22 January 1968
House of Commons Volume 757 column 40
[Cross Refer: Beyond Top Secret, page 43 of hardback edition]
[Cross Refer : “Above Top Secret” by Timothy Good, page 65 of hardback edition]
“Unidentified Flying Objects
Mr Edward M Taylor asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many reports of unidentified flying objects were received in 1967; how many of these
reports were subsequently shown to have a natural explanation; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Merlyn Rees : The total number of reports received in 1967 reflects a wave of public interest in UFOs, reaching a peak towards the end of the year.
The analysis of the reports published below shows that, as in previous years, the vast majority were found to have mundane explanations ; the
remainder of the reports contained insufficient investigation but nothing to suggest that they related to incidents materially different in kind from
those that were explained.
UFO STATISTICS – 1st JANUARY, 1959 TO 31st DECEMBER, 1967
[Table with columns entitled, from left to right, “year”, “satellites”, “balloons”, “celestial objects”, “Meteorological and natural
phenomena”, “aircraft”, “miscellaneous”, “unexplained “insufficient information”, “under investigation”, “total”.
The contents of each row, from left to right are as follows:
1959, 1, 3, 1, 7, 4, 2, 4, -, 22
1960, -, 8, 2, 7, 10, 1, 3, -, 31
1961, 16, 11, 8, 20, 9, 5, 2, -, 71
1962, 11, 6, 5, 8, 9, 4, 3, -, 46
1963, 18, 6, 4, 4, 10, 7, 2, -, 51
1964, 43, 3, 6, -, 10, 7, 5, -, 74
1965, 27, 3, 3, 2, 7, -, 14, -, 56
1966, 38, 10, 5, 5, 17, 15, 5, -, 95
Total, 154, 50, 34, 53, 76, 41, 38, -, 446
1967, 57, 42, 24, 19, 149, 18, 46, 7, 362
Total, 211, 92, 58, 72, 225, 59, 84, 7, 808]
“Note : Miscellaneous reports include, for example, hoaxes and the reflection of light on clouds”