Meeting of OSI Advisory Group on UFO

This memorandum, dated January 21, 1953, summarizes the findings of an ad hoc panel of scientific consultants convened by the CIA's Office of Scientific Intelligence (OSI) between January 14 and 17, 1953, to review the 'Unidentified Flying Objects' problem. The panel included distinguished scientists such as Dr. Robertson, Dr. Luiz-Alvarez, Dr. S. Goudsmit, Dr. Thornton Page, and Dr. J.A. Hynek. The meeting was attended by various OSI staff members and representatives from ATIC, the Navy photo interpretation lab, and the Air Force Directorate of Intelligence. The panel reached four primary conclusions. First, they determined that there was no evidence to suggest that UFOs posed a physical threat to the security of the United States. Second, they found no evidence that UFOs utilized any unknown fundamental scientific principles. Third, the panel concluded that the subject of UFOs was not of direct intelligence interest, though it remained of indirect interest regarding the general mysteries of the universe. Finally, the panel identified that UFOs were of operational interest for three specific reasons: the potential for interference with air defense through intentional enemy jamming or the inability of personnel to distinguish between radar anomalies and actual aircraft; the potential for interference with air defense communication lines; and the possibility that an enemy could utilize UFOs as a psychological offensive to reduce the defense effort of the general public. The document notes that these conclusions do not specifically address the needs presented in the attached Appendix A, and that further comments would be provided in a subsequent written statement to the Assistant Director for Scientific Intelligence (AD/SI).