Project 10073 Record Card and Staff Message Branch Incoming Report — 18 July 1963

On July 18, 1963, at approximately 0357Z, the crew of a KC-135 aircraft observed an unidentified object while flying at 29,000 feet. The object was described as tear-drop shaped and bluish-white in color, appearing as a 'pea size' object initially. It was observed for four minutes as it followed a descending straight-line trajectory with an increasing angle of declination. The object left a contrail approximately five miles long, which persisted for ten minutes after the object itself had burned out or disintegrated. The crew, consisting of Major Warren H. Williams, Captains Manuel T. Blank, Walter D. Cooke, and Jack W. Peters, and MSgt Francis K. Pjanney, reported the event under clear weather conditions. The official evaluation by the Combat Intelligence Officer concluded that the sighting was a missile launch from Point Arguello, California, noting that the object's characteristics were consistent with a missile in the initial stage of flight. The report was processed through the Department of the Air Force Staff Message Branch and forwarded to the Foreign Technology Division at Wright-Patterson AFB.