What the U.S. Government Knows About Unidentified Flying Objects

This article, written by attorney Peter Gersten and published in the May/June 1981 issue of 'Frontiers of Science', examines the U.S. government's historical handling of Unidentified Flying Objects. Gersten, representing the group Citizens Against UFO Secrecy (CAUS), argues that the government has consistently misinformed the public about the nature and significance of UFOs. He asserts that thousands of pages of previously classified documents, released through Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, demonstrate that the government has long been aware of unconventional aerial objects that pose potential threats to national security and perform beyond known technological capabilities. The article highlights a 1952 CIA memorandum that acknowledged the need for a program to identify these objects, noting that this directive was never fully implemented. Gersten further details a series of sightings in late 1975 at various nuclear-weapons storage areas and missile control facilities, including Loring AFB, Wurtsmith AFB, Malstrom AFB, and Minot AFB. These incidents, some confirmed by radar, drew the attention of the CIA, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Secretary of Defense. Despite official Air Force denials that UFOs pose a security threat, Gersten contends that the government is 'stonewalling' and that the released documents contain significant gaps, such as missing photo analyses and radar-visual case files. The article concludes by calling for the immediate declassification and public dissemination of all official UFO documentation to allow for an objective reappraisal of the phenomenon.