Project 10073 Record Card and Related Correspondence — Albuquerque, New Mexico, September 1961

This document collection contains a series of military message forms regarding a UFO sighting reported on September 2, 1961, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The primary witness, a 40-year-old Civil Service Quality Control Representative, reported observing a round, silvery object while reclining in a lounge chair at his home. The witness described the object as moving erratically from west to east and noted that it emitted several smaller, silvery objects, approximately one-sixth the size of the main object, on two separate occasions. The main object appeared to be a reflection of the sun on a shiny surface. The sighting lasted approximately ten minutes before the object disappeared to the south at a 50-degree elevation. Military authorities at Kirtland Air Force Base conducted an investigation, noting that a weather balloon had been released at 2335Z on the same day. Meteorological data indicated a three-degree temperature inversion between 16,000 and 18,000 feet. Major Virgil O. Hall, the Base Flying Safety Officer, concluded that the phenomenon was likely a reflection caused by this inversion, possibly reflecting sunlight from a distant body of water like Elephant Butte or another reflective surface. The initial report was deemed limited in nature by FTD WPAFB, prompting a request for a follow-up investigation to adhere to AFR 200-2 guidelines and to seek additional witnesses. Despite these efforts, no other witnesses were located, and the official assessment remained that the sighting was an atmospheric reflection.