Comments on Letters Dealing with Unidentified Flying Objects

This memorandum, dated April 4, 1958, from the Chief of the Applied Science Division, SI, to the Assistant Director of Scientific Intelligence, addresses inquiries from Leon Davidson and Donald E. Keyhoe regarding the 1953 Scientific Intelligence Advisory Panel on Unidentified Flying Objects. The document explains that the panel, which included scientists H. P. Robertson, Luis W. Alvarez, Lloyd V. Berkner, S. A. Goudsmit, and Thornton Page, was convened in January 1953 to evaluate potential threats to national security. The memorandum notes that the panel's report was originally classified Secret. The author discusses the concerns of the panel members and the CIA regarding the disclosure of their involvement, specifically noting that they did not want their names associated with the CIA in the declassified version of the report. The document also addresses the fact that the public, including individuals like Mike Wallace, had obtained copies of the report, leading to confusion regarding the panel's mission. The memorandum concludes by recommending that the Air Force handle the inquiries to avoid revealing the association between the panel members and the CIA. Attached to the memorandum is the original report of the Scientific Intelligence Advisory Panel, which concludes that there is no evidence that UFOs constitute a direct physical threat to national security and recommends that the government take steps to reduce the public mystery surrounding the phenomena.