Memorandum for Assistant to the Director: Enquiry by Major Donald E. Keyhoe

This memorandum, dated January 22, 1958, from the Chief of the Contact Division, Office of Operations, to the Assistant to the Director, addresses the persistent inquiries of Major Donald E. Keyhoe (Ret), Director of NICAP. Keyhoe had been seeking confirmation on whether the CIA had instructed witnesses of unidentified flying objects to remain silent regarding their sightings. The document references a previous memorandum from March 13, 1958, in which Keyhoe expressed concern over reports that witnesses were being interrogated by CIA representatives and subsequently told to keep silent. The document details the Agency's internal deliberations on how to handle Keyhoe's requests. It notes that Keyhoe has a reputation for being 'overenthusiastic' about UFOs. The proposed strategy for responding to Keyhoe is to avoid providing specific information and instead ask him to clarify his reasons for the inquiry. The memorandum includes a draft reply to Keyhoe, which states that the Agency does not normally provide information outside of official channels and requests that he explain why he requires the information. Furthermore, the document notes that a check of Agency records conducted on April 17, 1958, confirmed that no CIA employee had ever ordered a UFO witness to remain silent about their observations. The document concludes by recommending that this approach be adopted to address Keyhoe's persistent questioning.