Declassified UFO / UAP Document
Draft Reply to Senator Johnson's letter
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AI-Generated Summary
This 1954 memorandum provides a draft response for a Senator to send to a constituent inquiring about flying saucers. It states that most sightings are natural phenomena and directs further inquiries to the US Air Force.
This document is a memorandum dated 4 May 1954, authored by H. Marshall Chadwell of the Office of Scientific Intelligence, addressed to Mr. Walter Pforzheimer of the Office of General Counsel. The purpose of the memorandum is to provide a suggested draft reply to a letter sent by Senator Johnson on 19 April 1954. The Senator's original letter concerned an inquiry from his constituent, Mr. P. D. Karsiza, regarding the subject of flying saucers. The attached draft reply, intended for the Senator to send to his constituent, outlines the official stance of the intelligence community at the time. It asserts that the majority of reported sightings have been satisfactorily explained as normal, natural phenomena. For the small percentage of remaining reports, the document states that the information provided is insufficient in scientific detail to establish credibility. The draft suggests that the Senator advise his constituent that public information on the subject is frequently incomplete or non-factual, and that the US Air Force is the appropriate authority to contact for further questions regarding flying saucers. The document emphasizes that the public should not become alarmed by such information.
The information available to us indicates that the largest percentage of all reported sightings have been explained satisfactorily as normal, natural phenomena.
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Official Assessment
The largest percentage of all reported sightings have been explained satisfactorily as normal, natural phenomena. In the remaining percentage, which is very small, the information reported is so lacking in scientific detail as to make their credibility very low.
The agency suggests that the Senator inform his constituent that public information on the subject is often incomplete or non-factual, and that the US Air Force handles the subject of flying saucers.
Key Persons
- Walter PforzheimerOffice of General Counsel
- Senator JohnsonRecipient of the original letter and the draft reply
- P. D. KarsizaConstituent of Senator Johnson