What did the declassified documents reveal?

COLD OPEN. This is a declassified record titled “1957‑11‑6964400‑Hondo‑Texas.” It was produced by the United States Air Force on November twenty‑seventh, nineteen‑fifty‑seven, and it documents a visual and radar sighting of an unidentified flying object over Hondo, Texas. The record is notable because it is an original field report from Project One Zero Zero Seven Three, the Air Force’s systematic investigation of UFO reports during the 1950s. PROVENANCE. The document was released to the public through The Black Vault archive, under the entry number 1957‑11‑6964400‑Hondo‑Texas. The digital transcription is available at https://archive.org/download/1957-11-6964400-Hondo-Texas/1957-11-6964400-Hondo-Texasdjvu.txt. The release date is listed as the date of upload to the archive, and the declassification authority is the United States Air Force, which authorized the public dissemination of Project One Zero Zero Seven Three records in the early twenty‑first century. THE DOCUMENT. Project One Zero Zero Seven Three, Record Card Two. Location: Hondo, Texas. Date‑Time Group: November twenty‑seventh, nineteen‑fifty‑seven, twenty‑seven hundred eight zero Zulu. Type of Observation: Local ground visual, visual, and radar. Length of Observation: twenty‑seven minutes, one hundred eighty zero Zulu. Number of Objects: one. Course: In the west. One object, cigar shaped, size of a dollar, color green, is described as “mostly nothing unusual.” The object was picked up by radar. The observer, driving down the road, noticed the object in the east. The report includes the notation “ATIC FORM 329 (PEV 26 5EP 52)”. Air Visual: Air‑Intercept Radar. Photos: Source – at lot O. Yes. Civilian – zero. Conclusions: The report lists a series of possible classifications, each marked with a question. “Was Balloon? Probably Balloon. Possibly Balloon. Was Aircraft? Probably Aircraft. Possibly Aircraft. Was Astronomical? Probably Astronomical. Possibly Astronomical. Other – Insufficient Data for Evaluation. Unknown.” The subject line is recorded as “UFOB Report.” Item One – Shape: “Cigar shape (by half, green, one dollar size).” No additional markings noted. Item Two – Motion: “Living down road and seen … Noticed it … Elevation to the east …” No further data. Item Three – Ground Visual: “None.” Item Four – Time: “1800 Zulu, twenty‑seven November.” Item Five – Identifier: “GQ2825.” Item Six – Occupation: “RQM‑M‑Bondo, Texas, Occupation Self‑Employed.” Item Seven – Weather: “High scattered clouds, twenty‑two degrees Celsius, minus twenty degrees Fahrenheit.” Item Eight – No data. Item Nine – No data. Item Ten – No data. Item Eleven – “Five gave me this information. Nothing came to the squadron and unusual was placed up by radar.” Item Twelve – No data. The report concludes with a chain of distribution codes: “COMDR 741ST ACWRON LACKLAND AFB Texas to ZEN/COMDR 33D ADIV INFO … DIRECTOR OF INTELLIGENCE HQ USAF.” CONTEXT. The Black Vault entry for this file includes an editorial summary…

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.

1957 11 6964400 Hondo Texas

◆ BLUF — The short version

COLD OPEN. ” It was produced by the United States Air Force on November twenty‑seventh, nineteen‑fifty‑seven, and it documents a visual and radar sighting of an unidentified flying object over Hondo, Texas.

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/1957-11-6964400-Hondo-Texas

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COLD OPEN. This is a declassified record titled “1957‑11‑6964400‑Hondo‑Texas.” It was produced by the United States Air Force on November twenty‑seventh, nineteen‑fifty‑seven, and it documents a visual and radar sighting of an unidentified flying object over Hondo, Texas. The record is notable…

Source document: https://archive.org/details/1957-11-6964400-Hondo-Texas

Questions about this case

What was 1957 11 6964400 Hondo Texas about?: COLD OPEN. ” It was produced by the United States Air Force on November twenty‑seventh, nineteen‑fifty‑seven, and it documents a visual and radar sighting of an unidentified flying object over Hondo, Texas.
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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1957 11 6964400 Hondo Texas

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