Documents / FOIA release
This CIA Office of Scientific Intelligence memo by F. C. Durant, dated 31 March 1953, reports that the Office of Current Intelligence is no longer following UFO reports. It proposes that O/SI keep watch on the subject by naming David E. Stevenson of the Applied Science Division as action man, routing future UFO messages to him, and transferring the O/CI files, most of which Durant recommends destroying. Panel Reports are noted as held in the Operations Staff office.
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1. Jack Heckert telephoned yesterday and told me that O/CI is no longer following reports of U. F. O.'s. Jack has the O/CI file of U. F. O. dispatches and wanted suggestions as to where to send it. 2. O/SI interest in U. F. O.'s is currently centered on Dave Stevenson (Air Branch/Applied Science Division). He is back stopped by Lt. Col. Pritz Oder (Geophys Pr/F&E Division). Stevenson has all C/SI files with exception of key documents, Panel Reports, etc. which are in the Operations Staff office. 3. It would seen wise for O/SI to keep a watch on U. F. C. reports in view of possibly greater activity this summer. The following steps are suggested to assign responsibility and insure receipt of intelligence information: a. Designate Chief, Applied Science Division as coordinator of reports on U. F. O.'s with the suggestion that Mr. David E. Stevenson be named "action man". Carbon copy to Chief, F&E Division would request division support to Stevenson be coordinated by Lt. Col. F. C. Cder. c. Request O/CI Screening Panel (Liss Lowry, I believe) route all future messages pertaining to U. F. O.'s to the Applied Science Division, Attention: D. B. Stevenson, for review. 4. The above method is believed the simplest method for O/SI effectively keeping tabs on the subject. There would be little time required on Stevenson's part to keep himself up to date. In the event of a future flap, his continuing watch should prove valuable in a critical analysis. From time to time he might report orally to you or to me on the status quo but no formal reports seen indicated. b. Request O/CI turn files now in custody of John Heckert over to Stevenson for perusal. I believe very little material would be worth saving except as samples of indicative or unusual reports. The rest I recommend be destroyed.
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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. 3 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.