Re: Declaration in Bryant V CIA

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accounted for. The other 10 percent
were characterized as “a number of
incredible reports from credible
observers." The Air Force rejected
the thcoria that the sightings
involved US or Soviet secret weapons
development or that they involved
“men from Mars"; there was no evi-
dence to support these concepts.
The Air Force briefers sought to
explain these UFO reports as the mis-
interpretation ofltnown objects or
little understood natural
phenomena." Air Force and CIA
ofiicials agreed that outside knowl-
edge of Agency interest in UFOs
would make the problem more
serious.” This concealment of CIA
interest contributed greatly to later
charges of a CIA conspiracy and
covetup.
The CIA Study Group also searched
the Soviet press for UFO reports. but
found none, causing the group to
conclude that the absence of reports *
had to have been the result of deliber-
are Soviet Government policy. The
group also envisioned the USSR's
possible use of UFOs as a psychologi-
cal warfare tool. In addition, they
worried that, if the US air warning
system should be deliberately over-
loaded by UFO sightings, the Soviets
might gain a surprise advantage in
any nuclear attack.“
Because of the tense Cold War situa-
tion and increased Soviet
capabilities, the CIA Study Group
saw serious national security con-
Ccms in the flying saucer situation.
The group believed that the Soviets
could use UFO reports to touch off
mass hysteria and panic in the
United States. The group also
believed that the Soviets might use
I-{P0 sightings to overload the US
air warning system so that it could
not distinguish real targets from
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Because of the tense Cold
War situation and
increased Soviet
capabilities, the CIA Study
Group saw serious national
security concerns in the
flying saucer situation.
99
phantom UFOs. H. Marshall Chad-
well, Assistant Director of OSI,
added that he considered the prob-
lern of such importance “that it
should be brought to the attention of
the National Security Council, in
order that a communitywide coordi-
nated effort towards it solution may
be init.iated.”“
Chadwcll briefed DCI Smith on the
subject of UFOs in December 1952.
He urged action because he was eon-
vinced that “something was going on
that must have immediate attention"
and that ‘sightings ofunexplained
objects at great altitudes and travel-
ing at high speeds in the vicinity of
major U5 defense installations are of
such nature that they are not attribut-
able to natural phenomena or known
types of aerial vehicles." He drafted
a memorandum from the DCI to the
National Security Council (NSC)
and a proposed NSC Directive estab-
lishing the investigation of UPOs'as
a priority project throughout the
intelligence and the defense research
and development community. 1’
Chadwell also urged Smith to estab-
lish an external research project of
top-level scientists to study the prob-
lem ofUFCs.“ After thisbriefing,
Smith directed DDI Amory to pre-
pare a NSC intelligence Directive
(NSCID) for submission to the NSC
on the need to continue the investiga-
tion__of UFO: and to coordinate such
Air Force.”
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UFOs
The Robertson Panel, 1952-S3
On 4 December 1952, the Intelli-
gence Advisory Committee (IAC)
nook up the issue of UFOs." Amory,
as acting cha.irtna.n,' presented DCI
Smith's request to the committee
that it informally discuss the subject
of UFOs. Chadwell then briefly
reviewed the situation and the active
program of the ATIC relating to
UFOs. The committee agreed that
the DCI should “enlist the services ’
of selected scientists to review and
appraise the available evidence in the
lig t of pertinent scientific theories"
and draft an NSCID on the
subject.” Maj. Gen. john A. Sam-
iord, Director of Air Force
Intelligence, offered hill
cooperation." .
At the same time, Chadwell looked
into British efforts in this area. He
learned the British also were active in
studying the UFO phenomena. /}n
eminent British scientist, R. V. Jones,-
headed a standing committee created
in june I951 on flying saucers.
]ones' and his committee's conclu-
sions on UFO: were similar to those
of Agency oliicials: the sightings
were not enemy aircraft but misrepre-
sentations of natural phenomena.
The British noted, however, that dur- _
ing a recent air show RAF pilots and
senior military officials had observed
a “perfect flying saucer.” Given the
press response, according to the
ofiicer, lones was having a n1ost'diffi-
cult time trying to correct public
opinion regarding UFOs. The public
was convinced they were real.”
In lanuary l953._Chadwell and H. P.
Robertson, a ‘noted physicist from the
California lnsti tute of Technology.
put together a distinguished panel of
riiiinrnilitary scientists to study the
It included Robertson as
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