Cold open. This is a declassified record titled “1959‑07‑8407611‑OnShipEOfFlorida,” issued by the United States Air Force in the summer of nineteen‑fifty‑nine. The document consists of a formal response to a civilian UFO report and the accompanying Air Force questionnaire that was sent to the reporter for further detail. The record is hosted by The Black Vault, accessible at archive.org.
Provenance. The file was released to the public through The Black Vault’s online archive, catalogued under the identifier 1959‑07‑8407611‑OnShipEOfFlorida. The entry lists the source as United States Air Force Technical Intelligence Center, Wright‑Patters Air Force Base, Ohio, and the material was made available without a specific FOIA case number. The declassification authority is the United States Air Force Public Information Division.
The document. The first page is a letter dated September second, nineteen‑fifty‑nine, addressed to a private citizen who had written on August fifth, nineteen‑fifty‑nine about an unidentified flying object observed on July twenty‑first, nineteen‑fifty‑nine. The letter reads in full:
“Dear Sir,
This is to acknowledge your letter of August fifth, nineteen‑fifty‑nine concerning an unidentified flying object you sighted on July twenty‑first, nineteen‑fifty‑nine. Your letter contained insufficient data to allow a valid conclusion. Therefore we request you complete the enclosed Air Force questionnaire in regard to this sighting and forward the completed paper to the Air Force Technical Intelligence Center, Wright‑Patters Air Force Base, Ohio, for analysis and evaluation.
Sincerely,
Major J. TACKSP,
United States Air Force,
Public Information Division,
Office of Information Services,
McMechen, West Virginia.”
The second page is the Air Force Technical Information Sheet, introduced with the following statement:
“This questionnaire has been prepared so that you can give the United States Air Force any additional information concerning the unidentified aerial phenomenon that you have observed. Please answer as many questions as you possibly can. The information that you give will be used for research purposes, and will be regarded as confidential. Your name will not be used in connection with any statements, conclusions, or publications.”
The questionnaire then lists a series of numbered items. Selected items are read verbatim:
“1. Project 10073 Record Card.
2. Date.
3. Location.
4. Conclusions – □ Balloon operation, □ Possibly balloon, □ Probable balloon, □ Possibly aircraft, □ Probable aircraft, □ Possibly astronomical, □ Possibly civilian.
5. Date‑time group.
6. Type – Observation.
7. Length of observation.
8. Number of objects.
9. Course – □ Insufficient data for evolution.
10. Brief summary of sighting.
11. Comments – (space for narrative).
12. Where were you located when you saw the object? (Circle one) □ Inside a building □ In a car □ Outdoors □ In an airplane □ Other.
13. Were you in the business section of a city? □ In the residential section of a city? □ In open countryside? □ Flying near an airfield? □ Flying over a city? □ Flying over open country? □ Other.
14. If you were moving in a vehicle at the time, indicate direction of travel (Circle one) □ North □ Northeast □ East □ Southeast □ South □ Southwest □ West □ Northwest.
15. How fast were you moving? (miles per hour).
16. Did you stop at any time while you were looking at the object? (Circle one) □ Yes □ No.
17. What direction were you looking when you first saw the object?
