Documents / Official release
This July 18, 1963 memorandum from Maxwell W. Hunter II of the National Aeronautics and Space Council staff, Executive Office of the President, went to Robert F. Packard of the State Department's Office of International Scientific Affairs. Titled "Thoughts on the Space Alien Race Question," it considers policy if an alien intelligence were discovered. It notes that flying saucer advocates exist but sides with scientists that contact is unlikely. It concludes that any alien race's level of space flight should be determined quickly, since that would drastically affect policy.
From the source: Release of 2026-05-08 Incident: 7/18/63, N/A. NARA Record Group 59, catalogue id 214434. This memorandum, dated July 18, 1963, from the Executive Office of the President, National Aeronautics and Space Council, relates to thoughts on the space alien race question. Included are details relating to plans if alien intelligence is discovered, expanding scientific knowledge, the possibility of life on Mars, and diplomatic policy.
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EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDEN T
NATION AL AERO N A UT I C S and SP A CE
WASIDNGTON
MEMORANDUM FOR
18, 1963
Mr. Robert F . Packard
Office of International Scientific Affairs
Department of State
WashiY'2~/
SUBJECT: Thoughts on the Space Alien Race Question
-----During recent discussions the question has occasionally, though
rarely, arisen that perhaps we should consider the policy question
of what to do if an alien intelligence is discovered in space. Some
discussion of this occurred, as you will recall, during deliberations
on BNSP Task I. This memo contains some miscellaneous thoughts
on the question.
The consensus of scientific view says, with quite good reasons, that
the p~ssib.lity of running across an alien intelligent race in our solar
system • s negligible. This is due primarily to the presumed unsuit-
abili of conditions upon other planets to support life as we know it.
The..!.!Ying saucer advocates claim, of course, that the scientific
viewpoint ~sense, and that there is overwhelming evidence of
such beings. In my own mind, I find it difficult to side with the flying
saucer advocates, but the almost total impossibility envisioned by
most scientists also is disturbing. Therefore, I present t h e problem
in current perspective, as I see it.
Up until a few decades ago it seemed very improbable that intelligent
life existed anywhere outside of the solar system. The chief reasons
for this were a combination of scientific theory, scientific knowledge,
and religious belief. The most widely accepted scientific theory as
to the formation of the solar planetary system held that it was a re-
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Official release, from the pursue collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. 6 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.