Project 10073 Record Card and Correspondence Regarding November 2, 1963 Sighting

This document collection details an investigation into a UFO sighting reported by a civilian on November 2, 1963, near St. Peter, Illinois. The witness, while driving south on Route 185 at approximately 1:20 AM, observed an object falling from the sky. He described the object as having a yellowish-orange, non-glittering glow that became a gold haze with a fire trail before descending. The witness also reported radio interference during the event and expressed interest in a previous sighting in Fairfield, Illinois, from August 1963. The witness submitted a physical object he had recovered from a creek bed for analysis. The Air Force, through the Foreign Technology Division, conducted an investigation and concluded that the sighting was a meteor. They dismissed the witness's claims regarding the object's origin, stating that the recovered item was a rock composed of iron pyrite and calcium/silicon compounds, which was not radioactive and had never been in outer space. The Air Force further addressed the witness's questions regarding radio static and a 'guiding instinct,' stating that there was no evidence to support his theories and that the radio interference was likely caused by standard environmental factors such as power lines or aircraft. The correspondence reflects a formal, dismissive tone from the Air Force, which sought to provide scientific explanations for the witness's observations while maintaining that the events were not of an anomalous nature.