Documents / FOIA release
This declassified Central Intelligence Agency file includes an Office of Scientific Intelligence memorandum to the Director of Central Intelligence dated 2 October 1952 and an attached memo on flying saucers. H. Marshall Chadwell of OSI found that the Air Force's ATIC was the only group studying the subject, and only case by case. Chadwell warned of two national security risks, mass panic and confusion in air defense. He recommended that the National Security Council start research and adopt a public information policy.
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LEGORANDUM TO: Director of Central Intelligence THROUGH: Deputy Director (Intelligence) FROM: Assistant Director, Office of Scientific Intelligence SUBJECT: Flying Saucers 1. PROBLEM-To determine: (a) Whether or not there are national security implications in the problem of "unidentified flying objects"; (b) whether or not adequate study and research is currently being directed to this problem in its relation to such national security implications; and (c) what further investigation and research should be instituted, by whom, and under what aegis. 2. FACTS AND DISCUSSION-OSI has investigated the work currently being performed on "flying saucers" and found that the Air Technical Intelligence Center, DI, USAF, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, is the only group devoting appreciable effort and study to this subject, that ATIC is concentrating on a case-by-case explanation of each report, and that this effort is not adequate to correlate, evaluate, and resolve the situation on an overall basis. The current problem is discussed in detail in TAB A. 3. CONCLUSIONS Flying saucers pose two elements of danger which have national security implications. The first involves mass psychological considerations and the second concerns the vulnerability of the United States to air attack. Both factors are amplified in TAB A. 4. ACTION RECOMMENDED-(a) That the Director of Central Intelligence advise the National Security Council of the implications of the "flying saucer" problem and request that research be initiated. TAB B is a draft memorandum to the NSC, for the DCI's signature. (b) That the DCI discuss this subject with the Psychological Strategy Board. A memorandum to the Director, Psychological Strategy Board, is attached for signature as TAB C. (c) That CIA, with the cooperation of PSB and other interested departments and agencies, develop and recommend for adoption by the NSC a
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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. 7 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.