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.
“UFO Files”31 pages
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)
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.