Project 10073 Record Card — Vernon, Texas, 17 February 1961

This document file contains a Project 10073 record card and associated correspondence regarding a reported UFO sighting in Vernon, Texas, on February 17, 1961. The primary record indicates that a civilian, identified as a boy, claimed to have sighted a UFO and reported it to Altus Air Force Base. However, the official investigation concluded that there was no record of such a report at the base, leading to the case being classified as having 'insufficient data for evaluation.' The correspondence includes a letter dated February 18, 1961, from the civilian witness to the Secretary of Defense. In this letter, the witness proposes the creation of a new organization called 'SKY WATCHERS,' which would be modeled after the Ground Observer Corps (GOC) but tasked with monitoring for both UFOs and tornadoes. The witness suggests that the United States should station men with cameras and telescopic lenses at various points to document UFOs. In a response dated February 27, 1961, Captain William M. Mack of the Air Force Public Information Division acknowledges the letter. Captain Mack explains that Air Force policy encourages citizens to report unidentified flying objects to the intelligence or operations officer at the nearest Air Force installation. He confirms that the witness's report of the February 17 sighting to Altus Air Force Base was the correct procedure, despite the base having no record of it. Captain Mack also notes that the witness's interest in tracking tornadoes would be of interest to the local Weather Bureau. The file includes a routing slip indicating the document was processed through the Office of the Secretary of Defense.