(:L1.:s Role in the Study of UFOs, 1947-90 f'\ :I,.iJ I,' " Gera7d K. Haines An exmlOrdinary 95 pen:em uf all Uniu;d Sc;ucs and ehe; Sovie;r Union Americans have at Ic::ut heard ()( rC::1U also S;IW the first wave; of UFO sight. something about Unidentified Flying jngs. The: tirst report of a ~f1ying Objects (UFOs). and 57 percent saucer" over rhe United States came believe they are real. I Former US on 24 June 1947. when Kenneth Presidents Carter and Reagan claim Arnold. a priV:ltc pilot and reputable to have seen a UFO. UFOlogists-a businessman. while looking for a neologism for UFO buffs-and pri­ downed plane sighted nine disk­ vate UfO organizations are found shaped objectS nc:ar Mt. Rainier. throughout the United States. Many Washington, traveling ae an estim:m:d are convinced that the US Govern­ speed of over 1.000 mph. Arnold's, While Agency concern over ment. and parricuIarly CIA. are report was followed by a flood of addi­ engaged in a massive conspiracy and tional sightings, including reports , UFOs was substantial" until coverup of the issue. The idea that from military and civilian pilots and the early 1950s, CIA has CIA has secrecly concealed its air craffic controllers allover the research into UFOs has been a major Uniced Scaces." In 1948. Air Force, since paid onlylimited.and theme of UFO buffs since the mod­ Gen. Nathan Twining. head of ~he peripheral attention to the ern UFO phenomena emerged in the Air Technical Service Command. late 1940s.2 established Project SIGN (initially phenomena.. named Project SAUCER) to coUecr •. In late 1993. after being pressured by collate. evaluate. and distribute within. UFOlogists for the release of addi­ the government all informacion rdat~ tional CIA information on UFOs,' ing to such sightings. on the premise DCI R James Woolsey ordered that UFOs might be real and of another review of all Agency fLIes on national security concern.s .' " UFOs. Using CIA records compiled from that review. this study traces The Technical Intelligence Division. CIA interest and involvement in the of the Air Material Command UFO controversy from the late 19405 (AMC) ae Wright Field (later to 1990. It chronologically examines Wright-Patterson Air Force Base) in the Agency's efforts co solve the mys­ Dayton. Ohio. assumed control of tery of UFOs, its programs that had, ' Project SIGN an~ began its work on an impact on UFO sightings. and its 23 January 1948. Although at first attempts to conceal CIA involvement fearful that the objects might be in the entire UFO issue. What Soviet secret weapons, the Air Force emerges from chis examination is that. soon concluded thac UFOs were real while Agency concern over UFOs was bue easily explained and noc extraor­ substantial until the early 1950s. CIA . dinary. The Air Force report found has since paid only limited and periph­ that almost all sightings stemmed eral attention to the phenomena. from one or more of three causes: mass hysteria and hallucination. hoax. or misinterpretacion of known Background objects. Nevertheless. the report rec- Gerald K. Haines is the National , ommended continued military Reconnaissance Office historian. The emergence in 1947 of the Cold intelligence control over the investi­ War confrontation between the gation of all sightings and did not .w: This document is made available through the declassification efforts and research of John Greenewald, Jr., creator of: The Black Vault The Black Vault is the largest online Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) document clearinghouse in the world. The research efforts here are responsible for the declassification of hundreds of thousands of pages released by the U.S. Government & Military. Discover the Truth at: http://www.theblackvault.com C00242525 UFOs , ::, .'. rule OUt the possibility of extraterres­ Early CIA ConCttDS, 1947-52 that most UFO sightings could be eas­ erial phenomena. 6 ilyexplained. Nevertheless. he CIA closely monitored the Air Force recommended that the Agency con-. Amid mounting UFO sighcings. the effort. aware of the mounting number rinue monitoring the problem. in Air Force continued to colleCt and of sighcings and increasingly con­ coordinacion with ATIC. He also evaluate UFO data in the late 1940s cerned that UFOs might pose a urged that CIA conceal its interest under a new project, GRUDGE, potential security threat. 10 Given the from the media and the public, "in which tried to alleviate public anxiety distribution of the sighcings. CIA offi­ view of their probable alarmist tenden­ over UFOs via a public relations cam­ cials in 1952 questioned whether they cies" to accept such interest as paign designed to persuade the public might reflect" midsummer confirming the existence of UFOs. 15 that UFOs constituted nothing madness." II Agency officials accepted unusual or extraordinary. UFO sight­ the Air Force's conclusions about Upon receiving the report. Deputy ings were explained as balloons, UFO reports. although they con­ Director for Intelligence (001) Rob­ conventional aircraft, planets. mete­ cluded that "since there is a remote ert Amory, Jr. assigned responsibility ors, optical illwions, solar reflections. possibility chat they may be interplan­ for the UFO investigations to OSt's or even "large hailstones." GRUDGE etary·aircraft. it is necessary to Physics and EleCtronics Division. officials found no evidence in UFO investigate each sighcing." tl with A. Ray Gordon as the officer in sighcings of advanced foreign weapons charge. Iii Each branch in the division design or development, and chey con­ A massive buildup of sightings over was to contribute to the investigation. cluded that UFOs did not threaten the Uniced Scates in 1952, especially and Gordon was to coordinate closely US security. They recommended that in July. alarmed the Truman adminis­ with ATIC. Amory. who asked the the project be reduced in scope tration. On 19 and 20 July, radar group to focw on che national secu­ because the very existence of Air scopes at Washington National Air­ rity implications of UFOs, was Force official interest encouraged peo-. port and Andrews Air Force Base relaying DCI Walter Bedell Smith's concerns. I? Smith wanted to know pie to believe in UFOs and tracked mysterious blips. On 27 July, the blips reappeared. The Air Force whether or not the Air Fon:e investiga­ contributed to a "war hysteria" acmo- scrambled interceptor aircraft to inves­ tion of flying saucers was sufficiently . sphere. On 27 December 1949, che tigate, but they found nothing. The objective and how much more money Air Force announced the project's incidents. however, caused headlines and manpower would be necessary to termination. 7 across the country. The White House determine the cause of the small per­ wanted to know what was happening. centage of unexplained flying saucers, Wirh increased Cold War tensions. and the Air Force quickly offered the Smith believed "there was only one the Korean war. and continued UFO explanation that the radar blips might chance in 10,000 chat the phenome­ sightings, USAF DireCtor of Intelli­ be the result of "temperature non posed a threat to the security of gence Maj. Gen. Charles P. Cabell inversions." Later. a Civil Aeronautics the country, but even that chance ordered a new UFO project in 1952. Administration investigation con­ could not be taken." According to Project BLUE BOOK became the firmed that such radar blips were Smith. it was CIA's responsibility by major Air Force effort to study the quite common and were caused by statute co coordinate the intelligence UFO phenomenon throughout the temperature inversions. U effort required to solve the problem. 1950s and 1960s. 8 The: task of identi­ Smith also wanted to know what use fying and explaining UFOs continued Although it had monitored UFO could be made of the UFO phenome­ to fallon the: Air Material Command reports for at least three years, CIA non in connection with US at Wright-Pam:rson. With a small reacted to the new rash of sightings by psychological warfare efforts. 18 Staff, the Air Technical Intelligence forming a special study group within Center (ATIC) tried to persuade the the Office of Scientific Intelligence Led by Gordon. the CIA Study public that UFOs were not extraordi­ (OSI) and the Office of Current Intel­ Group met with Air Force officials at nary.' Projects SIGN. GRUDGE, ligence (OCI) to review the Wright-Patterson and reviewed their and BLUE BOOK set the cone for situation. I. Edward Tauss, acting data and findings. The Air Force the official US Government position chief of OS1's Weapons and Equip­ claimed that 90 percent of the regarding UFOs for the next 30 years. ment Division. reported for the group reported sightings were easily 68 C00242525 UFOs Amateur photographs of alleged UFOs ., .: .,.::,;;~ . '. ..... " 69 .~ C00242525 ,-- UFOs ......:' Sheffield. England. 4 March 1962 !~},;.. > .:?.... ':i-.' Minneapolis. Minnesota. 20 October t960 70 C00242525 UFOs Because of the tense Cold War situation" and increased Soviet accounted for. The other 10 percent • The Robertson Panel, 1952-53 were characterized as "a number of capabilities, the CIA Study incredible reports from credible Group saw serious national On 4 December 1952, the Intelli­ observers." The Air Force rejected security concerns in the gence Advisory Committee (IAC) the theories thac the sighrings took up the issue of UFOs. 26 Amory, involved US or Soviet secret weapons flying saucer situation. as acting chairman,' presented DCI development or that they involved Smith's request to the committee "men from Mars"; there was no evi­ mat it informally discuss the subject dence: to support these concepts. of UFOs. Chadwell then briefly The Air Force: briefers sought to reviewed the siruation and the active explain these UFO reports as the mis­ phantom UFOs. H. Marshall Chad­ program of the ATIC relating to interpretation of known objects or well, Assistant Direccor" of OSI, UFOs.