Project 10073 Record Card and Associated Correspondence — San Bernardino, California, February 1961

This document collection details the investigation of an unidentified aerial object reported on February 27, 1961, in San Bernardino, California. The sighting, which lasted approximately 20 minutes, involved a single, round, white object described as being the size of a pinhead, observed at a 60-degree angle above the northern horizon. The object exhibited small, localized movements. The report was initiated by the San Bernardino Air Materiel Area (SBAMA) at Norton Air Force Base and forwarded to the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) for evaluation under Project 10073. Major John R. Finn, the investigating officer, noted that both the observers and the reporting officer believed the object was a meteorological balloon. To verify this, ATIC requested a comprehensive check of all weather balloon launches in the region during the time of the sighting. Subsequent communications between SBAMA and ATIC provided detailed wind aloft data and launch records from various facilities, including Norton AFB, George AFB, Edwards AFB, Oxnard AFB, and Point Mugu Naval Air Station. Despite the lack of a definitive match for a specific balloon, the investigation concluded that the object was likely a meteorological balloon. The final message in the sequence, dated March 22, 1961, reiterated this conclusion and suggested that the case be considered closed.