Project 10073 Record Card and Related Correspondence — Cross City, Florida, May 1961

This document contains a series of reports and correspondence regarding a UFO sighting on May 23, 1961, near Cross City, Florida. The incident involved both visual and radar observations. Three civilian witnesses reported seeing a round or oval object with a green halo, which they described as a starlike object with intensified light. The object was observed moving at a 45-degree elevation, heading south, before changing its flight path. The 691st Radar Squadron at Cross City Air Force Station reported that their AN/FPS-6A height finder tracked an object at 8,400 feet, moving at 95 mph, with its altitude varying between 6,000 and 10,000 feet. The radar operators noted that when the target was locked on, the antenna would 'hunt violently,' causing interference on the radar scope. Mrs. Bryant Foster attempted to photograph the object using a box camera with 620 color film, though the results of this attempt are not confirmed in the file. Major Ray E. Ellis, commander of the station, provided a detailed summary of the radar observations. Subsequently, Major Robert J. Friend of the Air Force Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) requested clarification on the radar operators' terminology, noting that the AN/FPS-6A height finder lacks tracking capability. The official conclusion for the incident was that it was 'classed as insufficient data,' as the visual sighting did not correlate with the radar data and the radar object itself remained unidentified. The file also includes administrative correspondence regarding the request for radiosonde data to assist in the evaluation.