Responsibility for 'Unidentified Flying Objects' (UFOs)

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70 : Acting Assistant Director for Scientific Intelligence

DATE: AUG 8 1955

FROM : Chief, Physics and Electronics Division, SI

SUBJECT: Responsibility for "Unidentified Flying Objects" (UFOBs)

REFERENCES: A. Memo to Ch/F&E from AD/SI, 27 May 53, "Unidentified Flying Objects"

B. Memo to AD/SI from Ch/P&E, 3 July 53, "Unidentified Flying Objects"

C. Memo for the Record signed by Ch/ASD, Ch/Ops, and Ch/P&E, 14 June 54, "Intelligence Responsibilities for Non-Conventional Types of Air Vehicles"

1. By reference A, this Division was assigned "responsibility for maintaining current knowledge of sightings of unidentified flying objects."

2. By reference B, which received the concurrence of your office, this Division proposed to handle its responsibilities as follows:

"a. the project will be considered as inactive

b. the incoming material will be reviewed periodically to segregate references to recognizable and explainable phenomena from those which come under the definition of 'unidentified flying objects'

c. all material on unidentified objects will be deposited in the files for future reference unless it raises an immediately recognizable problem of concern to national security."

3. Reference C clarified but did not reduce the responsibility of this Division on the subject project.

4. Since the issuance of Reference A, the responsibility delineated in par. 2b, above, has required between 10 and 25 analyst hours per month and the responsibilities under par. 2c, above, about half that much clerical time.