Review of the University of Colorado Report on Unidentified Flying Objects by a Panel of the National Academy of Sciences

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-attention in connection with -the iitcrpretation of some 1IFO reports,
buit they are also of fundencintal scienti.fic interest, and they arc
relevant to prpcltical problcm. related to the improvement of safety
of military and civ:ilian flyi,.,. Researl.h efforts are being carriedS" ,4-,tit ii "te•Areas by the Depax-tment of Defense, the Environmental
Science Services Administration, the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration, anid by universities and norprofit reseurch organi-
zations •such as the National Center for Atmospheric Research, whose
work, ls, sponsored by-the National Science Foundation."
The Report also observes (7) that UFO reports and beliefs
are also of interest to "tthe social scientist and the communications
specialist." In these areas particuilarly -- i.e., (6) and (7) --
the study suggests (8) that "scientists with adequa'ze training and
credentials who do come up with a clearly defined,.specific proposal"
0ihoud -be supported, implying that normal. competitive procedures and
assessments ,of prooposals* should be followed here as is customary.
"We concur with these evaluations and recommendations.
IV. PANEL CONCLUSION
The range. of topics in the Report is extensive and its various
chapters., dealing with many aspects of the subject, should prove of
value to scholars in many fields. Its analyses and findings are
pertinent and useful in any fi,,• re assessment of activity in 0.his
field. We concur in the reboyioncltion suggesting that no high
,bi6rity in UMO investigatio:'s is warranted by data of the past
two -decades.
We are unanimous in the opinion that this has been a very
6editable effort to apply oj)jectivelp the relevant techniques of
science to the solution of the UFO problem. The Report recognizes
,iat there remain UFO sightings that are not easily explained. The
Report does suggest, however, so many reasonable and possible directions
in which an explanation may cventually be found, that there seems to
be n6o reason 'to attribute /them to an extraterrestrial source without
evidence that is much more convincing. The Report also shows how
difficult it is to apply scientific methods to the occasional
transient sightings with any chance of success. While further study
of particular aspects of the topic (e.g., atmospheric phenomena)
may be usefu3, a stuidy of UFOs in general is not a promising wayto expand sc~en~tific undeo."standing of the phenomena. On the basis
Of present know.ledge the .eIast likely exp.anation of UPOs is the
hypothesis of extraterrestrial ,vksitatimns by intelligent beings.
-- Gera•d. M. Clemence, chairminn; H. R. Crane, David M. Dennison,
Wallacc 0. Fenn, H. Keffer Hart.linc, E. R. Hilgard, Mark Kac,
Francis W. Relche].derfer., Will:u ,m W. Rubey, C. D. Shane, Oswald G.
Villard, Jr.
Attachments:
- List of-Panel Members
- Letter of Transmittal