Declassified UFO / UAP Document
California Committee for Saucer Investigation
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AI-Generated Summary
This memorandum outlines the investigative methods of the California Committee for Saucer Investigation (CSI) and reports on their plan to conduct a hoax in Los Angeles to test public reporting reliability. It also identifies Dr. Walter Riedel, a rocket scientist at North American Aviation, as an associate of the group.
This February 9, 1953, office memorandum from the Chief of the Contact Division to the Assistant for Operations, OJI, details the activities of the California Committee for Saucer Investigation (CSI). The document reports that Dr. Walter Riedel, a former Chief Designer at the German Experimental Rocket Center and current project engineer at North American Aviation, provided information regarding the group's methodology. According to the memorandum, the CSI is composed of private individuals who systematically investigate reports of unidentified aerial phenomena. They claim to have discarded 75% of reports as requiring no further action, while subjecting the remaining 25% to rigorous investigation, including the verification of witness accounts and the calculation of sighting details. The document highlights a specific project by the CSI: a planned hoax in the Los Angeles area, specifically over Malibu, intended to test public reaction and the reliability of reporting details. Furthermore, the memorandum notes that interest in saucer sightings is also present within the American Rocket Society, citing a paper by George F. Sutton. Finally, it is mentioned that the National aeronautical association suggested that Dr. Riedel disassociate himself from the CSI.
CSI has been in operation some years, composed of private individuals intrigued and scientifically interested in finding an explanation for "saucer" phenomena.
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Official Assessment
The California Committee for Saucer Investigation (CSI) is composed of private individuals interested in finding explanations for saucer phenomena. They claim to have investigated numerous reports, discarding 75% as requiring no further follow-up. The remaining 25% are investigated with significant attention to detail. The CSI planned a hoax in the Los Angeles area in January 1953 to test public reaction and the reliability of reports.
Key Persons
- Walter RiedelFormer Chief Designer at the German Experimental Rocket Center, Project Engineer at North American Aviation
- George F. SuttonAerophysics Department, North American Aviation, Inc.