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CIA's Role in the Study of UFOs, 1947-90

CIA (Gerald Haines) · 1997 · 18 pages · text from the file's own layer

This 1997 study by Gerald K. Haines, National Reconnaissance Office historian, traces CIA interest in UFOs from the late 1940s to 1990 using Agency records compiled after DCI R. James Woolsey ordered a 1993 file review. It covers Air Force projects SIGN, GRUDGE and BLUE BOOK, the 1953 Robertson panel, U-2 and OXCART flights mistaken for UFOs, and disputes with Keyhoe and Davidson. It concludes that Agency concern was substantial until the early 1950s and limited and peripheral since.

UFOs
10February 1953;Chadwell, letter to
Robertson, 28January 1953; and
Reber,memorandum for JAG, Uni
dentifiedFlyingObjects, 18
February 1953. Onbriefing the
ONE, seeDurant,memorandum for
therecord, Briefing ofONEBoard
onUnidentifiedFlyingObjects, 30
January 1953 and CIASummary dis
seminated to the field, Unidentified
FlyingObjects, 6February 1953.
36. SeeChadwell, letter toJulius A. Strat
ton,ProvostMIT, 27January 1953.
37. SeeChadwell,memorandum for
Chief,Physics andElectronics Divi
sion/OSI(Todos M.Odarenko),
UnidentifiedFlyingObjects, 27
May 1953.
38. SeeOdarenko,memorandum to
Chadwell, UnidentifiedFlying
Objects, 3 July 1953. See also
Odarenko,memorandum toChad-
well, CurrentStatus ofUnidentified
FlyingObjects(UFOB)Project, 17
December 1953.
39. SeeOdarenko,memorandum, Uni
dentifiedFlyingObjects, 8August
1955.
40. SeeFBIS,report, MilitaryUnconven
tionalAircraft, 18August 1953 and
variousreports, Military-Air,Uncon
ventionalAircraft, 1953, 1954, 1955.
41.Developed by theCanadianaffiliate
ofBritain s A. V. Roe, Ltd.,Project Y
didproduce asmall-scalemodel that
hovered a few feet off theground. See
Odarenko,memorandum toChad
we!!, FlyingSaucerType ofPlanes
25 May 1954;Frederic C. E. Oder,
memorandum toOdarenko, USAF
ProjectY, 21 May 1954; and
Odarenko, T. M.Nordbeck,Ops/SI,
andSidneyGraybeal,ASD/SI,memo
randum for therecord, Intelligence
Responsibilities forNon-Conven
tionalTypes ofAirVehicles, 14June
1954.
42. SeeReubenEfron,memorandum,
Observation ofFlyingObjectNear
Baku, 13October 1955;Scoville,
memorandum for therecord, Inter
viewwithSenatorRichard B.Russell,
27October 1955; andWilton E.
Lexow,memorandum forinformation,
ReportedSighting ofUnconventional
Aircraft, 19October 1955.
43. SeeLexow,memorandum forinforma
tion, ReportedSighting of
UnconventionalAircraft, 19October
1955. See alsoFrank C.Bolser,mem
orandum forGeorge C.Miller,
DeputyChief,SAD/SI, Possible
SovietFlyingSaucers,CheckOn;
Lexow,memorandum, Possible
SovietFlyingSaucers,Follow Up
On, 17December 1954;Lexow,
memorandum, PossibleSovietFlying
Saucers, 1December 1954; and A.
H.Sullivan, Jr.,memorandum, Possi
bleSovietFlyingSaucers, 24
November 1954.
44. SeeGregory W.Pedlow andDonald
E.Welzenbach, TheCentralIntelli
genceAgency andOverhead
Reconnaissance. The U-2 and
OXCARTPrograms,1954-1974
(Washington, DC: CIAHistoryStaff,
1992), pp.72-73.
45. SeePedlow andWelzenbach, Over
headReconnaissance, pp.72-73. This
also wasconfirmed in atelephone
interviewbetween theauthor and
JohnParongosky, 26 July 1994.
Parongoskyoversaw theday-to-day
affairs of theOXCARTprogram.
46. SeeJacobs, The UFOControversy,
p. 135.
47. SeePeebles, Watch theSkies, pp. 128-
146;Ruppelt, TheReport onUnidenti
fiedFlyingObjects(NewYork:
Doubleday, 1956);Keyhoe, The Fly
ingSaucerConspiracy(NewYork:
Holt, 1955); andJacobs, The UFO
Controversy, pp.347-49.
48. SeeStrong, letter toLloyd W.Berkner;
Strong, letter toThorton Page;Strong,
letter toRobertson;Strong, letter to
SamuelGoudsmit;Strong, letter to
LuisAlvarez, 20December 1957; and
Strong,memorandum forMajorJames
F.Byrne,AssistantChief ofStaff, Intel
ligenceDepartment ofthe AirForce,
Declassification ofthe Report ofthe
ScientificPanel onUnidentifiedFlying
Objects, 20December 1957. See
alsoBerkner, letter toStrong, 20
November 1957 and Page, letter to
Strong, 4December 1957. Thepanel
members were alsoreluctant to have
theirassociationwith theAgency
released.
49. SeeWilton E.Lexow,memorandum
for therecord, Comments onLetters
DealingwithUnidentifiedFlying
Objects, 4April 1958; J. S.Earman,
letter toMajorLawrence J.Tacker,
Office of theSecretary of the Air
Force,InformationService, 4April
1958;Davidson, letter toBerkner, 8
April 1958;Berkner, letter toDavid
son, 18 April 1958;Berkner, letter to
Strong, 21 April 1958;Davidson, let
ter toTacker, 27April 1958;
Davidson, letter toAllenDulles, 27
April 1958;Ruppelt, letter toDavid
son, 7 May 1958;Strong, letter to
Berkner, 8 May 1958;Davidson, let
ter toBerkner, 8 May 1958;
Davidson, letter toEarman, 16 May
1958;Davidson, letter toGoudsmit,
18 May 1958;Davidson, letter to
Page, 18 May 1958; andTacker, let
ter toDavidson, 20 May 1958.
50. SeeLexow,memorandum for
Chapin, 28 July 1958.
51. SeeGood,Above TopSecret, pp. 346-
47;Lexow,memorandum for the
record, Meetingwith the Air Force
PersonnelConcerningScientificAdvi
soryPanelReport onUnidentified
FlyingObjects, dated 17January
1953 (S), 16 May 1958. See also La
Rae L. Tee!,DeputyDivisionChief,
ASD,memorandum for therecord,
Meetingwith Mr.Chapin onReply
ing to LeonDavidson s UFOLetter
andSubsequentTelephoneConversa
tion withMajorThacker, sicl 22
May 1958.
52. SeeEdwin M.Ashcraft,Chief,
ContactDivision(Scientific),memo-
81

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