Documents / Hearing transcript

Symposium on unidentified flying objects: hearings before the Committee on Science and Astronautics, U.S. House of Representatives, Ninetieth Congress, second session, July 29, 1968.

U.S. House of Representatives · 1968-07-29 · 256 pages · text from the file's own layer

This is the printed record of a July 29, 1968 symposium on unidentified flying objects held by the Committee on Science and Astronautics of the U.S. House of Representatives, chaired by Rep. J. Edward Roush. The committee heard statements from six scientists: J. Allen Hynek, James E. McDonald, Carl Sagan, Robert L. Hall, James A. Harder and Robert M. L. Baker. It also printed papers from Donald Menzel, Stanton Friedman, Frank Salisbury and others. Hynek argued that puzzling UFO reports from competent witnesses deserve serious scientific study.

  • p. 7 …of advanced technological ma- chinery manned by some kind of intelligence, that is, the extrater- restrial…
  • p. 9 …American Association for the Advancement of Science; Astronomy Society(secretary). Specialty: Astrophysics. Fields of Interest: Stellar…
  • p. 19 …The Air Force has no evidence that UFO's are extra-terrestrial or rep- resent advanced…
  • p. 24 18 (The biography of Dr.McDonald follows:) DR. JAMES E. MCDONAI,D Born: Duluth, Minn., May…
  • p. 29 …from some advanced technology sufficiently advanced to do what we cannot do in the sense of…
  • p. 32 …The possibility that these are extraterrestrial devices, that we are dealing with surveillance from some advanced…
  • p. 40 …THE UNCONVENTIONAL NATURE OF THE UFO PROBLEM To both laymen and scientists, the impressive progress that…
  • p. 48 …At first, they thought it was a jet, whose exhaust was somehow accounting for the advancing…
  • p. 59 …advanced civilization of extraterrestrial origin, the pattern of the observa- tions, the motivation of the surveillance…
  • p. 75 …To ignore most of the salient features of a sighting in order to advance an easy…
  • p. 94 …Now, if we want to assess the likelihood that there are intelligentcivilizations somewhere in advance of…
  • p. 95 …be far in advance of our own,and this,therefore raises the question of how likely…
  • p. 96 …that an advance civilization comes here very rarely. But I again emphasize the great uncertainty in…
  • p. 97 91 So, to conclude what I understand is the main reason why this committee has asked…
  • p. 100 …the possibility of its development by other civilizations. But if each of, say, a million advanced…
  • p. 101 …a race of advanced and benign creatures were devoted to our welfare. The interest in unidentified…
  • p. 111 …The possible value of contact for purposes of advancing our knowledge of our technology. Let's…
  • p. 112 …again the same possible great value from under- standing the phenomenon in order to advance our…
  • p. 116 …We must then concern ourselves with the possible consequences of contact with technologically advanced civilizations whose…
  • p. 117 111 the task. We must also 'be concerned with the risks of panic resulting in people…
  • p. 124 …Gravitation remains one of the enigmas of modern science, although there have been some advances in…
  • p. 125 …This will depend upon advances in many fields of science. Some of the things required will…
  • p. 130 …Gravitation remains one of the enigmas of modern science, although there have been some advances in…
  • p. 132 …Baker's professional society memberships include the American Associa- tion for the Advancement of Science, Phi…
  • p. 140 …There have been many debates on the technical capabilities or limits on the capabilities of advanced…
  • p. 141 135 area of forecasting the social characteristics of an advanced extrater- restrial civilization. Philosophers, social scientists…
  • p. 142 …in the environs of the earth, or to make dubious speculations either concerning "their" advanced scientific…
  • p. 143 …the gross characteristics of an advanced civilization. These studies (probablynot Government funded) should include the social…
  • p. 150 …Applications and Advanced Topics, Academic Press, New York, pp. 112-115 and pp. 376 to 392…
  • p. 153 147 00015 "Recent Advances in Astrodynamics," (with Samuel Herrick), Jet Propul- sion, 28, No. 10, 1958…
  • p. 154 …00040 "State-of-the-Art-1960 Astrodynamics,"Astronautics, 5, No. 11, 30, 1960. 00041 "Novel Orbit…
  • p. 157 …Makemson) 00071 Astrodynamics - Applications and Advanced Topics, Academic Press, New York, 1967. 00072 "Recent Advances in…
  • p. 171 …In the past five years, he has advanced from assistant bookkeeper to teller to head teller…
  • p. 174 …He has no desire to advance any further up the bank totem pole, says he never…
  • p. 189 …advanced radar systems air being de- vekii2ed for our missile defense systems, such as the ALTAR…
  • p. 190 …of the Earth or to make very dubious speculations 191, t101 either concerning "their" advanced scientific…
  • p. 203 …The primary attribute of an advanced intelligent civilization is its ability to create its own environment…
  • p. 204 …Menzel became acting Director of Harvard College Observatory and, in 1954, was advanced to the Directorship…
  • p. 207 …approach it or advances as you move away. As we look over the Air Force files…
  • p. 210 …Or at least that is the com- mon argument advanced by UFO buffs. Radar is cursed…
  • p. 212 …Life Member of American Association for the Advancement of Science. Professional Organizational Activities: State delegate to…
  • p. 217 …our level of advancement? As noted in the Special Report of the USAF Scientific Advisory Board…
  • p. 219 …Friedman has a relatively unique background in advanced technology, hav- ing been actively involved in the…
  • p. 222 …the existence of advanced civilizations. We frequently forget that the resolution of present photographs of the…
  • p. 223 …36, 37) and the American Association for the Advancement of Science is planning a UFO seminar…
  • p. 224 …reason, would not examine the data relevant to UFOs or advanced technology. Marcowitz was totally wrong…
  • p. 225 …reason, would not examine the data relevant to UFOs or advanced technology. Marcowitz was totally wrong…
  • p. 226 …B., "The Phenomenological Aspects of Magnetogasdynamic Re-entry." Presented at the 10th Midwestern Mechanics Conference, Colorado…
  • p. 227 …not alone in the Universe and surely some civilizations are more advanced than ours, but interstellar…
  • p. 233 …possible sites in advance, we could simply move in to recover the desired information after an…
  • p. 234 …The effectiveness of the proposed procedure would depend very heavily upon the amount of thought, care…
  • p. 237 …listed in advance on a 'standardized rating sheet. However this part of the experiment will not…
AFTERNOON
SESSION
Mr.
Rou
-
sx.
The
committee
will
be
in
order.
This
afternoon
we
are
going
to
hear
first
from Dr.
Robert
L.
Hall.
Dr.
Hall
is
professor
and
head
of
the
Department
of
Sociology at
theUniversity
of
Illinois,
and
has
been
since
1965.
He
too
has
a
distinguished
career.
Dr.
Hall,
we
are
glad
to
welcome
you
as
a
participant
in
this
symposium, and
you
may
proceed.
(The
biography
of
Dr.
Hall
is
as follows:)
DR.
ROBERT
L.
HALL
Born
February
25, 1924,
at
Atlanta, Georgia.
Married;
3
children.
EDUCATION
Yale
University,
1941-42.
B.A.
1947.
University
of
Stockholm,
Sweden,
1947-48.University
of Minnesota,
1949-52.
M.A.,
1950.
Ph.D.,
1953.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
1.
Instructor,
Extension
Division,
University
of
Stockholm,
Sweden,
1948.2.
Research
Assistant,
University of
Minnesota,
1950-52.
3.
Social
Psychologist in
the Air
Force
Personnel
&
Training
Research
Center,
1952-1957.
Engaged
in
research
on
performance
of
bomber
crews, the
role
of the
aircraft
commander, and
processes
of
evaluation
of small teams.
4. Assistant Professor
(1957-1960)
and
Associate
Professor
(1960-62) of
Soci-
ology.
Teaching
social
psychology,
especially
the
processes
of
mass
communication
and
opinion
change. Conducting
research
on
social
psychological
aspects of higher
education
and
effects
of
social
interaction
on
the learning
process.
5.
Program
Director
for
Sociology
and
Social
Psychology, National
Science
Foundation,
1962-1965.
Administered
a
program
of
research
grants
and
related
activities
to
strengthen Sociology
and
Social
Psychology
in
universities
in
the
United
States
and
to
bolster
understanding
in these
fields
through
basic
research.
6. Associate Professor of Sociology
and
Psychology (1965-66)
and
Professor
of
Sociology
and
Head
of the
Department
of
Sociolgy
(
since
1966),
University
of
Illinois
at Chicago
Circle.
PUBLICATIONS
A
number
of
articles
in
Sociological
and
Psychological journals
and
chaptersin professional
books.
A
few
selected publications
are
listed
below:
Social influence
on
the
Aircraft
Commander's
role,
"American
Sociological
Review"
1955, 20,292-299.Military Sociology,
1945-1955.
"Chapter
in Sociology in
the United
States
of
America,"
ed.
by
Hans
Zetterberg,
Paris:
UNESCO,
1966.
Group
performance under feedback that confounds
responses of
group
mem-
bers.
"Sociometry," 1957, 20, 297-305.
The
informal
control
of everyday
behavior.
Chapter
in "Controlling
Human
Behavior," ed.
by
Roy
Francis, Social Science
Research
Center, University
of
Minnesota;
1959.
Two
alternative learning in interdependent dyads. Chapter
12
in
"Mathematical
Methods
in
Small Group
Processes," ed.
by Joan
Criswell,
H.
Solomon,
and
P.
Suppes, Stanford Univ. Press: 1962.
The
educational influence
of dormitory roommates."Sociometry," 1963, 26,
294-
318
(
with
Ben
Willerman)
.
The
effects
of
different social
feedback conditions
upon performance in dyadic
teams. Chapter in
"Communication and
Culture," ed.
by A. G. Smith, 1966,
353-364.
(99)

Cases discussed

About this file

Hearing transcript, from the govinfo collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. 256 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.