Project 10073 Record Card and Related Correspondence — Oakland, California, January 1961

This document consists of a Project 10073 record card and a series of military teletype messages regarding a UFO sighting in Oakland, California, occurring between January 2 and January 4, 1961. A civilian witness reported observing a flat, circular, red object, approximately the size of a half-dollar, over the course of three consecutive nights. The object was described as having a flashing red light, emitting a rumbling sound, and moving in a rapid, non-hovering manner from southwest to northeast at an elevation of approximately 20 degrees. The witness claimed to have used a telescope to observe the object. Military personnel from the 1902nd AACS at Hamilton Air Force Base initiated an investigation, which was subsequently reviewed by the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC). The military investigation expressed skepticism regarding the report. Comments on the record card suggest that helicopters were in the area at the time of the sightings and that the witness should have been able to identify an aircraft if they were truly using a telescope. Investigators posited that the telescope might have been out of focus, that the witness may have been mistaken about directions, and that the object could have been Venus or a reflection of an aircraft. A Flight Service Operations Officer suggested the possibility of a reflection through haze. The correspondence shows a formal request from ATIC to the 1902nd AACS to re-contact the witness and gather more detailed information in accordance with Air Force Regulation 200-2. Subsequent messages confirm that the 1902nd AACS contacted the Oakland Weather Bureau, who reported seeing the same object, though they identified it as a helicopter. The military concluded that the information provided was limited in nature, precluding a definitive analysis.