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.
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5997 tions and material reviewed and discussed, are available in the SAB secretariat offices for review by authorized persons or agencies. Approved by: HAROLD A. STEINER, Lieutenant Colonel, USAF, Assistant Secretary, USAF scientific Advisory Board. PROJECT BLUE BOOK The U.S. Air Force has the responsibility under the Department of Defense for the investigation of unidentified flying objects (UFO's). The name of this program, which has been in operation since 1948, is Project Blue Book. It has been identified in the past as Project Sign and Project Grudge. Air Force interest in unidentified flying objects is related directly to the Air Force responsibility for the air defense of the United States. Procedures for conducting this program are established by Mr Force Regulation 200-2. The objectives of the Project Blue Book are twofold: first, to determine whether UFO's pose a threat to the security of the United States; and, second, to determine whether UFO's exhibit any unique scientific information or advanced technology which could contribute to scientific or technical research. In the course of accomplishing these objectives, Project Blue Book strives to identify and explain all UFO sightings reported to the Air Force. HOW THE PROGRAM IS CONDUCTED The program is conducted in three phases. The first phase includes receipt of UFO reports and initial investigation of the reports. The Air Force base nearest the location of a reported sighting is charged with the responsibility of investigating the sighting and forwarding the information to the Project Blue Book Office at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. If the initial investigation does not reveal a positive identification or explana- tion, a second phase of more intensive analysis is conducted by the Project Blue Book Office. Each case is objectively and scientifically analyzed and, if neces- sary, all of the scientific facilities available to the Air Force can be used to assist in arriving at an identification or explanation. All personnel associated with the investigation, analysis, and evaluation efforts of the project view each report with a scientific approach and an open mind. The third phase of the program is dissemination of information concerning UFO sightings, evaluations, and statistics. This is accomplished by the Secre- tary of the Air Force, Office of Information. The Air Force defines an unidentified flying object as any aerial object which the observer is unable to identify. Reports of unfamiliar objects in the sky are submitted to the Air Force from many sources. These sources include military and civilian pilots, weather ob- servers, amateur astronomers, business and professional men and women, and housewives, etc. Frequently such objects as missiles, balloons, birds, kites, searchlights, aircraft navigation and anticollision beacons, jet engine exhaust, condensation trails, astronomical bodies and meteorological phenomena are mistakenly reported as unidentified flying objects. The Air Force groups its evaluations of UFO reports under three general head- ings: (1) identified, (2) insufficient data, and (3) unidentified. Identified reports are those for which sufficient specific information has been accumulated and evaluated to permit a positive identification or explanation of the object. Reports categorized as "Insufficient Data" are those for which one or more ele- ments of information essential for evaluation are missing. Some examples are the omission of the duration of the sighting, date, time, location, pesition in the sky, weather conditions, and the manner of appearance or disappearance. If the element is missing and there is an indication that the sighting may be of a security, scientific, technical, or public interest value, the Project Blue Book Office conducts an additional investigation and every attempt is made to obtain the in- formation necessary for identification. However, in some instances, essential in- formation cannot be obtained, and no further action can be taken. 50-066 0-66—No.55-2
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.