Project 10073 Record Card and Incoming Message regarding UFO sighting, 11-13 November 1961

This document consists of a Project 10073 record card and an associated incoming Air Force message regarding a UFO sighting reported by a 35-year-old civilian farmer near Manning, North Dakota. The witness reported observing a flat, silver object, approximately seven feet in size, over the course of three days, from November 11 to November 13, 1961. The observation occurred during the early morning hours, specifically between 1230 and 1245 Zulu time. The witness described the object as moving in a straight line toward the southeast at a ten-degree angle. The Air Force investigation, conducted under the guidelines of AFR 200-2, concluded that the object was the planet Venus. The report notes that Venus was at a magnitude of -3.4 and was rising during the time of the sightings. The investigators suggested that the witness's experience was likely influenced by atmospheric refraction and the specific weather conditions, which included overcast skies and light snow on the second day. The report explicitly states that there is no evidence to suggest the object was anything other than the planet Venus viewed under unusual circumstances. Furthermore, the investigating officers expressed skepticism regarding the witness's claim of seeing the object for three consecutive days under such varied weather conditions. The documentation includes detailed meteorological data for the three-day period, including wind speeds at various altitudes and cloud cover reports, to support the conclusion that the sighting was an astronomical event.