USAF Histo . I ASI(ASHAF- a Archives Maxwell AFB AI ~Total UFO Sightings Number of UF0 s Explained FIGURE 1 UFO Sight!ngs by Year records s how that 701 sightings were recorded between Oct ober and December of that year. Historical Sighting s of Aerial Phenomena ?rior t o the so-calleci "modern era (i.P.., post- 1947) of UFO activity,unexplained flyinP. objects were reported less frequently. Peaks o f activity are discernible in t he 1882- 1886 period, os welJ as in 1887, 1906 and 1909 (see Figure 2). Written sources, ranging from ancient manuscripts to noted n ewspape r s tell of pre-twentieth century UFO sig htings; Jacques Vallee, a utho r o f Anatomy of a Phenomenon, has assemble d a file of more than J OO such r eports f or that period. After 1800, s ightings became mo r e numerous a nd were bette r doc- umented , bo th in the public and professional press. The explanations o f such phenomena involved much conjecture, but observers increasingly sought rational c riteria against which t o test observations. great lesson of western civilizat i on is that such a relation, between natural phenomena, cannot be adequately understood on the basis of introspection, speculati on or superstition, but requires investigation . methods and techniques of investigation are what we mean by science. 11/ Identification of Flying Objects (versus UFOs) To evaluate UFO sighting s , the Air Force has established categories of identification, based upon previous experience that usually permits conversion o f an unidentified flying object to an identifiable one: Aircraft - -evaluations are made on the basi s of des- cription and flight characteristics. Essential performance element s are delineated for conventional, jet, photo, and acivertising aircraft; helicopters, and refueling missions . YEARL:i NUMBER OF UFQ IlliPORTS - -1815-1915 Chart reproduced with p&rmission of Henry Regnery Company, from ~ bT Jacques Vall e e (Chicago, 1965), followi ng Balloons --evaluations are made on the basis of descrip- tion and flight characteristics. Essential perfo rmance elements are delineated for weather (low level) balloons , upper research balloons, other research balloons (e. g., pillow$ cluster, mylar), ann miscellaneous (toy, "hot alr") balloons. Astronom1cal s ightings - -bright stars, planets , cornet s , fireballs, meteors$ auroral streamer s , etc. Satellites --evaluation will be basen on four elements of data~ time of sighting, description of object, directi on of flight, and duration of sighting. Other - -missiles~ reflections, mirages , searchlights, birds, spur l.ous radar indications, fireworks, flares. Those UFO reports which are not relegated to one of the "Identified" categories (a bove) are desi gn a ted either under "Insufficient Data" o r as "Unidentified" . Repor~s categorized as "Insufficient Data" lack one or mor e elements of cri t1.cal inform.at;.on : every effort i s made to obtain this data in o r der to perform a mean1.ngful analysis. sighting is consider ed to be "Unidentifi ed" when "a report apparently contains all pertinent data necessary to suggest a valid hypothesis concern- ing the cause or explanation of the report but the description of the object o r its motion cannot be correlated with any known object o r phenomenon." The role of the analyst who must evaluat e the sighting r eports is especially demanding because: attempted identification of the phenomena observed is generally derived from human impress ions and int~r pretations and not from scientific devices or measure- The French student of UFO's, Vallee, agrees, but cautions that "We must analyze the evidence a lready gathered in such a way that we neither pre- suppose nor preexclude any possible conclusion." U.S. GOVERNMENT M)NITORING OF UFO ACTIVITY As the result of the flurry of sightings throughout the United States following Arnold' s observation o f several disc- shaped objects, a letter wa s sent S~ptember 23 1947 by Lt. G~n~ Nathan Twining, Commander of thP Air Materiel Co~, to the Office of Chief of Staff of the U S. Air Force, expressing the opinion that there was "sufficient subst ance to th(> reports to Yarrant detailed study. " On December 30, 1947 the Chief of Staff , Gen. Carl Spaatz, nirected Gen. Joseph T. McNarney, Chief of the Air Materiel Command , to establi s h a special project for the purpose of collecting, collating, evaluating , and distributJ.nP' informat-ion concerning UFO sightings. Thus "Project Sign" came into being on February 11, FJ48. A!r Force Establish~.s. a Special Project In February of 1949, the Project Sign report was publi3hed, stating that on the basis of 243 of the "bes t documented" reports stud1ed, "no definite evidence Yas available to confirm or di sprove the actual existence of unidentified flying objects a s new and un known types of a i rcraft." On December 16, 1948, the project name was changed t o "Grudge"; the conclusions reached aft~r studying 244 reports (best documented) was tha t t he phenomena presented no t hreat t o the security of the United States and t hat the vast majority of sightings were misinterpretations of conventional objects. The nevl y formed Department of the Air For ce, then, wo.s designated as the Federal Go vernment ' s instrument for "inve s - tigating repor-ts on unidentified flyi ng objeGts and of evaluating any possible threat to our nationa l securit y tha t such obJects might pose." March, 1952, the Air Force project name became "Project Blue Book~, which remains its current official desirnation. The objectives of Project Blue Book a r e t wofold: first, to determine whether u:~s pose a threat to the security of the United States ; and second, t o determine whet her Ul''Os exhibit any technology which nical research." unique scientific information o r advanced coulrl contribute to scientific or tech- Investigator Procedures When a sip,hting i3 r eporten, it i s the r esponsibility of the air ba3e commander closest to t he scene to investigate the occurrence, inter- view the witness(es), and complete the requisite form. The documenta- tion (FTD Form 164) is forwarde~ to the Aerial Phenomena Branch, Foreign Technology Division,.Air Force Systems Command at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. There it is carefully r eviewerl by Project Blue Book personnel, and a check is made, as appropriate , with the cognizant specialty groups notec below If a second investigation is deemed necessary, e~ther Air Force or consultant personnel visit the scene of the incident, and submit a further report. Since 1955, Project Blue Book continues to investigate only those sightings which are reported either directly to the Air Force, or via some law enforcement agency. Only sightings within the continental United States are included in these investigatory efforts. Informa- tion is prepared by the USAF Office of Information for the general public in the form of news releases and "Fact Sheets" Consultants Provide E~ertise in Many A~as In the day-to-day treatment of UFO signtings, the Air Force team utilizes the expertise of many organizations and individuals (see Figure 3 ) . For astronomical sightings, such scientists as Dr. J. Allen Hynek, Dr. Charles P. Olivier, and Dr. Donald Menzel are used; also, the staffs of scientific magazines (Sky and Telescope, etc.) are Figure 3 : REPO -'--"U, INVESTIGATING, AND ANALYZ U.F'O SIGHT lNGS SIGHTING ( ; REPORT 1 ! LAW OFFIC~S ~ ~ SERVICE OR ~ PRIVATE UFO P ORGANIZATIONS~ : NEWS MEDIA i AND PUBLIC FED~ ~ OFFICIALS 1 GOVERNM.i::NT / . AERIAL PH8NOMENA ./'/.-BRANCH, WRIGHT- P U B L I C -.... . FORCE BAS~ OHIO SPECIALISTS ; AIR TRAFFIC i ' CONTROLLERS FAA, NASA, INVESTIGATION LOCAL AIR OTHEil GOVT .- -.. --COMP::::LATION --E'ORC<!. BASE Am'lfCIES ANALYSIS ~ INVEST 1CA'l'OR SPECIALISTS CONSULT ANTS queried. In the case of ~spected aircraft sightings, contact is made with the Air Defense Command, the Strategic Air Command, local airports, and the Federal Aviation Agency. Balloon sightings are referred to one or more of the following: Balloon Control Center (Holloman AFB) , U.S. Weather Bureau (Ashville, N.C.), local airports and weather stations, and various industries (e. g . , General Mills) and univ~rsities which are conducting balloon research activities. Satellite information i s checked by reference to printed ECHO (the large reflector satellite) schedules, NASA satellite reports, Smithsonian North and South Equatorial Crossings, and the Space Detection and Tracking Systems (SPADATS). Missile information is obtained by contacting Cape Kennedy (Fla.), Vandenberg AFB (Calif.), Point Magu (Calif.), Wallops Island (Va.), or military units involved in special exercises. Special Air Force analytical groups, and on occasion Eastman Kodak Co., handle the technical aspects of radar sightings and most photographic reports. Physical specimens suspected of connection with the sightings are processed by such groups as Battelle Memorial Institute (ceramics), th~ Air Force Materiel Laboratory, the U.S. Food &nd Drug Administration, Libby Owens and Corning Fibreglass companies. (glass), and certain academic groups (e.g., Northwestern University Department of Geology). Ir add1 h.on tc .n '1vuse. stuales the A1 r Force contracted w1 th 'm lrdt<~"t:.. -b.:'.. ~vnsult.ant ~n 19~1. ::.or e.l". in'ieperdEmt a~ta1ys ... s lea~1ng to~ dateo Ma.v "i Thr::: mef:nodology .l~.e -n '.hP preparation of tn:!.s roport Scientific Ad...,~so!'y Panel cbaired by thE> late Dr H P Robe::--tson (Califor- ma. inst:l ":.ute of Techno Logy)~ Thi.s five-man panel rn"'t d'..lring r.ne week of Januar.Y 1/, 19~'> anr1 examined "'S of thP bes-t. document.er:l UFO C!lSP.S ThP. panel ~onclu.dec. tr.e.t t.hP phenomena presented , o thrF>at to th~ securl ty of t.he Un1ted S-r.ates~ It furtner recommended that the Air Force depr1ve the p=oject of ~+.s special satus: which would a1d ~n decreasing the myst.ery attached t.o VH:: subJe..:.:~. News re:Leases and all matters deal1ng "n. th the pt..blJ.c wc1.~ld be handl<:~rl Ly the O!'f:!.ce of InformatloT1 at the Secretary ~r terce e;tnl.Lavion ~L' -!: A1r Fore~ R~gulat1on 200- 2 (see Appe~dix A) was issued which established the re?pons1b:!.lity and pro-::eaure!l for reporting infor- mation and e,idence on UFO s and for releas1ng information to the gen- e ral publi::o regulatior. estsbli.shed tl"e UFO Pro~ram to 1nvest1gate end analyze UFO's ov~r the United Stateso Such 1nv-est~ga'tion and analysis are d1rl!ctly re r.att1 t.o A tr ~orce responsibility for ~he defense ~r the Un1t~d States. ~ A quest~onnmre (see Append1x B) was prepare~ for use in documenting sightings of -..midentified aerial phenomenon~ ~ntitled "U. S Air Force Technical Information" (FTD Form 164). The essential elements of infer- mation to be reported by observers include such items as time and place of sighting~ wea~r condit i ons obje ct size and motion, and location of observer. Pr ocedures were established --JANAP 146 , Cirvis , Merint -- t o guide the other military services in reporting UFO sightings. Special Repo~ No . J.4 Throughout the period of preparation of Special Report No. 14 by the industrial consultant study team~ emphasis was placed on a step- by-step, rational analysis of sighting data, and care was taken to place the reports in a standardized~ carefully structured form. A prJcedure then was devel- oped for reducing the data t o useable f orm to be accomplished in four major steps: a systematic listing of the factors necessary t o evaluate the observer and his report, and t o i dentify the unknown object observe d a standard scheme f o r t he transfer of data to a mechanized computation system an o r derly means of relating the original datA t o all subsequent. f'onns a consistent procedure f or the identification of the phenomenon described by the original data. 27/ A questionnaire form and a coding s ystem with appropriate wor k sheets were designed and a serial numberi ng system was established for sighting data. Key terminology t hen was agreed u pon, with the term "Unit Sighting" referring t o the a ctual sightingp and "Object.Sighting" referring t o the assumed number of phenomena. Evaluation of sighting report s in preparation of data for later sta- tistical treatment has been consi dered to be critical. The standardized procedure in Specitl RePQtt No 14 featured: THE LIBRARY OF CON~ LEGISLATIVE REFERENCE FACTS ABOUT UNIDill{TIFIED FLYING OBJECTS Robert L. Chartrand Specialist in Science and Technology Science Policy Research Division Assisted By: William E. Brown Analyst i n Science and Technology Science Policy Research Division Washington, D.C. 1) the dedt..~cticn o f d1screte facts from data which depended vn human ~.r1pressior:s rather t: han scl ~m~ 1f::.~ mea:.sutem~nts 2) t~e rating of the otsP.rver ar .. d his report as determined available information 3) the determ:r,at2cn of t.he probable ldent:..hcatl.on of the phenomenon observed. ~ Categories of iden+.i.fi.::-a't!..on included~ ba:l.loon astronom..!.cal aircraft~ light phenomenon~ birds~ clouds (::lust., etc.). 1nsuff1c1en't :nforma.tion~ psychological manifestations~ unkno..,;n and u:ner. Identifications were performed in t\Jo phases :t first. by the J.nch Vldual who first. made the transcription o! the sighting data~ and second by a cvnference of four persons (two from the Alr Force t"'o from an outside : onsultaot group) in order to ma.xiiTl.lze obje.!tivity and tnoroughr-ess ir. the handl1ng of this Thus, the study team worked to ensure that the ccllection, collation, and interpretation of sighting da~a were performed according to the proper procedures. The relationship between the observed fact. per se and the subsequ ent int:erpretat.ion is noted ';)y Menz,el and Boyd: In the st~dy of UFO phenvmena tn1s question of "evicen:e is cruc1aL The careful 1nvestigator : .ries always to distinguish sharply between an observed fact.~ \Jh1ch is evidence: and an inter.pretat1on of that fact not evidence no matter now reasonable j_t, may seem W Vallee~ in h1s discussiou of repOrt handling, goes one step further in urging that "the two operations -ma~ntaining a fil"! of reports 1n accordance wit.h offic1al regulat.ions a~d doing reBearch on the informa- tion contained in the reports -s hould be very clearly separated, and s eparate codes should be used~" To best analyze s1ghting data on un1dentifi~d aer1al objects, Special Report No. 14 declares that the Air Force should engage in a systematic sorting and tabulation program t o give frequency and percentage distribu- tions of the important characteristics of siRhtings. '' In this way, sorting> counting , and tabulating o f information from the punched card abst:::-acts could be executted, and further, any emerging patterns or trends might b~ tdentified and used in future, more sophisticated treat- men~ using statistical methods. ttempts t o Create a "Flying Saucer An attempt to discern meaningful trends and patterns in UFO sight- i ngs t hen was made by analyzing the descriptions of t he physical appear- ance, flight characteristics, and other significant attributes of var- iou s classes of UFOs, Of the 434 object sightings identified a s ''Un- knowns"~ only 12 were described in enough detai l that they could s~rve as the basis for the creation of a "flying saucer model sigh~ing da t a did, however, sometimescoincide with certain features of the reported UFOs in these four categories. Thes e 12 sightings could be placed in four categories on the basis of thei r shapes : Figure 4-Propeller Shape Aircraft Shapes '../indshi ~ld- Light ed Windo~s-----r Ci g!lr Shapes Flashi ng light Elliptical or Disc Shapes Fi gure ll (Si de View) Elliptical or Disc Shapes As a ~esult of s~udyire 1ntensively t he 12 subject case s , the study t earr was unable to develop a ver1f~erl mor1el cf .!! flying sauc'!r " . How- ever .. '~:.he four cak.egor!.e s of r eported fly 1ng obJ~Cts (as sho\ITl i n Figures 4 t.h~ough 12) did evolve a nd could be us ed f o r fut u r e refer~nces. The conclu sions contai ned in Special Repor t No . 1:4 not ed t hat: i t is conside r ea to be highly i mprobable that reports unidentified aerial objects examined in this study represent ob5ervations of technological developments utside of the r a nge of pr e sent-day scientific know- It is emphasized that there has b een a complete lack of any valid evidence of phys1cal matter in any case of a report ed unidentified aerial ob j ect. l2/ Ad Eoc Co;7l..r:-C. t tee o.L' US.\2 Scie:>. tific Advisoa Bog~ Early i n 1966~ an ad hoc. committee o f the USAF Scientific Advisory Board reviewed the r esource s and methods of investigation prescribed by roject Blue Book, at the request of Maj. Gen. E .. B. LeBailly, Secretary of the Air Force Office o f Information. After review1ng the findings of the 1953 Robertson panel~ and hearing briefings by Ai r For ce Proj ect Blue Book pers onnel p the committee t ne n reviewed sel ected case histories of UrU sightings. The committee felt that it was significant that i n spite of thousands of hour s of a stronomica l observation a nd photographic coverage, "not a ingle unidentif i ec obj