Department of Civil Aviation File 21/1/387: Unidentified Aerial Phenomena

This document file, numbered 21/1/387, contains a collection of correspondence, internal memoranda, and reports compiled by the Australian Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) between 1961 and 1965 regarding Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) or Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs). The file serves as a record of how the Australian government handled public reports of unusual aerial sightings during this period. The primary procedure established by the DCA was to acknowledge receipt of reports from the public, verify if any civil aviation movements could account for the sightings, and then refer the reports to the Royal Australian Air Force (R.A.A.F.) for further investigation. The DCA consistently maintained that they had no record of civil aircraft movements that could explain the reported phenomena. The reports included in the file are diverse, ranging from sightings of lights in the sky by residents in Western Australia and South Australia to radar sightings at Brisbane Airport and reports from New Guinea. For instance, a report from Mr. P. Hall Robb in 1965 detailed multiple sightings of lights over the metropolitan coastline, which the Department of Air suggested might have been RAAF Vampire night flying exercises. Another report from Mr. D. H. Schultz in 1962 described a strange craft flying low over the Coorong Beach. The file also includes correspondence with international inquirers, such as Mr. John Laval from the United States, who sought information on the official Australian government policy regarding UFOs. The DCA's responses to these inquiries were generally cautious, emphasizing that the R.A.A.F. was the agency responsible for handling such reports. Throughout the documents, there is a recurring theme of the DCA's inability to provide definitive explanations for the sightings, often citing a lack of substantive data, the passage of time, or the absence of civil aviation activity. The file concludes with various administrative notes and internal routing slips, documenting the archival process of these reports.