Project 10073 Record Card and Correspondence — Ft. Washakie, Wyoming, February 1961

This document details the investigation of a strange object found in a hay meadow in Ft. Washakie, Wyoming, on February 28, 1961. A local resident discovered the object and, concerned about its potential explosive nature, sent a drawing and a letter to J. Edgar Hoover at the FBI. The correspondence was subsequently forwarded to the Department of the Air Force for investigation. The Air Force initiated a case under Project 10073. On March 29, 1961, Major Hutchison of the 2705th Air Munitions Wing visited the witness to examine the object. The Air Force determined that the object was not an item of munitions and contained no explosives. It was described as a shiny, chrome-like, cigar-shaped object, approximately 6.5 inches long and 3/8 inches across, with a hollow interior and a threaded bolt. The official conclusion reached by the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) and the Ogden Air Materiel Area was that the object was likely a decorative ornament from an automobile or a light aircraft that had become detached during flight. The Air Force assured the witness that the object posed no threat to national security. The physical specimen was retained by the Air Force in a physical specimen file, assigned the reference number 341-31-496. The documentation includes internal Air Force memoranda, correspondence with the witness, and a detailed sketch of the object provided by the finder.