Declassified UFO / UAP Document
Investigations of Flying Saucers - Policy
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AI-Generated Summary
This file documents the RAAF's administrative policy and investigative procedures for UFO reports from 1953 to 1972. It highlights the RAAF's reliance on US findings, such as the Condon Report, to justify a skeptical stance and a reduction in investigative effort.
This file, titled 'Investigations of Flying Saucers - Policy' (554/1/30), documents the Royal Australian Air Force's (RAAF) administrative and policy approach to Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) between 1953 and 1972. The primary responsibility for investigating UFO reports in Australia rested with the RAAF, specifically the Directorate of Air Force Intelligence (DAFI). The file contains a series of internal minutes, policy directives, and correspondence with the public and other government bodies. The RAAF's stated purpose for these investigations was to determine if Australian airspace had been violated and if any threat to national security existed. However, the documents reveal that intense public interest and media coverage forced the RAAF to expand its investigative efforts beyond mere security concerns to provide credible explanations to the public. The file includes several iterations of 'Air Staff Instructions' (ASI) that outline the reporting procedures for RAAF units, emphasizing the need for detailed, scientific data. The RAAF frequently cited the US Air Force's 'Project Blue Book' and the 'Condon Report' as justification for its stance that UFOs did not pose a threat and that further extensive scientific study was not warranted. The correspondence shows the RAAF's frustration with the workload generated by public inquiries and its efforts to streamline the process, including the creation of standard reply templates and the delegation of investigation responsibilities to local RAAF bases. The file also contains summaries of reported sightings, which were periodically updated and made available to the public. By the late 1960s and early 1970s, the RAAF was actively seeking to reduce its effort in investigating UFO reports, citing the conclusions of the Condon Report and the termination of Project Blue Book by the USAF. The file reflects a bureaucratic attempt to manage a phenomenon that the military viewed as a nuisance rather than a genuine security or scientific concern.
The Condon report contends that there is nothing of an extra-terrestrial nature invading American airspace. If however you are a firm believer in life forms being existent on planets, other than earth, then it is possible to believe that these life forms have the technology capable of inter-planetary movement.
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Official Assessment
The RAAF maintains that the majority of UFO reports are explainable by natural phenomena, such as meteorological balloons, meteors, aircraft lights, or astronomical bodies. The Department of Air has assessed that 93 percent of reports are explainable by present scientific knowledge.
The RAAF is responsible for investigating UFO reports in Australia to determine if there is a threat to national security. Public interest has necessitated more thorough investigations than security alone would dictate. The RAAF relies on the Condon Report and USAF findings to conclude that further extensive study of UFOs is not justified.
Key Persons
- Kenneth ArnoldReported sighting of disc-shaped objects in June 1947
- Dr. Edward U. CondonDirector of the University of Colorado UFO study
- Mr. O. H. TurnerConducted a 1954 study on UFOs in Australia