Project 10073 Record Card and Related Correspondence — October 1961

This document collection contains various reports and administrative records related to UFO sightings in October 1961, primarily processed under Project 10073. The central report concerns a sighting on October 14, 1961, in Las Vegas, New Mexico, by a civilian witness. The witness reported an amber, round, top-shaped object that appeared to revolve and was visible for approximately eight minutes. The object was observed at an elevation of 40 degrees above the horizon, moving in a WSW direction before disappearing behind the horizon. The official evaluation concluded that the object was likely the planet Jupiter, with the witness's description being characteristic of a planet distorted by atmospheric refraction. The report includes a note from the investigator, Major Virgil E. Hall, suggesting that an initial elevation reading of 40 degrees might have been a typographical error for 10 degrees. The collection also includes administrative messages regarding other sightings, such as reports from Seymour-Johnson AFB, North Carolina, and Lake Maracaibo, Venezuela. These messages highlight the Air Force's efforts to manage and investigate these reports in accordance with AFR 200-2. Additionally, the document contains internal communications regarding 'Exercise Sky Shield,' a large-scale air defense exercise conducted in October 1961, which was noted as a potential source of public confusion and reports of unusual aerial phenomena due to supersonic flight operations. The collection serves as a record of the Air Force's systematic approach to documenting and evaluating civilian and military reports of unidentified aerial phenomena during this period.