Documents / FOIA release
This Central Intelligence Agency memorandum, dated 2 November 1952, reports an interview with Irving Weston of the FCC's Field Engineering and Monitoring Division. Weston said the Commission had no knowledge of unexplained radio signals that might be connected with flying saucers. The memo describes the FCC's 12 full-time and 6 part-time monitoring stations, the limits of its VHF monitoring and its file of reported intercepts. It concludes that persistent signals below 30 mc/s would likely draw attention.
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1. In accordance with your request, I interviewed Mr. Irving Weston of the Field Engineering and Monitoring Division of the FCC to determine whether the Commission at present has any knowledge of unexplained radio signals which might possibly be connected with unidentified flying saucers. His answer was no. 2. Unless such signals were reasonably persistent or were causing interference to established services, it is unlikely that they would be intercepted, or if intercepted, the subject of inquiry. This is because the stations are, in general, involved in special assignments and have a minimum of time for general cruising of the spectrum. 3. The Commission has operating 12 full time monitoring stations and 6 part time monitoring stations. Two (2) of the stations are in Alaska and one (1) in Hawaii. Because of the short range of frequencies above 30 mc/s, monitoring between 30 and about 200 mc/s is confined pretty much to transmitters in the immediate vicinity. Most of the monitoring stations have equipment for higher frequencies, including the AN/APR-4 receiver, but make little use thereof. VHF monitoring is done to some extent by traveling inspectors with automobile receivers. It seemed lively using the example of the concerted effort to identify the first diathermy signals back in 1935 and the more recent efforts which preceded the explanation of the VHF "bursts", that any persistent occurrences of radio signals that might come from flying saucers, if below 30 mc/s, would soon be the object of considerable interest at the FCC and elsewhere. 4. The FCC maintains a file in the Briggs Building of all reported intercepts of all its monitoring stations by frequency and by call letters extending back three or four years. This file is particularly valuable in the recognition of new signals which may be reported. Information tabulated includes frequency, call letters, type of emission, service, monitoring station reporting, and an intercept supporting the identification. 5. Classification of the discussion was considered Secret. b3
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FOIA release, from the cia-readingroom collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. The text was read from the page images by GLM-OCR; expect the odd misread word. 2 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.