Project 10073 Record Card — Watchung, New Jersey, 30 April 1961

This document contains a Project 10073 Record Card and associated correspondence regarding a UFO sighting reported by a civilian in Watchung, New Jersey, on April 30, 1961. The witness described observing a silver-colored, pie-plate-shaped object at a great distance for approximately 20 seconds. The witness noted that the object disappeared and reappeared and appeared to be blinking. The official conclusion recorded on the card suggests the object was likely a weather balloon, noting that the Weather Bureau releases balloons around 1800 hours and that the wind was blowing from the west. The file includes a letter dated May 8, 1961, from Lee H. Strahl, Deputy Chief of the Air Intelligence Office, responding to the witness. Strahl informs the witness that the Air Intelligence Office is no longer responsible for the release of public information regarding UFO investigations and that the matter has been referred to the Washington office. He further notes that while the report is appreciated, it lacks the detail required for a reliable scientific classification of the object. The document also contains various blank U.S. Air Force technical information forms and supplemental pages, including sketches and descriptions from other unrelated sightings in Canada and the United States, such as reports from Montreal, Anaheim, and Manitowoc, which appear to have been compiled or attached to the file for reference or administrative purposes. The primary sighting in Watchung is categorized as a probable weather balloon.