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This declassified CIA memorandum, dated 16 February 1953, reports on the Office of Scientific Intelligence Scientific Advisory Panel on Unidentified Flying Objects, which met January 14 to 18, 1953. It gives a session-by-session history of the meetings, along with panel comments left out of the formal report, including a critique of the Navy's analysis of the Tremonton film. The appended panel report, signed by chairman H. P. Robertson and others, found no direct threat to national security. It recommended stripping UFOs of their special status and starting a public education and debunking program.
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Security Information of the sky is now--and has been for many years--under surveillance every clear night in several meteor and aurora observing programs as well as sky mapping programs at the various locations listed below. Although the attention of those astronomers is largely directed toward identified rather than unidentified objects, no case of any striking unidentified object is known to or Dr. Hynek. Such an object would most certainly be reported if found on patrol plates. A case was cited where an astronomer refused to interrupt his exposure in order to photograph an alleged sighting in a different part of the sky. This led Dr. Hynek to say that, if a program of watching could be an adjunct of planned astronomical programs, little cost would be involved and that the trained astronomical personnel might photograph a sighting of an unidentified object. a. Harvard University, Cambridge and New Mexico (meteor patrol) - Whipple. b. Yerkes Observatory, University of Chicago and Fort Davis, Texas (several programs)--Meinel (aurorae), Kuiper (asteroids), Morgan (wide angle camera). The location of some of these programs and their directors are believed to be: c. University of Alaska, Fairbanks (aurorae) - Elvey d. Dominion Observatory, Ottawa (meteors) - Millman e. Palomar Observatory, California (sky map) - Minkowski f. Lick Observatory, California (sky map) - Shane SECRET Security Information
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