Nothing But the Facts on UFOs or Which Novosti Writer Do You Read?

This document, dated April 9, 1968, serves as an intelligence assessment regarding the conflicting narratives on Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) presented by the Soviet news agency, Novosti (APN). The document highlights two specific articles disseminated by the agency: one by Felix Zigel, an assistant professor at the Moscow Aviation Institute, who treats the subject of UFOs with scientific seriousness, and another by Villen Lyustiberg, an APN science commentator, who characterizes flying saucers as a myth and a form of Western propaganda intended to distract from political failures. The assessment notes the irony that the same agency would provide such contradictory material to its readership. The document includes the full text of Lyustiberg's article, which dismisses UFO sightings as either misidentified natural phenomena, hoaxes, or deliberate fabrications by Western powers to divert public attention from issues like the Vietnam War or economic instability. Additionally, the document contains a reproduction of an article by Felix Zigel, which details various sightings and advocates for a serious scientific investigation into the phenomenon. The document concludes by observing that the Soviet media's approach to the subject appears to be inconsistent, reflecting a broader lack of consensus or a deliberate strategy of providing varied information to different audiences.