Project 10073 Record Card and Incoming Message - 18 Oct 60

This document consists of a Project 10073 record card and an associated Department of the Air Force incoming message regarding an aerial sighting on October 18, 1960, over Honshu, Japan. The primary witness, First Lieutenant Samuel H. Clarke Jr., an intelligence officer with the 416th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Misawa Air Base, reported observing a round, white object with a tail 16 to 20 times its diameter. The object appeared at an azimuth of 020 degrees and an elevation of 30 degrees above the aircraft, moving in a southeast descending path before disappearing instantaneously at an azimuth of 315 degrees and an elevation of 0 to 5 degrees. The observation lasted approximately one second. The witness noted that the object was exceptionally brilliant and large, leading to an initial impression that it was unusual. However, during a subsequent interview, other officers who were aloft at the same time reported seeing what they identified as a large meteor in the same general area. While the witness noted that the object appeared too large and bright to be a standard meteor, the official conclusion recorded on the project card is that it was a 'probable meteor,' supported by the reports from other pilots in the vicinity. The document includes detailed meteorological data for the time of the sighting, confirming clear conditions with unlimited ceiling and 50-mile visibility. No optical aids were used by the observers, and no radar contact was made. The report concludes that due to a lack of physical evidence and the corroborating observations of other pilots, further investigation was not deemed necessary at the time.