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.

SYMPOSIUM
ON
UNIDENTIFIED
FLYING OBJECTS
MONDAY,
JULY
29,
1968
HOUSE
OF
REPRESENTATIVES,
COMMITTEE ON
SCIENCE
AND
ASTRONAUTICS
ashington,D.0
D.C.
The
committee
met,
pursuant
to
notice,
at
10:05
a.m.,
in
room
2318,
Rayburn House
Office
Building,
Hon.
J.
Edward
Roush
(chairmanof
the
symposium)
presiding.
Mr.
Rousx.
The
committee
will
be
in order.
Today
the
House
Committee on
Science
and
Astronautics
conducts
a
very
special session,
a
symposium on
the
subject
of
unidentified
flying objects;
the
name
of which
is
a
reminder
to
us of
our
ignorance
on
this
subject
and
a
challenge to acquire
more
knowledge
thereof.
We
approach
the
question
of
unidentified flying objects
as purely
a
scientific
problem, one of unanswered
questions.
Certainly
the
rigid
and
exacting
discipline
of
science
should be marshaled
to
explore
the nature
of
phenomena
which
reliable citizens
continue
to
report.
•
A
significant
part
of
the
problem has
been
that the
sightings
re-
ported
have
not
been
accompanied
by
so-called
hardware
or
materials
that could
be
investigated
and
analyzed.
So we
are
left
with
hypo-
theses
about
the nature
of
UFO's.
These
hypotheses
range
from
the
conclusion
that
they
are purely
psychological
phenomena,
that
is,
some
kind of
hallucinatory
phenomena;
to
that
of
some
kind of
natural physical
phenomena;
to
that
of advanced
technological
ma-
chinery
manned by some
kind
of
intelligence,
that
is,
the
extrater-
restrial
hypotheses.
With
the
range
in
mind,
then,
we
have
invited six
outstanding
scientists
to
address
us today,
men who
deal
with the
physical,
the
psychological,
the
sociological,
and
the
technological
data
relevant
to
the
issues
involved.
We
welcome
them and
look
forward
to
their
remarks.
Additionally
we
have
requested several
other
scientists
to
make
their presentations
in the
form
of papers
to
be
added
to
these
when
published
by
the committee.
We
take
no
stand
on
these matters.
Indeed,
we
are here
today
to
listen
to
their
assessment
of
the nature of
the
problem ;
to
any
tenta-
tive
conclusions
or
suggestions
they
might
offer,
so that
our judg-
ments and our
actions
might
be based
on
reliable
and
expert informa-
tion.
We
are here to
listen
and
to learn.
Events of the
last
half century
certainly verify the
American
philosopher,
John Dewey's
conclusion that
"Every
great
advancein science
has
issued
from a
new
audacity of imagination."
With an
open and
inquiring attitude,
then,
we now
turn to
our speakers for
the day.
(1)