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This Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library file holds 1966 press releases and letters on UFOs from House Minority Leader Gerald R. Ford. In March 1966 Ford asked the House Armed Services or Science and Astronautics Committee to hold hearings. He called the Air Force's swamp gas explanation for the Michigan sightings flippant. Later statements say the Air Force had agreed to fund an independent scientific study. An October 7, 1966 release announces that the University of Colorado, under Dr. Edward U. Condon, had been chosen to do it.
Air Force Projeqt Blue Book files, as well as any other UFO information in the possession of the Air Force, will be made available to the team. Additionally, ~11 Air Force installations within the U.S. will assist the team if requesteO.. The investigators will, however .• conduct their resea.rch independently of and without direction from the Air Force. The decision to enter into a research agreement for this work wan based on a recornmend.ation of the Air Force Scientif:lc Advisory Board which completed a. review of the resources, methods and findings of Proj~ct Blue Book earlier this year. While complimenting the Air Force on the organization of Project Blue Book, the Board recommended that the program be expanded to include investigation of selected sightings by independent scientists. Within the Department of Defense, the Air Force has the responsibility of invest;lgating UFO reports. The Air Force has been investigat'1pg such reports since 1948 under its role of air defense of the United states, an~the university's research does not alter Project Blue Book responsibilities of receiving, investigating and evaluating UFO reports. END (DOD Release No. 388-66, May 9, 1966, refers.)
Document, cited by the archive. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. 15 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.