What did the declassified documents reveal?

Cold open. This is Project One Zero Zero Seven Three, Record Card One, dated August 1954, filed in Lafayette, Indiana. The document is notable because it records an Air Force investigation of an alleged unidentified aerial phenomenon and associated physical specimens, and it was released publicly through The Black Vault archive. Provenance. The record was made available by The Black Vault, reference number 1954-08-8715400-Lafayette-Indiana, with the full text hosted at archive dot org. The material was declassified by the United States Air Force and released without a specific Freedom of Information Act case number. The release date is listed as the date of upload to the archive. The document. Project One Zero Zero Seven Three, Record Card One. Date: August 1954. Location: Lafayette, Indiana. Conclusions: □ V/os BoMoon □ Probably Balloon □ Possibly Balloon □ Probably Aircraft □ Possibly Aircraft □ Probably Astronomical □ Possibly Astronomical. Data for evaluation: unknown. Type of observation: Ground visual, ground radar, air‑intercept radar, photographs. Length of observation: not applicable. Number of objects: one. Brief summary of sighting. Object described as a long, thin piece of metallic material, apparently fused together. Submitted by Leonard H. Stringfield. Comments: Both the command appearance and the analysis strongly suggest that the material came from the bin of either a steel mill or a foundry where chromium in form is custom added to steel. CIV Air Force POIIM 339 (KEV 3S BE? S3] 4 X0073 1 19 AFJlIJ‑4£4 CJH‑IFiJT NR. 1. Trip report. Project Travel Order, Air Force Technical Center, Air Force Base, Ohio. Subject: Trip to Cincinnati area to obtain specimens allegedly from “Flying Saucers.” The purpose of this trip was to obtain specimens, statements, and other related unidentified flying object information from a private UFO organization in Cincinnati, Ohio. Factual data. The organization is a self‑appointed society for the investigation, research and analysis of so‑called “flying saucers.” Its publications include “The Orbit” and “Civilian Research of Interplanetary Flying Objects.” The individual in question had previously placed both Colonel O. Mara, then Deputy ATIC, and the Air Force in an embarrassing position by attributing statements to them that the Colonel and the Air Force never made, after a private interview was granted to discuss UFO phenomena. As of late, he repeatedly attempted to obtain official interview brief logs from both ATIC and Headquarters D5A, claiming he was appointed a “UFO investigator” by a senior Air Force officer. On eleven October 1956 the individual contacted ATIC again for the purpose stated above. He was told, with all fairness, that the Air Force could only consider UFO incidents reported over the phone, and that other matters should be directed to the UBAF Office of Information Services. He then claimed to possess two specimens he believed originated from “flying saucers.” The office placed him…

Why was this case declassified?

This material was released by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) through the U.S. declassification and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) process. The originating source document is linked on this page so the citation chain is auditable.

1954 08 8715400 Lafayette Indiana

◆ BLUF — The short version

Cold open. This is Project One Zero Zero Seven Three, Record Card One, dated August 1954, filed in Lafayette, Indiana. The document is notable because it records an Air Force investigation of an alleged unidentified aerial phenomenon and associated physical specimens, and it was released publicly through The Black Vault archive.

Agency: Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
Date: JUL 18 · 2026
Release: Declassified · U.S. public record (FOIA)
Source document: View the primary source documenthttps://archive.org/details/1954-08-8715400-Lafayette-Indiana

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Episode notes

Source document: https://archive.org/details/1954-08-8715400-Lafayette-Indiana

Questions about this case

What was 1954 08 8715400 Lafayette Indiana about?: Cold open. This is Project One Zero Zero Seven Three, Record Card One, dated August 1954, filed in Lafayette, Indiana. The document is notable because it records an Air Force investigation of an alleged unidentified aerial phenomenon and associated physical specimens, and it was released publicly through The Black Vault archive.
Why was this case declassified?: This material was released by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) through the U.S. declassification and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) process. The originating source document is linked in the case notes above so the citation chain is fully auditable.

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1954 08 8715400 Lafayette Indiana

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