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Official reports, hearing transcripts, case files and releases: the paper behind the cases. 2,872 documents, 2,610 mirrored with their text, 53,529 pages indexed, so a search reads inside them and lands on the page.
New in the library The PURSUE files The Department of War's UAP release, mirrored in full: the videos, recordings and images, each beside its case file.Documents1,073 records · page 10
This Central Intelligence Agency memorandum of 5 January 1967, addressed to the Director of the National Photographic Interpretation Center, reports a photo analysis of Polaroid photographs of an alleged UFO taken on the shore of Lake St. Clair, Michigan, supplied by the Air Force's Aerial Phenomena Office at Wright-Patterson AFB. Using Major R.W. Nyls's site measurements and several assumptions, it estimates approximate dimensions. It finds no definite evidence of a hoax, notes suspicious features, and calls the result inconclusive.
This Central Intelligence Agency monthly report for February 1967 contains two short items about UFO work. It records that Dr. Condon and his associates of the UFO consultant group spent the morning of 20 February receiving a briefing on photogrammetry and mensuration techniques and touring mensuration instruments in operation. It also reports that the UFO Mensuration Support project was closed after as thorough an evaluation as the photographic prints permitted. No definite conclusion about the authenticity of the image could be reached.
This Central Intelligence Agency routing slip is dated 5 February 1967 in the archive record. It is a short internal transmittal form with the director's office listed as its first stop. A handwritten remark says the original and three copies were sent to Dr. Ratchford on 27 March 1967, and that he would pass them on to Sir Gordon. The slip does not say what the forwarded material contains.
This memorandum was written by Arthur C. Lundahl, Director of the National Photographic Interpretation Center, to the CIA's Deputy Director for Intelligence and dated 7 February 1967. It describes the $325,000, 18-month U.S. Air Force contract under which the University of Colorado, led by Dr. E. U. Condon, is studying UFOs. It asks for approval to host project scientists on 20 February for a briefing on photogrammetry and optical equipment. It also says NPIC will not take part in writing the project's conclusions.
This Central Intelligence Agency memorandum to the Director of the National Photographic Interpretation Center, dated 17 February 1967, reports a photo analysis of Polaroid pictures of an alleged UFO taken on the shore of Lake St. Clair, Michigan. The photographs came from the Aerial Phenomena Office at Wright-Patterson AFB, and Major R.W. Nyls of the USAF supplied measurements of the site. The analysts estimated approximate dimensions from several stated assumptions. They found no definite evidence of a hoax, noted suspicious features, and called the result inconclusive.
This Central Intelligence Agency memorandum for the record documents a visit to NPIC by Dr. E.U. Condon and four members of his team on 20 February 1967. The visit was tied to the Air Force's $300,000 contract with the University of Colorado to study UFO sightings. NPIC agreed to do technical photogrammetric work only, with no written reports or conclusions, and Condon was told not to identify the work as CIA's. The group received briefings on photogrammetry, microdensitometers and measurement instruments.
This Central Intelligence Agency memorandum, dated 21 February 1967, answers a speed letter of 30 January 1967 asking for analysis of UFO images on furnished photographic prints. The analysts note that copies, not originals, were examined, compare image sharpness and size between prints, and weigh a distant large object against a small nearby model. They conclude that authenticity cannot be decided from the prints, that an analysis of the original photograph would provide more information, and that several facts fit the model theory.
This Central Intelligence Agency cable from Contacts New York to Contacts Washington, dated March 1967, concerns a request for the film "UFO-Fact or Fancy." It says the established agency in New York could handle the request most quickly. It adds that taking on routine film actions tends to confuse the harmonious relationship on film procurement. The document was approved for release on 17 November 1978.
This Central Intelligence Agency monthly report for February 1967 is dated 13 March 1967. It records that on 20 February, Dr. Condon and associates from the UFO consultant group received a briefing on photogrammetry and mensuration techniques and toured working mensuration instruments. It also reports that the UFO Mensuration Support project was closed after as thorough an evaluation as the photographic prints permitted. No definite conclusion about the authenticity of the image could be reached.
This is a Central Intelligence Agency routing slip dated 24 March 1967. It is a short internal transmittal record with no substantive report attached in the text. A handwritten remark says the original and copies were sent to Dr. Ratchford on 27 March 1967, and he would forward them to Dr. Condon. A second note says the book looked acceptable to the writer and asks a colleague to check it for any major problems.
This Central Intelligence Agency memorandum for the record describes a 5 May 1967 briefing given to Dr. Edward Condon of the University of Colorado and colleagues on an NPIC analyst's analysis of the Zanesville, Ohio, UFO photography. The attendees praised the work, which used ground survey, mathematical, photogrammetric and densitometric techniques. Condon called it the first scientific UFO analysis that would stand up to investigation. The memo also records plans to move further analysis under Air Force and University of Colorado funding, to review NICAP photographs and to seek more publicity.
This is a short Central Intelligence Agency cable dated 10 April 1967, sent from the Contacts office in New York to Contacts in Washington. It concerns a request for a film titled "UFO-Fact or Fancy." New York says the agency's established channels there would handle the request most quickly. It warns that getting involved in routine film actions tends to disrupt the smooth working relationship on film procurement. The document was approved for release on 17 November 1978.
This 1967 Central Intelligence Agency information report, distributed 18 August 1967 and marked unevaluated, describes conversations with Soviet scientists about unidentified flying objects in the USSR. Astronomers mention sightings in the Caucasus and northern USSR, a reddish object seen by several astronomers, and ball lightning reports in Kazakhstan explained as headlight reflections. The report concludes that no official Soviet treatment of UFOs exists, that Menzel's book is widely cited, and that Soviet astronomers might embrace research more readily than US counterparts.
This Central Intelligence Agency information report, dated 18 August 1967, records conversations with Soviet astronomers and scientists about unidentified flying objects in the USSR. Opinions ranged from dismissal to open interest. One scientist suggested UFOs may originate on Venus, and some astronomers described seeing a curious reddish object. Many had read Menzel's book. The report concludes that the USSR has given the UFO problem no official treatment, and that Soviet astronomers might take up the subject more readily than US astronomers, who face official ridicule.
This Central Intelligence Agency information report, dated 18 August 1967, records a Western visitor's conversations with Soviet astronomers and scientists about unidentified flying objects in the USSR. Views ranged from dismissal to open interest. One scientist suggested UFOs might come from Venus, and others recalled a reddish object and headlight reflections mistaken for ball lightning in Kazakhstan. The report concludes that the USSR has no official treatment of the problem and that Soviet astronomers might respond to proof of the phenomenon more readily than their US counterparts.
This Central Intelligence Agency translation, dated November 1967, renders a Sovetskaya Latviya article of 10 December 1967 in which R. Vitolniyek, director of a Soviet station for radio observation of the ionosphere and satellites, discusses UFO reports. He notes sightings over the USSR, including recently at Lepaya, and radar returns that match no known object. He calls luminous plasma formations resembling ball lightning the most probable explanation and says extraterrestrial origin is doubtful but cannot be ruled out. The Latvian Academy of Sciences laboratory asks witnesses to report their sightings.
This Central Intelligence Agency translation, dated 2 November 1967, abstracts a Polish article from Zolnierz Wolnosci of December 1967. It reports that in November 1967 the Soviet Union set up a committee within DOSAF to investigate unidentified flying objects, led by Air Force Major General Porfir Stolyarov. The general recommended a photographic investigation method. The Pulkovo and Crimea astronomical observatories would correlate the data, and a network of observatories across the USSR, along with civil aviation, would make the observations.
This Central Intelligence Agency item dated 6 November 1967 translates a Soviet press report from Leninskaya stena of 2 December 1967. It relays claims by F. Zigel', a docent at the Moscow Aviation Institute, that intelligent life probably exists on other planets of the solar system. According to Zigel', UFOs had appeared in increasing numbers over the previous two years and been observed in 20 countries. He also said the USSR now has a UFO observation service that measures speeds and accelerations beyond modern aircraft.
This Central Intelligence Agency abstract, dated 2 December 1967, summarizes a Soviet item titled Study of UFO's. It reports that F. Zigel', a docent at the Moscow Aviation Institute, says he has found evidence that artificial light probably exists on other planets of the solar system. According to the astronomer, UFOs have been seen in growing numbers over the past two years in 20 countries and are not an optical illusion. The abstract also says a new UFO observation service in the USSR measures speeds and accelerations that modern aircraft cannot reach.
This Central Intelligence Agency abstract, dated 10 December 1967, summarizes an article from Sovetskaya Latviya by R. Vitolniyek, director of a Latvian station for radio observation of the ionosphere and artificial satellites. The article covers reports of luminous objects, including a recent sighting over Lepaya, and radar tracks that match no known object. It calls luminescent plasma formations similar to ball lightning the most probable explanation and says the extraterrestrial hypothesis is doubtful. The Latvian Academy of Sciences asks witnesses to report their sightings.
This Central Intelligence Agency release, dated 26 December 1967, contains an English text of a Soviet article on UFOs. It reports that the USSR formed a UFO investigation committee under DOSAF in November 1967, led by Air Force Major General Porfir Stolyarov. The writer argues that the Tunguska explosion looked like a nuclear blast and that the object maneuvered before it, and concludes that the body may have been an artificial craft from another planet. The article calls for calm international scientific study.
This Central Intelligence Agency information report, classified confidential and retrieved in a 1974 Foreign Technology Division records search, lists sightings of unidentified flying objects in Ladakh, Nepal, Sikkim and Bhutan between 19 February and 25 March 1968. Its tables give dates, times, areas, directions of flight and descriptions, including bright lights, thunder sounds and rocket-like trails. It notes that a metallic disc-shaped object was found in a crater near Pokhara, Nepal.
This CIA record is dated 3 January 1968. It abstracts an article by N. Hardzhanishvili that appeared in Leninskaya Smena on 31 January 1968 and was first published in the Hungarian newspaper Magyar Ifjusag. The article reviews British, Russian, Yugoslav and U.S. eyewitness accounts of UFOs, quotes the West German ufologist H. Obert, and notes a planned worldwide UFO conference in Vienna. It quotes Soviet astronomer F. Zigel, who lists possible explanations, including objects from other planets, which is not yet proved.
This CIA-held translation reproduces a Soviet press article, "Are Flying Saucers a Myth?", by APN science commentator V. Lyustiberg. It first ran in Pravda Ukraine on 17 February 1968. The article describes eyewitness UFO accounts and concludes that UFOs are a myth. It argues that photographs are unreliable, that credible images probably show ball lightning, and that flares on clouds come from welding, aircraft signals or distant lightning. It says a 1957 "saucer" over Sofia was a NATO balloon and calls saucer stories Western distractions.
This Central Intelligence Agency abstract, dated January 1968, summarizes an article titled "Fantasy or reality?" from Komsomol'skaya pravda (Vilnius), issue no. 13 of 20 January 1968. The article interviewed several Soviet scientists and others about UFOs, among them Docent F. Zigel of the Moscow Aviation Institute, Docent V. Zaytsev of Minsk and I. Bestuzhev-Lada. Their opinions varied, but the article cited eyewitness accounts and stressed that the UFO phenomenon needed to be studied.
This Central Intelligence Agency release, approved in 2010, is an abstract of an article titled "Fantasy or Reality?" from Komsomol'skaya pravda (Vilnius), no. 13, dated 20 January 1968. Several Soviet scientists and specialists were interviewed about unidentified flying objects, among them Docent F. Zigel of the Moscow Aviation Institute, V. Strayzhis and I. Bestuzhev-Lada. Their opinions varied. The article cited eyewitness accounts and argued that the UFO phenomenon needs to be studied.
This Central Intelligence Agency release is a translated abstract of an article by V. Lyustiberg, a science commentator for APN. The article appeared in Pravda Ukrainy on 17 February 1968. It reviews eyewitness UFO accounts and concludes that UFOs are a myth. It argues that photographs are unreliable and that the few convincing images probably show ball lightning. It explains glows on clouds as welding reflections, aircraft signals or distant lightning, and says a November 1957 'saucer' over Sofia was a NATO balloon.
This 1968 Central Intelligence Agency memo passes along two Soviet articles distributed by the Novosti press agency (APN) that take opposite positions on UFOs. In the February 1968 issue of Soviet Life, Felix Zigel sets out Soviet sightings, argues that the Tunguska body may have been an artificial craft, and calls for scientific study. The other article, by Villen Lyustiberg, says UFOs are a myth that the US uses as propaganda. The memo finds it ironic that Soviet media published both views.
This Central Intelligence Agency memo, dated 9 April 1968, forwards two articles from the Soviet news agency Novosti (APN) that take opposite views on UFOs. Felix Zigel's February 1968 Soviet Life article treats UFOs seriously and cites Soviet sightings and the Tunguska explosion. Villen Lyustiberg's article dismisses them as a myth and claims the U.S. publicizes them to divert attention. The memo notes the irony of such disagreement appearing in Soviet media.
This is a compilation of Department of State Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR) briefing notes to the Director of INR, mostly dated June 12, 1968, with some from June 6, 1968. The notes cover world events, including student riots in Paris, East German passport and visa rules for West Germans, a UN resolution on South West Africa, a change of Komsomol leadership, Sino-Nepalese relations, and the Colombian presidential resignation crisis. Unrest in Senegal and Somalia is also covered. None of the notes discuss UFOs.
This CIA-held copy of a 13 July 1968 magazine article, "A Reporter at Large," was written by the author of the book "Inquest." It examines New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison's investigation into the Kennedy assassination and his arrest of Clay Shaw. The author concludes that Garrison mishandled evidence and decoded address book numbers without sound basis. It also says the only evidence the author saw connecting Shaw to the assassination was fraudulent. Flying saucers come up only in passing.
This Central Intelligence Agency item, estimated at November 1968, is an abstract of an article from Soviet Life (no. 2, 1968) by an author at the Moscow Aviation Institute. The author argues that UFOs are not simply optical phenomena and describes the October 1967 founding of a UFO Section of the All-Union Cosmonautics Committee, chaired by Major General Porfiri Stolyarov. The article also concludes that the Tungusky body seems to have been an artificial craft from another planet, and it calls for international scientific study.
This Central Intelligence Agency release, dated November 1968, is an English abstract of a Soviet article by an author at the Moscow Aviation Institute. The author argues that UFOs are not ordinary optical phenomena and reports the October 1967 founding of a UFO Section of the All-Union Cosmonautics Committee, chaired by Major General Porfiri Stolyarov. He cites 1882 and 1913 reports and concludes that the Tungusky body seems to have been an artificial craft from another planet. He calls for international scientific study.
This Central Intelligence Agency file, estimated to date from 1968, holds an abstract of a Soviet Life article written by F. Zigel of the Moscow Aviation Institute. Zigel argues that UFOs are not ordinary optical effects. He reports that a UFO Section of the All-Union Cosmonautics Committee was formed in October 1967, chaired by Major General Porfiri Stolyarov. He also contends that the Tungusky body was probably an artificial craft from another planet, and he calls for international scientific study.
This CIA-held abstract, estimated to date from 1968, summarizes an article by an author from the Moscow Aviation Institute published in Soviet Life, no. 2, 1968. The author argues that UFOs are not ordinary optical phenomena and says they may be craft from other planets. It reports that the UFO Section of the All-Union Cosmonautics Committee was set up in October 1967 under Major General Stolyarov. It also argues that the Tungusky body was an artificial craft and calls for international scientific study.
This Central Intelligence Agency bibliographic record, dated 3 January 1969, lists data from CRS and FBIS on F. Yu. Zigel, a Doctor of Technical Sciences and Associate Professor at the Moscow Aviation Institute. It catalogs his Soviet publications from 1956 to 1969, including "Nuclear Explosion over the Taiga (Study of the Tunguska Meteorite)" and "A Dialog on Mars". Each entry gives the translation reference: JPRS, NTIS, CIA or NASA.
This Central Intelligence Agency cable, dated 10 May 1969, reports on a 7 May visit to a university in connection with an agency research contract. The officer reviewed contract files and destroyed two memoranda naming the sponsor, and noted that several university officials had been briefed and would support the arrangement. It also describes SDS and Brown Beret chapters on campus and a contingency plan to announce that research would move off campus to a new foundation-owned building. It adds that the files had been purged of incriminating material.
This is an undated Central Intelligence Agency review of a research proposal on non-lethal incapacitation by flash blindness. It judges the proposed flash simulation technique reasonably feasible but says the performance tasks are not described in enough detail and doubts that the predictions hold at potentially damaging intensities. The reviewers also say retinal damage thresholds must be set before flares are used operationally, and they suggest supplementary primate studies to find functional damage thresholds and measure performance decrements.
The CIA's Directorate of Intelligence issued this Weekly Summary, No. 0369/70, on 8 May 1970. It covers events through noon on 7 May. The Far East section deals with the allied operations into Cambodia, Hanoi's cautious response and the government in exile Sihanouk formed in Peking. Other items cover Soviet military aid, the Sino-Soviet talks, Jordan, Dahomey, Guatemala and Brazil, and a special report looks at Cuban support for subversion in Latin America. Many pages are withheld, and the summary contains no UFO material.
This document, released by the Central Intelligence Agency and held by the National Archives of Australia, is an Australian Department of Defence paper from about 1971 on the scientific and intelligence aspects of the UFO problem. It traces the history of US official handling of UFOs through Projects Sign, Grudge and Blue Book, the Robertson panel and the Condon report, and it argues that a covert programme and gravity research continued. It recommends that another Australian government department take over UFO investigation from the RAAF.
These are the minutes of a Board of Directors meeting of a pilots association affiliated with the International Federation of Air Line Pilots Associations. The meeting was held in Bangkok on October 2 and 3, 1971, and the CIA released the minutes in 2023. The board discussed labor matters: pilot seniority and furloughs, grievances including the Bailey, Stuart and Stensloff cases, excessive flight time, message restrictions at Udorn, the wage price freeze and constitutional revisions. The document does not mention UFOs.
This Central Intelligence Agency intelligence information report, dated April 1972, relays unevaluated information from a US citizen about the Conference on the Origins of Life in Yerevan, Armenia, held 6 to 8 September 1971. It describes a speculative paper by N. S. Kardashev and Andrei Sakharov on how a charged mass collapsing in space might bounce back into a different part of space time. A US attendee found the paper somewhat fantastic but grounded in sound physics.
This Central Intelligence Agency translation, dated 2 February 1972, reproduces a Soviet bibliography on parapsychology (psychoenergetics) and related subjects compiled in Moscow in 1971, with E. K. Naumov named as the contact address. It lists Soviet works on telepathy, mental suggestion, the biophysical effect, dermo-optic sensitivity, bioelectric fields, yoga, autogenic training and heliobiology. It also includes foreign literature, a list of parapsychology journals, and foreign writings about Soviet research. The publication states that its contents do not represent U.S. Government views.
This Central Intelligence Agency document, dated 1972 and later approved for release, is a short, partly redacted report about a Soviet member of a USSR committee set up to investigate unusual phenomena, meaning flying saucers. According to the report, the man gave a talk that was meant seriously but came across as humorous, and other Soviets present joked and laughed. A source said the committee consists mostly of politicians, theorists and historians and has little if any scientific talent.
This Central Intelligence Agency release, dated 28 March 1972, contains a translated Soviet bibliography on parapsychology (psychoenergetics) and related subjects. E. K. Naumov and L. V. Vilenskaya compiled it in Moscow in 1971. It lists Soviet and foreign works on telepathy, bioenergetics, dermo-optic sensitivity, yoga and autogenic training, followed by a list of journals and foreign writing on Soviet research. Appended is a 1952 CIA foreign-press report from Vienna's Die Presse on two fiery disks over the Belgian Congo uranium mines, which Commander Pierre chased in a fighter.