Documents / Report
This Central Intelligence Agency file gathers the 1953 Report of the Scientific Panel on Unidentified Flying Objects, dated January 17, 1953, and the papers that went with it. The panel was chaired by H. P. Robertson. It found no evidence that the phenomena were a direct threat to national security. It recommended stripping UFOs of their special status and aura of mystery and starting a public education program. The file also holds F. C. Durant's account of the meetings, 1952 CIA memos proposing research, and transmittal letters.
From the source:Release of 2026-06-12 This file contains correspondence and reports dated 1952–1953 from the Scientific Advisory Panel on Unidentified Flying Objects, convened by the CIA’s Office of Scientific Intelligence. The panel’s primary conclusion was that “flying saucers” did not pose a direct physical threat to the national security of the United States. The panel found no evidence that these phenomena were attributable to hostile foreign artifacts or indicated a need to revise existing scientific concepts. However, the panel identified a significant indirect threat stemming from the public’s fascination with the subject. The panel concluded that the high volume of reports, encouraged by a "sensationalist press," could overwhelm and clog vital intelligence and communication channels, potentially distracting from genuine threats. Furthermore, they warned that a “morbid national psychology” could be exploited by adversaries to incite “hysterical behavior and harmful distrust of duly constituted authority.” To mitigate these risks, the panel recommended an official policy of “debunking” to “strip the UFO subject of its mystery,” alongside a training initiative for military personnel to better recognize and filter out misidentified objects, thereby reducing communication “noise” and allowing the national security apparatus to focus on more "legitimate defense concerns."
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RESEARCH ANO 0£VfWPMfNT BOARD
WASHINGTON 25, 0. C .
4 IJovEl!lber l.952
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SO'BJEDT 1 ?adar Phantoms if
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1.. At our conference hero t.he othsr dq moth Ur. Decker., Iifr.Clark:
ar:d General. Slmf'ord• it 'aa8 agreed tllllt '1f8 "\'10lil.d evaluat.o the radar
phantoms i'rom tho viowpoint or the aeriOUBness of the problem to tbs
r Jefense CC'Ql'l3Xd.
2. Inquiries made to tho appropriate sectious of the Air Starr did
not disclose attr undue concern ovor the phantoms. I beliovo that this
is because in war and in pe~ce the problem of j.dontif'ying the wst number
of aircra.rt tracks seen by tho Mr Defense radars is a con.fu.-;ing !actor
or nucb groator magnitude. Bo'1ever., to ma.l{o aure that 'l7e are not ovel"-:
lookine aa;y important considerations, tho JJ.r Force has asked the
Mr fense c~ to study this PfOblcm and make roocmnondat1.ans.
3. ['hi£, then, iu an interim report to you, because it ma7 be
saveral. 11eeka beforo the ansTror arrives fr<S tbo M.r Defense -Colm:Ja.rJ1.
4 . Natural.17 there 1o general. concern tibout the radar phantom am
tho J.areer problem of the fl¥-i.ng saucers becaw:Je \'l8 are unable to
expbin a sizeable percentage of tbe reports. Bcuevor, the concensua
seems to :be that a great doal. 0£ n.ctivity Dnd utudy is going on in this
field whi.ch r.ill do much to ~ the sitw:rt:lon. Tho subject of
miomalous rad4r propQgation ms !bean mrior study tor same t1mG and will
continue with appropriate aqpbasis. ?he Air Technical. IntelJ.ieence
CG:nter, mu:ch anal.yzes "saucer" reports• uill ecipbasize tba radar con
tusion aspect. It is also ey i"oeling that, Tlhereas tomerly this nas
a subject uhich sc1entll'ic men did not :wish to beocme involved in, it is
noo becoming "respectable" to :JtudT the UJ.bject am to discuss it publicly.
If this treni continues and our nstronomers am other scientists do t;um
their talents to tho proble1:l., I am sure that tho nrumcrs m.ll be
expedited.
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AI.FRID R. mxrmLL
Brig. General., USAF
Jd:r Force Secre~ Report, from the pursue collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. 42 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.