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The National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena (Nicap)

Central Intelligence Agency · 2001-03-12 · 186 pages · text by 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. 7 …the daily press no longer carries such reports, except perhaps as fillers, because monotonously repeated items…
  • p. 11 …This form includes questions asked by the United States Air Force and by other Armed Forces…
  • p. 26 …dozens of Air Force bases in the United States and in foreign locations. Since 1953, however…
  • p. 30 …Force. (Originally reported in Cleveland Press, picked up by United Press International, July 30, 1952). During…
  • p. 34 …United Press; August 1, 1952. 26. From USAF Intelligence Report. (See also Ruppelt, Edward J., op…
  • p. 38 …United Press; January 4, 1954 10. Report on file at NICAP 11. Report on file at…
  • p. 44 …The four Conner Airlines pilots were interviewed by United Press when they landed in Denver, Colorado…
  • p. 46 …United Press reported the incident (newswire copy on file at NICAP): FLYING SAUCER OR A WEATHER…
  • p. 51 …Clark Croft, chief of the CAA Tower staff, stated to the Associated Press July 22 that…
  • p. 53 …United Press; May 23, 1951. 15. Report on file at NICAP. 16. United Press; July 18…
  • p. 77 …United Press International, July 26, 1958 Professional and Business Men 32-39. Reports on file at…
  • p. 93 …A United Press Newspictures photo reportedly taken by Enrique H. Muller is reproduced in "The Coming…
  • p. 94 …The pictures showed a round object, according to press reports, but have not been released to…
  • p. 95 …The picture was printed widely as a United Press telephoto, showing an irregular elongated mass with…
  • p. 107 …La Prensa, 2-1-58; United Press. E-85. Lorenzen, Coral; op. cit., ppg. 143-144…
  • p. 108 …Associated Press, Paris; February 19, 1956. 51. United Press; July 19, 1956. 52. Altus (Okla.) Times…
  • p. 111 …per cent of the sightings. Quoted by United Press; Amarillo, Texas. May 5, 1955: Project Blue…
  • p. 112 …The press release approach is considered censorship by some UFO organizations, because they do not receive…
  • p. 120 …Yates, United Airlines, saw the UFOs turn and head northwest in the vicinity of Akron, three…
  • p. 122 …Activity, Public Interest, and Official Attitudes United States press coverage has sometimes given the impression that…
  • p. 123 …CIA-RDP81R00560R000100010001-0 (Alaska, of course, is now one of the United States, and is covered…
  • p. 124 …Saul Martins later told the press the UFO maneuvered all around the DC-3, pacing it…
  • p. 127 …United Press reported from Belgrade, October 27: "Authorities announced today they were making a 'serious investigation…
  • p. 129 …1959 was reported widely by Associated Press, United Press International and Hawaiian newspapers. NICAP interviewed several…
  • p. 130 …United Press International; April 13, 1959 6. Letter on file at NICAP 7. Letter on file…
  • p. 131 …United Press International; November 7, 1958 52. Associated Press; October 28, 1954 53. Natal Mercury (Durban…
  • p. 134 …here and as far away as Wyoming. (United Press) ## 1952 1952--London, Ont., Canada. Astronomer observed…
  • p. 136 …said today Russia may be scouting the United States and other parts of the world with…
  • p. 159 …publicity) CONCENTRATIONS YEAR PERIOD MAIN LOCATIONS X 1947 June-July Western United States X 1950 First…
  • p. 164 …Air Force called press conference on UFO sightings, attended by more than 40 reporters. Suggested UFOs…
  • p. 165 …Reliable witnesses soberly described plainly observed UFOs, and the press gave their stories very full coverage…
  • p. 173 …United Press; Washington, July 28, 1952 16. United Press; July 29, 1952 17. From Air Force…
  • p. 175 …When pressed on specific details the experts refuse to answer on grounds that they are involved…
Approved For Release 2001/04/02 : CIA-RDP81R00560R000100010001-0

Date	Time	Location	Description
23	---	Culver City, Calif.	Unofficial report of elliptical silvery UFO seen by aircraft workers; launched two small discs which maneuvered, returned on board; parent object climbed straight up out of sight.
	---	Braintree, Mass	UFO tracked on radar, seen by ground observers as blue-green light. F-94 saw and chased UFO, locked on with radar, UFO pulled away and disappeared. [10]
	11:35 p.m.	South Bend, Indiana	Capt. Harold Kloth, USAF, saw two blue-white objects arc over the city.
24	3:40 p.m.	Nr Carson Sink, Nev.	Two USAF Colonels (both Command Pilots) saw three triangular objects in tight V formation; approached their B-25 at one o'clock position, banked past less than 1000 yards away at estimated speed of over 1000 mph. Investigation showed no aircraft, balloons or other devices in area. "Unknown." [11]
26/27	8:00 p.m. after midnight	Washington, D.C.	UFOs tracked by CAA radar, chased by jet interceptors; some visual sightings.
	8:15 p.m.-9:46 p.m. Civilian pilots saw glowing white lights moving at high speed on four occasions:
 Nr Andrews AFB, Md.
Nr Herndon, Va.
Beltsville, Md.
Nr Andrews AFB, Md.	National Airlines pilot,
United Airlines pilot,
CAA inspection aircraft pilot,
CAA inspection aircraft pilot. [12]
	10:25 p.m.	Newcastle, Delaware	Fighters appeared on CAA radarscopes, were vectored on unknowns; one saw four lights ahead of him but could not catch them.
	10:49 p.m.	About 10 miles E of Mt. Vernon, Va.	Same pilot saw "steady white light"; light disappeared in about a minute.

In a special article for International News Service, July 29, CAA Radar Specialist James Ritchey (who tracked the unidentified targets both weekends) said that one of the airline pilots mentioned above got close to a UFO. "He reported to us that he sighted a yellow light that appeared to turn red and then back to yellow again," Ritchey said. "The object appeared to be about two miles away and to be flying parallel with him. Radar confirmed that he was between two and three miles from the object."

The Washington Post (July 28, 1952) reported that long-range radar at Andrews AFB registered the UFOs from about 7:30 p.m. (EST) to about 11:00 p.m. (The CAA report on Washington radar sightings, although it has a column for that purpose, does not mention any Air Force radar sightings on either July 19/20 or July 26/27).

26	night	California	Air Defense Command radar tracked a UFO, F-94C scrambled, locked on with radar, crew saw large yellow-orange light. Ground and airborne radar both showed that when jet would get close, UFO would suddenly accelerate and pull away, then slow down and let jet catch up again. Object"Unknown"[13]
27	10:40 a.m.	Ann Arbor, Mich.	Scientist observed 15 glowing UFOs in formation. [Section VI.]
27	6:35 p.m.	Manhattan Beach, Calif.	Eight people, including aviation engineer, watched maneuvers of seven discs in formations of two and three. [Section VI.]
27	7:30 p.m.	Riverdale, Md.	Air Force Lt. Wales, Andrews AFB, saw dark disc moving slowly NE with"oscillating rolling motion." Clouds were moving SE. UFO entered base of clouds. [CAA Report. See Section VIII; Radar.]
	10:00	Andrews AFB, Maryland	Air Force Major Turlin reported unidentified yellow light which"moved slowly, stopped, flickered, moved in arc." [CAA Report]
27/28	1:00-5:00 a.m.	South Central Indiana	Round UFOs with visible"exhausts" were seen by police, Civil Defense, military personnel and hundreds of citizens in 20 or more counties.
	1:00 a.m.	Shelby County, Indiana	State policemen at opposite ends of county watched a maneuvering starlike object which alternately hovered, moved up and down, back & forth.
	3:00 a.m.	Franklin, Indiana	Civil Defense and police saw one orange and one white light chasing each other as if in a dogfight.
	2:30 a.m.	Nr St. Paul, Minn.	Air Force radar tracked UFOs, which appeared visually to pilots as rapidly moving lights. [14]
28	7:55 a.m.	Geneva, N.Y.	Hovering elliptical UFO sighted. Vapor trails, apparently from interceptors, converged on object, it rose straight into cloud bank.

Cases discussed

About this file

FOIA release, from the cia-readingroom collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is under it. The text was read from the page images by an OCR model; expect the odd misread word. 186 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.