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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.Documents2,872 records · page 12
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 NICAP extract reproduces the statement of Dr. Robert M. L. Baker, Jr., a Computer Sciences Corporation scientist and UCLA engineering faculty member, to the House Committee on Science and Astronautics symposium on unidentified flying objects on July 29, 1968. Baker reviews his analyses of the Utah, Montana, Venezuela and Vandenberg films. He argues that current radar and optical sensors are poorly suited to detecting anomalistic phenomena and urges a well-funded, long-term interdisciplinary research program. The extract ends with panel discussion including Hynek and Hall.
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 is the prepared statement James E. McDonald, a senior physicist at the University of Arizona's Institute of Atmospheric Physics, submitted to the House Committee on Science and Astronautics for its July 29, 1968 Symposium on Unidentified Flying Objects. He draws on hundreds of witness interviews and weighs eight hypotheses. His conclusion is that UFOs are probably extraterrestrial surveillance devices. He argues that scientists have wrongly neglected the subject and urges much more scientific investigation and further Congressional hearings.
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.
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 is the Apollo 11 Technical Crew Debriefing, dated July 31, 1969 and prepared by the Mission Operations Branch, Flight Crew Support Division of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. It is a confidential transcript. In it, Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins describe a bright L-shaped object seen about a day out from the Moon, which they could not identify and suspected came from the spacecraft. They also report light flashes inside the cabin and a bright light from Earth that was probably a reflection off a lake.
During a medical debriefing of the crew of the Apollo 12 mission, Commander Charles “Pete” Conrad, Command Module Pilot Richard “Dick” F. Gordon, and Lunar Module Pilot Alan L. Bean describe their observations of instances of light flashes or “streaks of lights.” The astronauts each reported that these experiences occurred in the dark as they tried to sleep. The NASA medical team considered whether similar phenomena reported by Apollo 11 Lunar Module Pilot Buzz Aldrin had been attributable to exposure of the retina by cosmic rays. NASA later determined that the phenomena reported by the Apollo 12 flight crew were internal to the astronauts’ vision rather than external light sources.
This NASA document is part of the air-to-ground voice transcript of the Apollo 12 mission in 1969, covering tapes 90 and 93. It records routine exchanges between Houston and the crews of the command module Yankee Clipper and the lunar module Intrepid about state vector uplinks, lift-off time, battery charging and rendezvous tracking. One crew member reports flashes of light and particles that appear to stream away from the Moon. Houston attributes a pulsing AGS display to probable electromagnetic interference, and the crew concludes that the LM tracking light has burned out.
This archival photograph depicts the lunar surface as viewed from the landing site of Apollo 12. This image features a highlighted area of interest slightly to the right of the vertical axis of the frame, above the horizon, in which unidentified phenomena are visible. This image has been modified from its original state to assist viewers in identifying specific areas of interest. These highlights are provided for contextual purposes only. Such alterations do not constitute an analytical judgment, investigative conclusion, or factual determination regarding the nature or significance of the subject matter.
This archival photograph depicts the lunar surface as viewed from the landing site of Apollo 12. This image features two highlighted areas of interest, labeled “Area 1” and “Area 2,” slightly to the right of the vertical axis of the frame, above the horizon, in which unidentified phenomena are visible. This image has been modified from its original state to assist viewers in identifying specific areas of interest. These highlights are provided for contextual purposes only. Such alterations do not constitute an analytical judgment, investigative conclusion, or factual determination regarding the nature or significance of the subject matter.
This archival photograph depicts the lunar surface as viewed from the landing site of Apollo 12. This image features a highlighted area of interest near the right edge of the frame, above the horizon, in which unidentified phenomena are visible. This image has been modified from its original state to assist viewers in identifying specific areas of interest. These highlights are provided for contextual purposes only. Such alterations do not constitute an analytical judgment, investigative conclusion, or factual determination regarding the nature or significance of the subject matter.
This archival photograph depicts the lunar surface as viewed from the landing site of Apollo 12. This image features a highlighted area of interest slightly to the left of the vertical axis of the frame, above the horizon, in which unidentified phenomena are visible. This image has been modified from its original state to assist viewers in identifying specific areas of interest. These highlights are provided for contextual purposes only. Such alterations do not constitute an analytical judgment, investigative conclusion, or factual determination regarding the nature or significance of the subject matter.
This archival photograph depicts the lunar surface as viewed from the landing site of Apollo 12. This image features five highlighted areas of interest, labeled “Area 1” through “Area 5,” above the horizon, in which unidentified phenomena are visible. This image has been modified from its original state to assist viewers in identifying specific areas of interest. These highlights are provided for contextual purposes only. Such alterations do not constitute an analytical judgment, investigative conclusion, or factual determination regarding the nature or significance of the subject matter.
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 DTIC release reproduces a National Academy of Sciences panel review of the University of Colorado report on unidentified flying objects, transmitted to Assistant Secretary of the Air Force Alexander H. Flax on January 8, 1969. The panel was chaired by Gerald M. Clemence and assessed the study's scope, methodology and findings. It found all three adequate and concurred that further extensive UFO study is not justified. It called extraterrestrial visitation the least likely explanation.
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 Volume 1 of NASA's Apollo 11 Technical Crew Debriefing, dated July 31, 1969. The Mission Operations Branch of the Flight Crew Support Division at the Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston prepared it, and it was originally classified Confidential. In it Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins go phase by phase through suiting, launch, powered flight, Earth orbit and lunar surface activities. They comment on suit fit, vibration, checklists, lunar dust, footing and poor sleeping conditions in the lunar module. A section titled Visual Sightings appears in the table of contents.
This Department of Defense press release, dated December 17, 1969, says Secretary of the Air Force Robert C. Seamans, Jr. has ended Project Blue Book, the Air Force program for investigating UFOs. Seamans based the decision on the University of Colorado study directed by Dr. Edward U. Condon, the National Academy of Sciences review of that study, earlier UFO studies such as the 1953 Robertson Panel, and two decades of Air Force experience. According to the release, no UFO ever indicated a threat to national security or evidence of extraterrestrial vehicles.
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.