Report on Conversations With Soviet Scientists on Subject of Unidentified Flying Objects in the USSR

This Central Intelligence Agency information report, dated August 18, 1967, details conversations held with Soviet scientists regarding the subject of Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) within the USSR. The report indicates that there is generally little official interest in the UFO phenomenon within the Soviet scientific community. Several scientists interviewed expressed skepticism, with some noting that they were aware of sightings but viewed them as misidentifications of natural phenomena or man-made objects. One scientist mentioned a sighting of a 'curious, reddish object' that was determined to be neither a satellite nor a meteorite, though the observer could not be specific about its nature. Another instance involved a report of ball lightning, which was later identified as reflections of automobile headlights on an inversion layer. The document highlights that while some individual scientists expressed interest, they were often dissatisfied with existing literature, such as the book by Menzel, which had been translated into Russian. The report concludes that there is no official treatment of the UFO problem in the USSR, and that Soviet scientists are generally influenced by the official ridicule associated with the subject, despite some individual curiosity.