Project 10073 Record Cards and Memorandum for the Record — Akron and Ravenna, Ohio, January 1963

This document contains a series of records from Project 10073 regarding sightings and reports in the Akron and Ravenna, Ohio area in early January 1963. The primary incident involves a report received on January 4, 1963, from a civilian named Popowich, who observed an unidentified flying object on January 2, 1963. The object was described as a motionless, dull yellow light surrounded by a ring of light, which appeared to be fairly close to the observer. The witness, who was in a car, reported that the object moved slowly to the southeast and would periodically fade out for approximately 30 seconds, changing color to red during these intervals. His wife also observed the object from their home. A follow-up investigation by the Foreign Technology Division (FTD) noted that the object was described as star-sized, fuzzy, and round. The FTD concluded that the case lacked sufficient data for a formal evaluation, noting that some characteristics of a balloon were present, and that the source likely identified the object themselves without further reporting. A separate, related report from January 7, 1963, documents the discovery of small metal strips, described as tinfoil, scattered over a wide area of farmland. The witness, a machinist, initially feared these were British radar-jamming materials after reading news reports about British aircraft penetrating air defenses. The FTD identified these strips as chaff used for radar jamming. Finally, a press clipping from January 9, 1963, mentions a sighting by a Mr. Rice and two other observers in Ravenna, who described a bright, round, white object that changed to reddish-orange before splitting into three parts and moving southward.