Documents / FOIA release
This 1956 Central Intelligence Agency memorandum to the Deputy Director for Intelligence is signed by Herbert Scoville Jr., Assistant Director for Scientific Intelligence. It answers questions about a UFO report in the French magazine Match, which it says lacks enough information for identification and appears exaggerated. The memo says Air Force Blue Book investigations cut unknown cases from 25 to 10 per cent, and it confirms liaison with the Air Force Technical Intelligence Center. It also expects a close approach of Mars in September 1956 to prompt more reports.
Read from the scan by GLM-OCR; expect the odd misread word.
WLD UNIVERSITY Deputy Director/Intelligence AUTHOR : Flying Sincers. REPLACEMENT : ED/I Homo, 26 March 1955, same Subject 1. The article in the French magazine Match does not give sufficient information to permit classification or identification of the U. F. O. The tone of the article gives the impression that the sighting has been considerably complicated in order to produce a more national story. In most cases of foreign sightings it has not been possible to thoroughly investigate all the people involved, so in many instances no identification has been possible. In the U. O. during the Blue Book investigation, a concentrated effort was made to track down all information possible on each reported sighting; and, as a result, the percentage of unknown and insufficient information cases dropped from 25 per cent to 10 per cent. If a thorough investigation of the U. F. O. reported in which were made it would undoubtedly disclose additional data that would permit it to be classified in one of the Blue Book categories, and most likely an identification could be made just as has happened in a number of very similar cases. 25. We do maintain close liaison with the Air Force Technical Intelligence Center on reports of unidentified flying objects. This includes those reports originating in foreign countries as well as the United States. 3. It is true that on 7 September 1955 Haze will be 35.2 million miles from the earth, its nearest position in a long period. Thus, astronomers will have a rare opportunity to study Haze at close range with new electronic equipment now available. Personnel at the Harvard Observatory, Washington, attach no important implications to this proximity other than the opportunity for routine scientific study. However, as you suggest, this unusual
Not linked to a story yet.
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.