Air Force Request to Declassify an OSI Paper on UFO's

This memorandum, dated 20 July 1966, documents a meeting between Mrs. Sara B. Hunt of the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force and D. B. Stevenson regarding an Air Force request to declassify the CIA/OSI 'Report of the Scientific Panel on Unidentified Flying Objects' from February 1953. Mrs. Hunt indicated that the request was prompted by a CBS Reports program aired on 12 May 1966, during which Dr. H. P. Robertson, the panel chairman, made references to CIA involvement in UFO analysis, triggering public reaction. A review of previous documentation revealed that Mr. Phil Strong had approved a similar request in December 1957, which resulted in a sanitized version of the report that omitted meeting minutes, case histories, and references to CIA involvement. Although the current Air Force request did not explicitly ask for additional declassification, Mrs. Hunt suggested that the Air Force intends to declassify all U.S. Government work on UFOs. The author advised Mrs. Hunt that further declassification would require significant deletions and recommended that the Air Force submit a formal second request for the specific minutes and case histories. The document concludes by noting that Mr. Loomis is holding the current request pending further contact from Mrs. Hunt.