Documents / FOIA release
This Central Intelligence Agency memorandum, dated 6 February 1953 and titled Unidentified Flying Objects, passes a summary to the field as research information. It restates the conclusions of a panel of scientific consultants: the objects show no sign of a direct physical threat to national security. The panel adds that continued emphasis on reports could clog communications and hide real hostile action. It recommends removing the objects' special status and aura of mystery, and setting up training and public education programs.
Read from the scan by GLM-OCR; expect the odd misread word.
Bureau Clerks Chief, FeIS Unidentified Flying Objects The following summary is being discominated to the field as a matter of research information and interest: 1. The following conclusions are presented by a panel of Scientific Consultants called upon to evaluate any possible threat to the national security posed by Unidentified Flying Objects (flying creatures): a. Evidence presented on Unidentified Flying Objects shows no indication that they constitute a direct physical threat to the national security, nor is there evidence that the phenomena indicate a need for the revision of current scientific concepts. b. Continued emphasis on the reporting of this phenomenon constitute a threat to the orderly functioning of the protective organized nation. Examples of communications are cloaked by irrelevant reports; continued false claims lead to the ignoring of real indications of hostile actions; creation of a morbid national psychology in which skillful hostile propaganda could incite historical behavior and harmful clout of duly constituted authority. 2. To minimize the conciliant dangers above and to strengthen national inclination so that true indications of hostile actions may be recognized and appropriately handled the Panel recommends: a. That the national security agencies take immediate steps to strip the Objects of the special status they have been given and the aura of mystery they have acquired. b. That the national security agencies institute policies on intelligence, training and public education designed to prepare the material defenses and the morale of the country to recognize promptly and react effectively to true indications of hostile intent or action. 6. That an integrated program be designed to reassure the public of the total lack of evidence of hostile forces behind the phenomena, to train personnel to recognize and
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.