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.
“Scientific American”26 pages
2 They will include: Dr. J. Allen Hynek, head of the Department of Astronomy, Northwestern University; Dr. James E.McDonald,senior physicist, the Institute of Atmospheric Physics, the University of Arizona • Dr. Carl Sagan, Department of Astronomy and Center for RadiophYsics and Space Research, Cornell University; Dr. Robert L. Hall, head of the Department of Sociology, University of Illinois at Chicago; Dr.James A.Harder,associate professor of civil engineer- ing, University of California at Berkeley,and Dr. Robert M.L.Baker, Jr.,Computer Sciences Corp.and Department of Engineering,UCLA. Gentlemen, we welcome your presentations. We ask you to speak first, Dr. Hynek,followed by Dr. McDonald,and then Dr. Sagan. This afternoon Dr. Hall will commence our session,followed by Dr. Harder and then Dr.Baker.The subject matter of the presentations determines the order in which you speak. We hope at the end of the day to allow the six of you to discuss the material presented among yourselves and with the committee in a kind of roundtable discussion. Mr. Chairman—the chairman of our full committee, Mr. George Miller. Chairman MILLER. I want to join in welcoming you here. I want to point out that your presence here is not a challenge to the work that is being done by the Air Force,a particular agency that has to deal with this subject. Unfortunately there are those who are highly critical of the Air Force, saying that the Air Force has not approached this problem properly. I want you to know that we are in no way trying to go into the field that is theirs by law, and thus we are not critical of what the Air Force is doing. We should look at the problem from every angle, and we are here in that respect. I just want to point out we are not here to criticize the actions of the Air Force. Thank you. Mr. RousH. I think it is only appropriate that Dr. Hynek be intro- duced by our colleague, Mr.Rumsfeld. Mr. Rumsfeld. Mr.RUYISFELD. Thank you, Mr.Chairman. It is a pleasure to welcome all the members of this distinguished panel, and particularly to welcome Dr. Allen Hynek, who is a son of Illinois, and presently serves in the Department of Astronomy and Director of the Lindheimer Astronomical Research Center. Dr. Hynek is a member of a number of scientific societies, and has served in the Government service as well as in the academic community. As his Congressman I am delighted he has been invited to appear on this panel,and we certainly look forward to his comments. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr.Rousx. Dr. Hynek,the floor is yours. (The biography of Dr. Hynek is as follows:) DR. J. ALLEN HYNEK Born in Chicago, Ill., 1910. B.S. University of Chicago, 1931; Ph.D. (astrophysics) 1935. Professor Astronomy, Chairman of the Department and Director of Dearborn Observatory, Northwestern University, 1960 to present. Chief of the Section, Upper Atmosphere Studies and Satellite Tracking and Asso- ciate Director, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, 1956-60.
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.