Memorandum: Unidentified Flying Saucers (UFO)

This memorandum, dated June 11, 1957, addresses inquiries regarding the status of Unidentified Flying Saucer (UFO) research within the CIA. The document clarifies that responsibility for UFO monitoring remains with the Air Force and the CIA. Within the CIA, the Office of Scientific Intelligence (OSI), specifically the DD/I/OSI Phil Strong, is responsible for this oversight. The document recounts a 1952 study conducted by an OSI-formed panel, which included notable scientists such as Lloyd Berkner, H. P. Robertson, Sam Goudsmit, Luis Alvarez, and Thornton Page. Following this study, OSI maintained a watching process, with reports on natural phenomena directed to the Geo-Physics Unit and hardware-related reports directed to the former Weapons Unit of the Applied Science Division. The author notes that very little significant information has been received in the years since the 1952 study, with the exception of a reported sighting in the Soviet Caucasus. Regarding Soviet capabilities, the document states that there is no evidence of Soviet construction of flying saucer aircraft, though the Applied Science Division and ATIC continue to monitor for radical aeronautical designs. Finally, the document mentions a sensitive British-Canadian project involving a flying saucer prototype, described as having jets on the circumference that shift from a vertical position for take-off to a horizontal position for forward flight, designed for operations at 60,000 feet or better.