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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 …With the range in mind, then, we have invited six outstanding scientists to address us today…
  • p. 46 …Expert psychological opinion is badly needed in assessing such reports (expert but not close-minded opinion…
  • p. 68 …we scientists are by no means as open-minded and fearlessly independent as we are sometimes…
  • p. 92 …origin which the committee must have in mind. I'm delighted to tell about contemporary scientific…
  • p. 97 …those views, and you simply keep an open mind and pursue whatever facts are at hand…
  • p. 140 …Nevertheless, it still is an open possibility in my mind. It seems reasonable, therefore, to undertake…
  • p. 215 …The Open and Closed Mind. N.Y .: Basic Books, 1960. Sprinkle, R. L. Scientific Attitude Survey…
  • p. 217 …The keys to scientific achievement have several notches, but the material is comprised of competent open…
  • p. 244 …We should, in deference to the scientific method, examine with a completely open mind any evidence…
189
is
as
well,
an
obvious
positive
application
for
these
assessments.
The
psychiatric
evaluation,
for
example,
can
be
useful for
further screening
for
the
strengths
of
observer candidates
who
have
already
been
ruled
medically
and
neurologically
intact.
In
addition
to
making
some
sound
predictions
about
accuracy
ofreported
observations,
the
psychiatrist
could
also
explore
the
candidate's
ability
to
appropriately
re-
spond, under
stress,
to
what
he
has
seen.
This
aspect
of
an
individual's
make-up
is
of
grave importance
(as
implied
earlier)
in
some
military,
security,
and
other
key
positions.
Bibliography
I.
BAKER,
R.
M.
L.,
JR.,
"Observational
Evidence
of
Anoma-
listic
Phenomena,"
and
"Future
Experiments
on
Anom-
9.
alistic
Observational
•
Phenomena,"
Journal
of
the
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8. Astronautical
Sciences,
January-February
1968.
An
Intro-
duction
to
Astrodynamics,
Academic
Press,
1967,
pp.
319-333.
DE
WAELE,
J.
P.,
"An
Experimental
Critique
of
Testi-
mony,"
Revue
de
Proit
Penal
et
de
Criminologic,
44:
955-
980,
1963-65.
BRAINERD,
H.,
Current Diagnosis
and
Treatment,
Lange
Medical
Publ.
Los Alt.,
Calif.,
1968.
WALSH,
F.
B.,
Clinical
Neuro-ophthalmology,
3rd
Ed.,
Williams
and
Wilkins,
Baltimore,
Md.
1957.
SMITH,
J.
L.,
Opticokinetic
Nystagmus,
C. C.
Thomas,
Springfield,
III.
1966.
MEtuurr,
H.
H.,
A
Textbook
of
Neurology,
4th
Ed.,
Lea
and
Febiger,
Philadelphia,
Pa.
1967.
WALKER,
S.,
III,
Psychiatric
Signs
and
Symptoms
Due
to
Medical
Problems,
C.
C.
Thomas,
Springfield,
Ill.,
1967.
CAMERON,
N.,
Personality
Development
and
Psychopathology.
A
Dynamic
Approach,
Houghton,
Mifflin,
Boston,
Mass.
1963.
WALKER,
S.,
III,
"The
Neuropsychiatric
Evaluation
of
the
Eye
Witness,"
To
be
published.

Cases discussed

About this file

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