Documents / FOIA release

The National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena (Nicap)

Central Intelligence Agency · 2001-03-12 · 186 pages · text by GLM-OCR

This is a copy of "The UFO Evidence," a report published in May 1964 by the National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena (NICAP) in Washington, D.C. and edited by Richard H. Hall. The CIA released its copy in 2001. The report draws 746 sightings from more than 5,000 signed reports and argues that unexplained UFOs are real, artificial objects under intelligent control. It criticizes Air Force secrecy and calls for a Congressional inquiry into Project Blue Book and a larger scientific investigation.

  • p. 2 …Robert Emerson, USAR; Research Chemist, Emerson Testing Laboratory, Baton Rouge, La. Member American Chemical Society Speaker…
  • p. 7 …Allen Hynek (Chief scientific consultant to the Air Force on UFOs) said: "...there are more reports…
  • p. 8 …These UFOs have proved to be a consistent phenomenon, with significant new reports made each year…
  • p. 123 …One UFO was roughly semi-circular, appearing like a disc on edge, the other circular. Dr…
  • p. 129 …Norris, an attorney in Melbourne, heads the Victorian Flying Saucer Research Society, which publishes "Flying Saucer…

Read from the scan by GLM-OCR; expect the odd misread word.

Approved For Release 2001/04/02 : CIA-RDP81R00560R000100010001-0

Date & Location	Time	Number and Description	Maneuvers	Observer Rating
8-23-56	New Orleans, La.	8:35 p.m.	(1) orange light source, green flashes	Steady course, sudden reversal, violent zig-zagging...	B
11-5-57	Haverhill, Mass.	4:30 p.m.	(1) disc	Hovered, vibrated up & down, side to side [Section VII.]	A
1-10-58	New Orleans, La.	8:20 p.m.	(1) orange light source	Zig-zagged across lake at high speed.	C
4-11-58	S. Africa	night	(1) white light source, bright red when hovering	Moved back & forth in steady 30° arc, occasionally hovered. (cf., 7-1-52; Wash., D.C.)	B
4-14-58	Hot Springs, Ark	1:00 p.m.	(1) silver cigar, divided into parts	Hovered 2 minutes, split into 2 parts which moved jerkily in opposite directions at high speed came back together several times, then 3 parts...	B
4-16-58	Lincoln, Nebraska	4:00 to 6:30 a.m.	(9) round light sources, 1 large	Moved back & forth, up & down, as group moved E to W	C
6-4-58	Sarasota, Florida	8:50 p.m.	(1) white oval	High speed zig-zag path, S to N	B
8-3-58	Ontario, Canada	1:15 a.m.	(1) star-like light source	High speed W to E, zig-zagged several directions, then continued E.	C
8-9-58	Detroit, Mich	8:15 to 12:00 p.m.	(1) light source	bobbed and circled erratically, sometimes at high speed	B
5-17-59	New Orleans, La.	9:35 p.m.	(1) oblate, blue-white	Zig-zagged across sky, N to S	B
8-10-59	Wayne, Penna.	7:30 p.m.	(1) disc with dome	High speed with "quick & jerky" motions, generally moved in one direction	C
11-8-59	Ellensburg, Wash.	12:30 to 1:45 a.m.	(1) oval, pulsating,	Hovered, floated few lengths (repeatedly)...sharp turns	C
8-13-60	Red Bluff, Calif.	11:45 p.m.	(2) red elliptical, emitting red beam	Hovered, sharp reversal of direction, erratic maneuvers [Section VII.]	B
1-10-61	Benjamin, Texas	night	(1) light source	Zig-zag flight, appeared to land (observed from airplane) [Section V.]	B
2-28-61	Nr Lakeville, Mass.	3:20 a.m.	(1) yellow, elongated, dark red edge, black smoke	"Rolled back & forth" bobbed around, while moving in one general direction	C
7-1-61	Sacramento, Calif.	night	(1) star-like light source, pulsating	Spun, zig-zagged & stopped, moved back and forth	C
7-24-61	Ilha Grande, Brazil	night	(1) brightly luminous object	"...made angular turns...moved up & down, back & forth, in all directions..." [Section X.]	A
7-7-62	Dorchester, Mass.	10:30-11:00 p.m.	(1) yellow ellipse	Dropped, hovered, moved, hovered, rose...	C

## Zigzagging UFOs

Another pattern is of UFOs zigzagging across the sky, usually in constant motion rather than hovering in one general area. Twelve cases (30 per cent).

## Maneuvering UFOs

Most of the remaining cases involve motions which can only be described as "maneuvering." These include UFOs which circled, darted here and there, climbed, dove, and reversed course.

## D. Concentrations with Time

The word "flap" has been applied to one feature of UFO activity: periodical surges of sightings with attendant publicity. "Flap" originally was a military slang word indicating a high degree of excitement and confusion, such as might result from

the unannounced visit of a V.I.P. to a military base. Its adaptation to similar reactions related to UFO sightings is very appropriate.

The UFO "flaps" have involved elements of sudden news media attention to UFO sightings concentrated in a short period of time, or relatively small geographical area; resurgence of public interest in UFOs (frequently introducing larger numbers of erroneous reports from inexperienced observers); confusion about the interpretation of these events. Analytically, it is not clear whether so-called "flaps" result from and feed on publicity, or vice versa. Does the occurrence of a "flap" really indicate a sudden increase in UFO sightings? Or does it merely represent occasional attention to something which is going on virtually all the time?

Sometimes there have been concentrations of sightings which were widely publicized. At other times there have been concentrations which received little or no publicity (these shall be termed "concentrations" rather than "flaps" here). It appears that "flaps" are the combined products of concentrated UFO activity plus a sudden outbreak of publicity and more

Cases discussed

About this file

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. 186 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.