Current Status of Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) Project

This memorandum, dated December 17, 1953, provides a status update on the Air Force's Unidentified Flying Objects (UFO) project. The Physics and Electronics Division of Scientific Intelligence reports that the project, now known as Project Bluebook, has seen a reduction in emphasis. Responsibility for the project is in the process of being transferred from the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) to the Air Defense Command (ADC). The document notes that the Air Force's current interest is limited, with the project primarily serving to maintain files and provide liaison. Staffing at ATIC is minimal, consisting of one officer, Captain Charles A. Hardin, and one airman. Field investigations are no longer conducted by ATIC, with such duties now falling to the Air Defense Command and the Airways and Air Communications Service. The memorandum details an effort to equip radar sites and control towers with 35mm cameras to document sightings, though it notes that many of the gratings for these cameras were defective. Furthermore, a comprehensive statistical study of sightings from 1947 to 1952, titled Project STORK, is expected to be completed by December 15, 1953. The document also briefly mentions that the Navy and Army have shown little interest in the subject. Finally, the memorandum addresses the impact of recent publications, specifically books by Keyhoe, Leslie, and Adamicki, which the authors characterize as fraudulent and sensationalist, noting that these works take advantage of the official status of the project to promote the idea of extraterrestrial origins.