Documents / Hearing transcript
This is the printed transcript of an April 5, 1966 hearing of the U.S. House Committee on Armed Services on unidentified flying objects. Air Force Secretary Harold Brown testified that 9,501 of 10,147 sightings from 1947 through 1965 had been identified and that no threat or extraterrestrial evidence had been found. The record includes the Scientific Advisory Board ad hoc committee report recommending university studies and the Air Force's marsh gas explanation for the Dexter and Hillsdale, Michigan sightings. Members also questioned J. Allen Hynek and Maj. Hector Quintanilla about the Exeter, New Hampshire case.
5996 The name of this project is Blue Book (attachment 1). Procedures for con- ducting this program are established by Air Force regulation 200-2 (attach- ment 2). The Air Force has conducted Project Blue Book since 1948. As of June 30, 1965, a total of 9,267 reports had been investigated by the Air Force. Of these 9,267 reports, 663 cannot be explained. It has been determined by the Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff/Plans and Operations that Project Blue Book is a worthwhile program which deserves the support of all staff agencies and major commands and that the Air Force should continue to investigate and analyze all UFO reports in order to assure that such objects do not present a threat to our national security. The Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff/Plans and Operations has determined also that the Foreign Technology Division (FTD) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base should continue to exercise its presently assigned responsibilities concerning UFO's. To date, the Air Force has found no evidence that any of the UFO reports reflects a threat to our national security. However, many of the reports that cannot be explained have come from intelligent and technically well qualified individuals whose integrity cannot be doubted. In addition, the reports received officially by the Air Force include only a fraction of the spectacular reports which are publicized by any private UFO organizations. Accordingly, it is requested that a working scientific panel composed of both physical and social scientists be organized to review Project Blue Book—its re- sources, methods, and findings—and to advise the Air Force as to any improve- ments that should be made in the program in order to carry out the Air Force's assigned responsibiltiy. Dr. J. Allen Hynek who is the chairman of the Dearborn Observatory at Northwestern University is the scientific consultant to Project Blue Book. He has indicated a willingness to work with such a panel in order to place this problem in its proper perspective. Dr. Hynek has discussed this problem with Dr. Winston R. Markey, the former Air Force Chief Scientist. E. B. LEBAILLY, Major General, USAF,Director of Information. AD Hoc COMMITTEE ON UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECTS (UFO's) AGENDA Thursday, 8 February 1966 0800 Welcoming remarks: Commander or vice commander, FTD. 0805 Introduction: Dr. O'Brien, SAB. 0810 The Air Force problem: Lieutenant Colonel Spaulding, SAFOI. 0830 Briefing on Project Blue Book: Major Quintanilla, FTD. 1000 Break. 1015 Review- of selected case histories: FTD Staff. 1145 Lunch. 1315 Executive and writing session. SPECIAL REPORT OF THE USAF SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY BOARD AD HOC COMMITTEE TO REVIEW PROJECT BLUE BOOK Distribution Symbol Copies Secretary of the Air Force Office of Information Military Director, DCS/R.& D Committee members (1 each): Dr. Brian O'Brien (chairman), Dr. Launor F. Carter, Mr. Jesse Orlansky, Dr. Richard Porter, Dr. Carl Sagan, Dr. Willis H. Ware Commander, Foreign Technology Division DCS/Foreign Technology (AFSC) Chairman, SAB SAB secretariat SAFOI 25 AFRDC_ 1 6 5 SCF 2 AFBSA 1 AFBSA 1 Meeting statistics bearing on this report including all times, dates, places, a listing of persons in attendance and purposes therefor, together with their affilia-
Hearing transcript, cited by the archive. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. 88 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.