Documents / Hearing transcript
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.
“Nevers”43 pages
.30 I wondered, Dr. McDonald, if you would care to evaluate the re- search project at the University of Colorado, and comment on that? Mr. ROUSH. Mr. Ryan, may I just say we had agreed that this was not the place to discuss that particular project, and that the purpose of the symposium was not to go into the activities of another branch ofgovernment, but rather to explore that as a scientific phenomena. I'm sure that Dr. McDonald would be very happy to confer with you privately on this, but if you could show some restraint here, the Chair would be real grateful to you. Mr. RYAN. Well, let me rephrase my question. In view of the fact that there has been a study conducted by a proj-ect in the Air Force, and the University of Colorado, do you believe there is anything further that should be done by any branch of the Government? Dr. MoDoNALD. Emphatically, yes. Mr. RYAN. What would you recommend? Dr. MCDONALD. I think that we need to get a much broader basis of investigation of UFO's, as I did say, a few moments ago, it would bevery salutary to have a group in NASA looking at this problem, and to have some NASA support of independent studies. It would be very good for the National Science Foundation to support, say, some uni- versity people interested in it. It would be good to have the Office of Naval Research et cetera involved. We don't deal with many other important problems, space, or molec- ular biology or health without a pluralistic approach, a multiplicity of research programs. I don't want to touch a frayed nerve here. This problem of duplication is sometimes lamented. But by and large I think you will agree we would gain from having a lot of different peo-ple with slightly different points of view going at every problem. At the moment everything is focused through one agency, and every- thing now hinges on that one particular program you have asked me about, and my answer was, we very definitely need some independent programs. I am on record elsewhere than here in my specific views on that project. Mr. RYAN. Looking back at page 14, you wrote a letter to the Na- tional Academy of Sciences, concerning this project. Have you had any reaction from the National Academy of Sciences? Dr. MCDONALD. Yes, I received a leter from Dr. Seitz, saying for the time being we must let the Colorado project run its course. That was the gist of the answer. Mr. RousH. I would appreciate it, if we dispensed with that. Let me say that the National Acadeiny is undertaking an evaluation of the University of Colorado project, and this will be published. Mr. RYAN. I'm suggesting maybe this committee should make an investigation of the University of Colorado project. Chairman MILLER. That is something we don't have authority to do here. Mr. RYAN. To what extent, Dr. McDonald, have sightings been picked up by radar, and what extent of those that have been picked upbeen explored? Dr. MCDONALD. Well, there are many such sightings, I dare saythere are thousands of military radar sightings that were for the short
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.