Minutes of Meeting of the Intelligence Advisory Committee, 4 December 1952

This document contains the minutes from the Intelligence Advisory Committee (IAC) meeting held on December 4, 1952, at the Central Intelligence Agency. The meeting was chaired by Mr. Robert Amory, Jr., the Acting Deputy Director (Intelligence). Among the agenda items was a discussion regarding 'Unidentified Flying Objects.' The committee reached two primary decisions concerning this topic. First, the Director of Central Intelligence was directed to enlist the services of selected scientists to review and appraise the available evidence on the subject in light of pertinent scientific theories. Second, the Director was tasked with drafting and circulating a proposed National Security Council Intelligence Directive (NSCID) to signify IAC concern and authorize coordination with appropriate non-IAC departments and agencies. During the discussion, Mr. Amory presented the request that the subject be discussed informally. Dr. H. Marshall Chadwell provided a brief review of the evidence and peripheral considerations, noting that the majority of the available evidence was being processed by the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC). Major General John A. Samford, representing the United States Air Force, offered his full cooperation. The committee recognized that the problem was best approached by directly relating it to specific problems of intelligence and defense. It was deemed desirable that the scientific review be undertaken immediately, with the proposed NSCID contingent upon the results achieved by the scientists' studies.