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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 chairman;Samuel A.Goudsmit, a nuclearphysicist from theBrookhaven NationalLaboratories; LuisAlvarez, a high-energyphysicist;ThorntonPage, thedeputydirector of theJohnsHop kinsOperationsResearchOffice and anexpert on radar andelectronics; and LloydBerkner, adirector ofthe BrookhavenNationalLaboratories and aspecialist ingeophysics.3 Thecharge to thepanel was toreview theavailableevidence onUFOs and toconsider thepossibledangers of the phenomena to USnationalsecurity. The panel metfrom 14 to 17January 1953. Itreviewed AirForce data on UFO casehistories and, afterspend ing 12 hoursstudying the phenomena,declared thatreasonable explanationscould besuggested for most, if not all,sightings. Forexam ple, afterreviewingmotion-picture film taken of aUFOsighting near Tremonton, Utah, on 2 July 1952 and one nearGreat Falls,Montana, on 15August 1950, thepanel con cluded that theimages on the Tremonton filmwerecaused by sun lightreflecting offseagulls and that theimages atGreat Fallswere sun lightreflecting off thesurface of two AirForceinterceptors.3 Thepanelconcludedunanimously thatthere was noevidence of adirect threat tonationalsecurity in the UFO sightings. Norcould thepanel find anyevidence that theobjectssighted might beextraterrestrials. It did find thatcontinuedemphasis on UFO reportingmightthreaten theorderly functioning of thegovernment by clogging thechannels ofcommunica tion withirrelevantreports and by inducing hysterical massbehavior harmful toconstitutedauthority. The panel alsoworried thatpotential enemiescontemplating anattack on theUnitedStatesmightexploit the UFOphenomena and use them to dis rupt US airdefenses.32 To meet theseproblems, thepanel rec ommended that theNationalSecurity CouncildebunkUFOreports and institute apolicy ofpubliceducation toreassure thepublic of the lack of evidencebehindUFOs. Itsuggested using the massmedia,advertising, businessclubs,schools, and even the Disneycorporation to get themessage across.Reporting at theheight of McCarthyism, the panel alsorecom mended that suchprivate UFO groups as theCivilianFlyingSaucer Investigators in LosAngeles and the AerialPhenomenaResearchOrganiza tion inWisconsin bemonitored for subversiveactivities.33 TheRobertsonpanel sconclusions werestrikinglysimilar to those of the earlier AirForceprojectreports on SIGN andGRUDGE and to those of theCIA s own OSIStudyGroup. All investigativegroupsfound that UFO reportsindicated nodirectthreat to nationalsecurity and noevidence of visits byextraterrestrials. Following theRobertsonpanel find ings, theAgencyabandonedefforts to draft anNSCID onUFOs.34 The Sci entificAdvisoryPanel onUFOs (the Robertsonpanel)submitted itsreport to the lAG, theSecretary ofDefense, theDirector of theFederal Civil DefenseAdministration, and the Chairman of theNationalSecurity ResourcesBoard. CIAofficials said nofurtherconsideration of the sub ectappearedwarranted,although theycontinued tomonitorsightings in theinterest ofnationalsecurity. PhilipStrong and FredDurant from OSI alsobriefed theOffice of NationalEstimates on thefindings. ~ CIAofficialswantedknowledge of anyAgencyinterest in thesubject of flyingsaucerscarefullyrestricted, not ing not only that theRobertson panel report wasclassified but also that any mention ofCIAsponsorship of the panel wasforbidden. Thisattitude would latercause theAgencymajor problemsrelating to itscredibility. 36 The1950s:Fading CIAInterest in UFOs After thereport of theRobertson panel,Agencyofficials put theentire issue ofUFOs on the backburner. In May 1953,Chadwelltransferred chief responsibility forkeepingabreast of UFOs toOSI sPhysics andElectronic Division,while theAppliedScience Divisioncontinued toprovide any nec essarysupport.37 Todos M.Odarenko, chief of thePhysics andElectronics Division, did notwant to take on the problem,contending that itwould require too much of hisdivision s ana lytic andclerical time. Given the findings oftheRobertsonpanel, he proposed toconsider theproject inac tive and todevote only oneanalyst part-time and a file clerk tomaintain a reference file of theactivities of the Air Force andotheragencies onUFOs. Neither theNavy nor theArmy showedmuchinterest inUFOs, according toOdarenko.38 Anonbeliever inUFOs,Odarenko sought to have hisdivisionrelieved of theresponsibility formonitoringUFO reports. In 1955, forexample, he rec ommended that theentireproject be terminatedbecause no newinforma tionconcerningUFOs hadsurfaced. Besides, heargued, hisdivision was fac ing aseriousbudgetreduction and could notspare theresources.39 Chad well andotherAgencyofficials, however,continued toworryabout UFOs. Ofspecialconcern were over seasreports ofUFOsightings and 72
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