Memorandum for the Director of Central Intelligence: Unidentified Flying Objects

This document is a memorandum dated December 2, 1952, from H. Marshall Chadwell, the Assistant Director of Scientific Intelligence at the Central Intelligence Agency, to the Director of Central Intelligence. The memorandum outlines the agency's efforts to address the issue of Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs). It notes that since 1947, approximately 2000 official reports of sightings had been received, with roughly 20 percent remaining unexplained. The CIA concluded that these sightings, which involved objects at great altitudes traveling at high speeds near major U.S. defense installations, were not attributable to natural phenomena or known aerial vehicles. The document highlights the need for a coordinated research effort to ensure that these phenomena do not interfere with national security or the U.S. early warning system. To this end, the CIA proposed the establishment of a consulting group of sufficient competence to review the matter. The memorandum includes a draft National Security Council (NSC) directive, which would authorize the Director of Central Intelligence to formulate and carry out a program of intelligence and research activities to solve the problem of positive identification of these objects. The document emphasizes that this effort should be coordinated with the military services, the Research and Development Board, and the Psychological Strategy Board.