Correspondence Regarding Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) and RCAF Policy (1947-1964)

This document file contains a collection of correspondence, memos, and reports spanning from 1947 to 1964, primarily concerning the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) policy on Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs). The documents reveal a consistent government stance: the RCAF, in cooperation with the United States Air Force (USAF), maintained a reporting system for 'unidentified flying objects' that were considered to be of defence interest. The correspondence includes numerous letters from Canadian citizens reporting sightings, to which the RCAF responded by acknowledging receipt and, in some cases, requesting further details or directing the reports to the appropriate authorities, such as the Defence Research Board or the RCMP. The documents also highlight the existence of specific protocols, such as JANAP 146(D) and Air Force Regulation 200-2, which governed the reporting of vital intelligence sightings. Throughout the period, the RCAF maintained that it was not their policy to withhold information from the public unless it was in the national interest, and they consistently sought to explain sightings as natural phenomena, conventional aircraft, or hoaxes. The file also contains internal discussions regarding the formation of committees to study the phenomenon and the handling of inquiries from organizations like NICAP (National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena).