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This is the prepared statement James E. McDonald, a senior physicist at the University of Arizona's Institute of Atmospheric Physics, submitted to the House Committee on Science and Astronautics for its July 29, 1968 Symposium on Unidentified Flying Objects. He draws on hundreds of witness interviews and weighs eight hypotheses. His conclusion is that UFOs are probably extraterrestrial surveillance devices. He argues that scientists have wrongly neglected the subject and urges much more scientific investigation and further Congressional hearings.
"Why no contact?" Here, the best answer is merely a cautionary remark that one would certainly be unjustified in extrapolating all human motives and reasons to any other intelligent civilization. It is conceivable that an avoidance of premature contact would be one of the characteristic features of surveillance of a less advanced civilization; other conceivable rationales can be suggested. All are speculative, however; what is urgently needed is a far more vigorous scientific investigation of the full spectrum of UFO phenomena, and the House Committee on Science and Astronautics could perform a very significant service by taking steps aimed in that direction. REFERENCES: • 1. NICAP Special Bulletin, May 1960: Admiral Hillenkoeter was a NICAP Advisory Board member at the time of making the quoted statement. • 2. McDonald, J.E., 1967: Unidentified Flying Objects: Greatest Scientific Problem of our Times, published by UFO Research Institute, Suite 311, 508 Grant Street, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15219. • 3. Keyhoe, D.E., 1950: Flying Saucers Are Real, Fawcett Publications New York, 175 pp. • 4. Keyhoe, D.E., 1953: Flying Saucers From Outer Space, New York, Henry Holt G Co., 276 pp. Keyhoe, D.E., 1955: Flying Saucer Conspiracy, New York, Henry Holt & Co., 315 pp. Keyhoe,D.E., 196O: Flying Saucers Top Secret, New York, G. P. Putnam's Sons, 283 pp. • 5. Ruppelt, E.J., 1956: The Report on Unidentified Flying Objects, Garden City, New York, Doubleday & Co., 243 pp. (Paperback edition, Ace Books, 319 pp.) • 6. Project Grudge, 1949: Unidentified Flying Objects, Report No. 102 AC 49/15-100, Project XS-304, released August, 1949. I am indebted to Dr. Leon Davidson for making available to me his copy of this declassified report. • 7. NICAP, 1968: USAF Projects Grudge and Bluebook Reports 1-12 (1951-1953), declassification date 9 September, 1960. Published by NICAP as a special report, 235 pp. • 8. Bloecher, T., 1967: Report on the UFO Wave of 1947, available through NICAP. • 9. Cruttwell, N.E.G., 1960: Flying Saucers Over Papua, A Report on Papuan Unidentified Flying Objects, 45 pp., reproduced for limited distribution; parts of this report have been reproduced in a number of issues of the APRO Bulletin. • 10. Hall, R.H., 1964: The UFO Evidence, Washington, D. C. , NICAP, 184 pp. • 11. Olsen, P.M., 1966: The Reference for Outstanding UFO Sighting Reports, Riderwood, Maryland, UFO Information Retrieval Center, Inc., P.0. Box 57. • 12. Fuller, J.G., 1966: Incident at Exeter, New York, G.P. Putnam' Sons, 251 pp. (Berkeley Medallion paperback, 221 pp.)
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