Consultants for Advisory Panel on Unidentified Flying Objects

This memorandum, dated January 9, 1953, from the Assistant Director of Scientific Intelligence to the Director of Central Intelligence, outlines the formal request to enlist Dr. Luis W. Alvarez and Dr. Thornton Page as ad hoc consultants for the O/SI Advisory Panel on Unidentified Flying Objects. The panel was scheduled to convene on January 14, 1953. The document references a decision made during the IAC meeting on December 4, 1952, which mandated that the Agency enlist selected scientists to review and appraise available evidence regarding unidentified flying objects. The author justifies the selection of Dr. Alvarez based on his expertise in radar operation, characteristics, and anomalies, and Dr. Page based on his background as an astronomer and astrophysicist who had given considerable thought to the subject. The memorandum notes that a check of the Consultants' Registry indicated that currently employed consultants lacked the necessary qualifications or were unavailable. The proposed compensation for the consultants was set at $50.00 per day. The document includes approval signatures, including that of H. Marshall Chadwell, and indicates that the use of these individuals on matters classified as SECRET had been approved by the appropriate security authorities.