Documents / FOIA release
This CIA file holds a UPI news article datelined Tucson, Arizona, October 8, and carries a 2004 date. It reports that James McDonald, a senior physicist at the University of Arizona's Institute of Atmospheric Physics, believes some UFOs come from outside the atmosphere and are controlled by thinking beings. McDonald rejects Air Force explanations such as swamp gas and ball lightning and calls its investigation method a scientific scandal. The article also notes the Air Force commissioned a Colorado University flying saucer study.
“University of Colorado”1 page
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# PHYSICIST RAPS EXPLANATIONS # Air Force Probe of UFOs Called 'Scientific Scandal' TUCSON, Ariz., Oct. 8 (UPD) A University of Arizona physicist says he believes some unidentified flying objects come from outside the earth's atmosphere and are "operated or controlled in some way by thinking beings." James McDonald, senior physicist at the Institute of Atmospheric Physics, criticized Air Force explanations of the UFO sightings. He said the most common explanation is that they result from two natural phenomena swamp gas and ball lighting. "Several cases I have investigated, atmospheric conditions were not such as to allow either of these to occur," he said. Dr. McDonald also said the Air Force method of investigation "is a scientific scandal." He said none of the investigators had training in astronomy, physics, or related sciences. He said he has "absolutely no idea where the objects come from, or how they are operated," but "after 10 years of research I know they are something outside of our atmosphere." Dr. McDonald said they seem but he said he did not know to be "extra-terrestrial probes" their purpose or origin "and I won't speculate on the matter." ## 'Saucer' Study The Air Force has commissioned Colorado University to conduct an "in-depth" study of flying saucers for the next 10 months. The project apparently is the outgrowth of continuing public mistrust of Air Force investigations of thousands of unidentified flying objects (UFOS) which some citizens believe may be visitors from other planets.
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. 1 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.