast to the dismissive official conclusion.