Flying Saucers

This memorandum, dated September 24, 1952, from the Assistant Director of the Office of Scientific Intelligence (OSI) to the Director of Central Intelligence, addresses the national security implications of 'unidentified flying objects' or 'flying saucers.' The document reports that an inquiry was conducted to determine if the current research into these phenomena was adequate. The OSI found that the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base was the only government unit devoting significant effort to the subject, but that their work was limited to a case-by-case explanation of individual sightings. The report notes that since 1947, ATIC had received approximately 1,500 official reports, with 25 percent of those received between January and July 1952 remaining unexplained. The OSI concluded that the current approach was insufficient to resolve the situation on an overall basis. The document identifies two primary dangers: first, the potential for mass hysteria among the public, which could be exploited by the Soviet Union for psychological warfare; and second, the vulnerability of the United States to air attack, as the current Air Warning System might struggle to distinguish between 'phantom' radar returns and actual enemy aircraft or missiles. The author recommends that the Director of Central Intelligence advise the National Security Council to initiate a more comprehensive, community-wide coordinated effort to study the phenomena, including the formation of a specialized study group. The document suggests that experts, such as those at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, could be involved in this research to better understand the fundamental nature of the phenomena and to develop a national policy for public information to minimize panic.