CIA file on the 1953 Robertson Panel report on UFOs.

HS/HC 475 Flying Objects DECLASSIFIED Authority: NND 917075 RG 263 CIA E FOLDER 90

FEDERAL CIVIL DEFENSE ADMINISTRATION WASHINGTON 25, D. C. OFFICE OF THE ADMINISTRATOR Mr. Richard D. Drain Secretary Intelligence Advisory Committee 2430 E Street, N. W. Washington 25, D. C. Dear Mr. Drain: We have carefully studied the report of the Panel of Scientific Consu…

13 March 1953 Mr. Edward T. Dickinson Vice Chairman, National Security Resources Board Room 211 Executive Office Building Washington 25, D. C. Dear Mr. Dickinson: The Director of Central Intelligence has asked that you be furnished a copy of the attached report prepared by a p…

13 March 1953 The Honorable The Secretary of Defense Department of Defense Washington 25, D. C. Dear Mr. Secretary: The Director of Central Intelligence has asked that you be furnished a copy of the attached report prepared by a panel of scientists on the subject of "Unidentif…

13 March 1953 The Honorable Val Peterson Administrator, Federal Civil Defense Administration 1930 Columbia Road, N. W. Washington, D. C. Dear Mr. Peterson: The Director of Central Intelligence has asked that you be furnished a copy of the attached report prepared by a panel of…

FORM LETTER 12 March 1953 Mr. C. D. Jackson Special Assistant to the President The White House Washington, D. C. Dear Mr. Jackson: Mr. Robert Amory, Jr., Assistant Deputy Director/Intel- ligence, has asked me to forward to you for your information the enclosed report "Report…

One copy of the attached form letter sent to each of the following: Mr. Robert Cutler 224 Executive Office Building Mr. C. D. Jackson Special Assistant to the President The White House Mr. James S. Lay Executive Secretary National Security Council 302-A Executive Office Buildi…

REPORT OF THE SCIENTIFIC PANEL ON UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECTS 1. Pursuant to the request of the Assistant Director for Scientific Intelligence, the undersigned Panel of Scientific Consultants has met to evaluate any possible threat to national security posed by Unidentified Flyi…

indications of hostile action, and the cultivation of a morbid national psychology in which skillful hostile propaganda could induce hysterical behavior and harmful distrust of duly constituted authority. 4. In order most effectively to strengthen the national facilities for the…

TAB B SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY PANEL ON UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECTS 14 - 17 January 1953 EVIDENCE PRESENTED 1. Seventy-five CASE histories of sightings 1951 - 1952 (selected by ATIC as those best documented). 2. ATIC Status and Progress Reports of Project GRUDGE and Project BLUE…

TAB B 16. Motion picture of seagulls in bright sunlight showing high reflectivity. 17. Intelligence Reports Relating to U.S.S.R. Interest in U. S. Sightings. 18. Samples of Official USAF Reporting Forms and Copies of Pertinent Air Force, Army and Navy Orders Relating to Subjec…

TAB C SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY PANEL ON UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECTS 14 - 17 January 1953 MEMBERS ORGANIZATION FIELD OF COMPETENCY Dr. H. P. Robertson (Chairman) California Institute Physics, weapons of Technology…

TAB C INTERVIEWEES (con't) ORGANIZATION FIELD OF COMPETENCY Mr. Philip G. Strong Chief, Operations Scientific and Staff, O/SI, CIA technical intelligence Mr. Stephan T. Possony Acting Chief, Spec…

S-E-C-R-E-T Security Information IAC-D-67 18 February 1953 INTELLIGENCE ADVISORY COMMITTEE UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECTS 1. Transmitted herewith is a copy of the report (Tab A) of the scientific panel convened as a result of the action taken by the Intelligence Advisory Committe…

REPORT OF MEETINGS OF SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY PANEL ON UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECTS CONVENED BY OFFICE OF SCIENTIFIC INTELLIGENCE, CIA January 14 - 18, 1953 F. C. DURANT

INDEX Page Purpose 1 Part I: History of Meetings of Panel 1 Part II: Comments and Suggestions of Panel 7 General 7 On Lack of Danger 8 Air Force Reporting System 9 Artifacts of Extraterrestial Origin 10 Tremonton, Utah, Sighting 11 Potential Related Dangers 15…

PART II: COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS OF PANEL GENERAL The Panel Members were impressed (as have been others, includ- ing O/SI personnel) in the lack of sound data in the great majority of CASE histories; also, in the lack of speedy follow-up due primarily to the modest size and li…

that "strange things in the sky" had been recorded for hundreds of years. It appeared obvious that there was no single explanation for a majority of the things seen. The presence of radar and astro- nomical specialists on the Panel proved of value at once in their confident recog…

have been so labeled. It was interesting that in at least two cases reviewed that the object sighted was categorized by Robertson and Alvarez as probably "Foo Fighters", to date unexplained but not dangerous; they were not happy thus to dismiss the sightings by calling them names…

It was the opinion of Dr. Robertson that the "saucer" problem had been found to be different in nature from the detection and investigation of German V-1 and V-2 guided missiles prior to their operational use in World War II. In this 1943-1944 intelligence operation (CROSSBOW), t…

officer (Project Officer, BLUEBOOK for 15 months) could not be slighted. However, the Panel could not accept any of the cases sighted by him because they were raw, unevaluated reports. Terrestrial explanations of the sightings were suggested in some cases and in others the time o…

10-00 man-hours of professional and sub-professional time in the preparation of graph plots of individual frames of the film, show- ing apparent and relative motion of objects and variation in their light intensity. It was the opinion of the P.I.L. representatives that the object…

d. Objects in the Great Falls CASE were believed to have probably been aircraft, and the bright lights such reflections. e. There was no valid reason for the attempt to relate the objects in the Tremonton sighting to those in the Great Falls sight- ing. This may have been due to…

k. Hand "jitter" frequencies (obtainable from early part of Tremonton film) were not removed from the plots of the "single pass plots" at the end of the film. The Panel believed strongly that the data available on this sighting was sufficient for positive identification if furth…

POTENTIAL RELATED DANGERS The Panel Members were in agreement with O/SI opinion that, although evidence of any direct threat from these sightings was wholly lacking, related dangers might well exist resulting from: a. Misidentification of actual enemy artifacts by defense perso…

awareness of security measures near such locations. On the other hand, there had been no sightings in the vicinity of sensitive related AE establishments while there were occasionally multiple cases of unexplained sightings in non-strategic areas. Furthermore, there appeared to b…

of the sky is now and has been for many years--under surveillance every clear night in several meteor and aurora observing programs as well as sky mapping programs at the various locations listed below. Although the attention of those astronomers is largely directed toward identi…

It was agreed by the Panel that no government-sponsored program of optical nation-wide sky patrol is worthwhile at the present time, and that the encouragement of amateur astronomers to undertake such a program might have the adverse effect of over-emphasizing "flying saucer" sto…

from the center of the screen, if it still appeared at all. Dr. Alvarez felt such a technical solution was simpler and would cost much less than a "doppler filter". UNEXPLAINED COSMIC RAY PHENOMENA Two reported cases were examined: one at Palomar Mountain, California, in Octobe…

levels in such education from enlisted personnel to command and research personnel. Relative emphasis and degree of explanation of different programs would correspond to the categories of duty (e.g., radar operators; pilots; control tower operators; Ground Observer Corps personne…

Mars", (a study in the psychology of panic, written about the famous Orson Welles radio broadcast in 1938) and has since performed advanced laboratory studies in the field of perception. The names of Don Marquis (University of Michigan) and Leo Rosten were mentioned as possibly s…

historical cases but the current ones. Recent cases are probably much more susceptible to explanation than older ones; first, because of ATIC's experience and, secondly, their knowledge of most plausible explanations. The Panel believed that some expansion of the ATIC effort woul…

would be the photographing of "pillow balloons" at different distances under similar weather conditions at the site. The help of one or two psychologists and writers and a subcontractor to produce training films would be necessary in addition. The Panel considered that ATIC's ef…

great influence on mass thinking if widespread sightings should occur. The apparent irresponsibility and the possible use of such groups for subversive purposes should be kept in mind. INCREASE IN NUMBER OF SIGHTINGS The consensus of the Panel was, based upon the history of the…

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NATIONAL MILITARY ESTABLISHMENT UNITED STATES OF AMERICA RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT BOARD WASHINGTON 25, D. C. Dear Mr. Becker: Confirming our brief conversation in the hall the other day, I enclose a MEMORANDUM from General Maxwell on the subject. We will advise you when we recei…

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT BOARD WASHINGTON 25, D. C. 4 November 1952 MEMORANDUM FOR CHAIRMAN, RDB SUBJECT: Radar Phantoms 1. At our conference here the other day with Mr. Becker, Mr.Clark and General Sanford, it was agreed that we wou…

13 October 1952 MEMORANDUM FOR: Deputy Director (Intelligence) SUBJECT: Flying Saucers 1. Flying unidentified objects (Flying Saucers) have been the subject of Air Force observation and analysis because of the possibility that such objects might conceivably be an attack on the U.…

5. Conclusions: a. The instigation of fundamental scientific research is the primary responsibility of the Defense Department. b The DCI should dispatch to Secretary Lovett/along the lines of the attached. The cover sheet explaining to the IAC why the proposed letter is submitted…

DRAFT COVER SHEET INTELLIGENCE ADVISORY COMMITTEE Flying Unidentified Objects (Flying Saucers) 1. Attached is a proposed letter to Secretary Lovett, from the DCI recommending the initiation of fundamental scientific research with respect to the nature and causes of unidentified f…

DRAFT LETTER MEMORANDUM FOR: Secretary of Defense [alternatively: The NSC] SUBJECT: Unidentified Flying Objects (Flying Saucers) 1. The IAC has reviewed the current situation concerning unidentified flying objects which have caused extensive speculation in the press and have b…

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