Project 10073 Record Card and Correspondence — Palatka, Florida, June-July 1961

This document collection contains records and correspondence regarding two UFO sightings reported in Palatka, Florida, during the summer of 1961. The primary witness, a 14-year-old amateur astronomer and high school student, submitted detailed accounts of objects observed on June 29 and July 25, 1961. In the first report, the witness described two blue-white pulsating lights moving across the sky, which joined into a single light, turned crimson red, and performed sharp 180-degree turns at high speeds. The witness estimated the object's speed at 1,000 MPH and its altitude at 30,000 feet, noting that it made no sound. A second report, dated July 25, described four flying objects that converged into one, changed color from blue-white to orange, and disappeared behind trees. The Air Force, specifically the Foreign Technology Division and the Aerospace Technical Intelligence Center, requested additional information from the witness to clarify these accounts. However, internal Air Force correspondence indicates that the reports were ultimately dismissed as unreliable. Major Robert J. Friend and the evaluating committee concluded that the sightings were likely a prank orchestrated by local youths. The committee noted that the reported behavior—specifically the objects separating and joining together—did not conform to known flight patterns and bore similarities to other 'French sightings' that had been previously investigated. The file includes the original Project 10073 record cards, the witness's completed technical information sheets, hand-drawn sketches of the objects' paths, and official letters from the Department of the Air Force requesting further documentation. The final assessment categorized the reports as 'Other' and 'Unreliable Report,' citing inconsistencies and the likelihood of a hoax.