Memorandum for the Director of Central Intelligence: Unidentified Flying Objects

This memorandum, dated December 13, 1952, is addressed to the Director of Central Intelligence regarding the subject of Unidentified Flying Objects. It serves as an amplification of previous references, specifically a request from the Director and a memorandum from the Assistant Director of Scientific Intelligence (AD/SI) dated December 10, 1952. The document notes that a preliminary review of the USAF investigation into the subject has been completed, and additional information regarding recent incidents has been appended as Tab A. The memorandum details a visit made on December 12, 1952, to the Air Technical Intelligence Center by AD/SI, Dr. H. P. Robertson (a consultant), and Mr. F. C. Durant of the Operations Staff/SI. During this visit, the group was briefed on the current status of the investigation and obtained copies of selected case studies and progress reports for detailed study. The document concludes that there is no reasonable evidence to suggest that the objects sighted are of foreign origin. Furthermore, it states that while the objects do not currently represent a direct threat to national defense, there are potential dangers associated with the sightings. Consequently, O/SI is moving forward with plans to convene a small group of top-level consultants—experts in physics (specifically radar and upper atmosphere), astrophysics, and astronomy—to review the evidence and provide recommendations on investigation methodology, future data instrumentation, rapid identification methods, and the potential need for a larger panel. The memorandum notes that the convening of a larger, more diverse panel is being deferred at this time due to the current lack of sufficient and complete data.