Flying Saucers

This memorandum, dated October 2, 1952, from the Assistant Director of the Office of Scientific Intelligence (OSI) to the Director of Central Intelligence, addresses the national security implications of 'flying saucers.' The document notes that since 1947, the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) had received approximately 1,500 official reports of sightings. The OSI concludes that the current ATIC approach—which focuses on case-by-case explanations—is inadequate for addressing the broader implications of the phenomenon. The document identifies two primary areas of concern: mass psychological effects on the public and the vulnerability of the United States to air attack, noting that the U.S. Air Warning System cannot currently distinguish between 'phantom' radar returns and actual enemy aircraft. The author recommends that the Director of Central Intelligence advise the National Security Council to initiate a coordinated, community-wide effort to study the phenomenon. Furthermore, the document suggests that a study group be formed, potentially involving the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, to analyze the fundamental nature of the sightings and develop a national policy to minimize public panic. The memorandum emphasizes that the Soviet Union's silence on the subject in their state-controlled press raises questions about whether these phenomena could be utilized for psychological warfare.