Correspondence regarding declassification of the Scientific Advisory Panel on Unidentified Flying Objects report

This correspondence, authored by Philip G. Strong, Deputy Assistant Director, is addressed to Dr. Thornton Page of Johns Hopkins University. The letter concerns the declassification of a report produced by the Scientific Advisory Panel on Unidentified Flying Objects, which was constituted in January 1953. The panel included Dr. H. P. Robertson as Chairman, along with Samuel Goudsmit, Luis W. Alvarez, Lloyd V. Berkner, and Dr. Page. The Air Force had requested that the conclusions of the report be declassified for use in the press. Strong notes that he has discussed the matter with Dr. Robertson and Dr. Goudsmit, who agree that the conclusion in paragraph 4a can be declassified. However, the Agency and the aforementioned panel members do not agree to the declassification of the conclusion in paragraph 3 or the recommendation in paragraph 4b. There is a specific concern regarding the association of the panel with the Agency, and a desire to rewrite paragraph 1 to obscure this connection. Furthermore, the letter addresses the potential release of the names of the panel members. The Air Force indicated that names would only be used within official circles, but Strong warns that if approval is granted for their use, they might become common knowledge. The letter concludes with a request for Dr. Page's reaction to the Air Force's declassification proposal and his stance on the potential public disclosure of his name.