Flying Saucers

This informal memorandum, dated August 1, 1952, and authored by Edward Tauss, provides an evaluation of 'flying saucer' reports for the Deputy Assistant Director/SI. The document notes that the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) has received between 1,000 and 2,000 reports. Tauss categorizes the majority of these as either 'phoney' or misidentifications of known U.S. military equipment, such as aircraft and weather balloons, or natural phenomena like meteorites, clouds, and light aberrations caused by thermal inversions. Despite this, the author acknowledges that fewer than 100 reports remain 'unexplainable' at the time of writing. These remaining reports lack a consistent pattern in size, configuration, performance, or location. Tauss argues that if more complete information were available, these remaining cases would likely fall into the same categories as the explained reports. Nevertheless, he advises that because interplanetary aspects and alien origins have not been definitively excluded, the CIA should maintain surveillance of the subject. He strongly cautions against allowing CIA interest in the matter to reach the public or the press, fearing that such disclosure might be interpreted as confirmation of the validity of these reports, thereby fueling public alarm. Finally, the author notes that he has arranged a comprehensive briefing at the Air Technical Intelligence Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, for August 8, 1952, to obtain further details for a subsequent analysis.