FOIA: Facts About Unidentified Flying Objects - May 5, 1966

FactsAboutUFOs.pdf
Facts About Unidentified Flying Objects
Booklet discussing the Facts about UFOs, creation of Project Blue Book, Nature and Reporting of Sightings and the Public's Perception.
Document date: 1966-05-05
Department: Science Policy Research Division
Author: Robert L. Chartrand, William F. Brown, Curtis E. Lamay
Document type: Booklet, Document
pages: 49


Archivist's Notes: Good quality scans of the booklet of Fact About Unidentified Flying Objects. This booklet is a very interesting read. It gives a brief history of Project Blue Book, history and trends of UFO sightings which includes charts, types of crafts with illustrations, public's perception of UFOs. Many notable quotes on the topic of UFOs. Appendix A includes specific guidelines. Complete blank UFO reporting form included

Great study booklet about UFO phenomena.

In the document is very notable the fact of the seriousness that the scientific community took UFO sightings and their presence over the skies of the Earth. The whole study is prepared by Robert Chartrand, specialist in Science and Technology, Science Policy and Research Division, assisted by William Brown, Analyst in Science and Technology, Science Policy and Research Division.

This study laid the road for the Blue Book and since the first page marks the steps that a ufo investigation should go through.

THE UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECTS

1. Description of various typos of UFO

2. Trend in UFO activity

3. Historical Sightings of Aerial Phenomena

4. Identification of Flying Objects (Versus ufos)

Then we have something more specific for the investigations governmental agencies and military.

1. Air Force establishes a Special Project (the forerunner of Blue Book)

2. Special Studies of UFOs

3. Special Briefings on UFO activity.

And at the end proposes the part that deals with the Public Reaction to UFO's.

Based on this schematics and after the investigation by Air Force and independent consultants the efforts of this study published contain five major points:

1. UFO's do not pose a threat to the nation

2. UFO's do not represent developments or principles beyond present-day scientific knowledge (we're talking about 1966 )

3. There is no evidence of extraterrestrial vehicles under the control of an intelligent being

4. There is no evidence of physical matter left behind by a reported UFO

5. Some fraction of total sightings remain "UNIDENTIFIED"

All over the internet is easy to find countless of websites writing about Facts About Unidentified Flying Objects. Especially the year 1960- 1966 have been considered as the years of the saucers due to the huge amount of ufo sightings.
There is a great review written by George D. Fawcett in the regard and I would like to quote some parts from:

Flying Saucers (Mysteries of the Space Age) Page 4, August, 1967, Issue No. 53

1966 proved to be the year of saucers in many ways, both internally, nationally, area wide and locally an Easton, Pennsylvania UFO researcher and investigator for over 20 years stated.

Flying saucers have finally taken on a respectability that is not questioned after 20 years or more of repeated appearances worldwide. LIFE MAGAZINE finally broke its silence of over 12 years by printing proof (in the form of excellent photographs, both black and white and in color). LOOK, READERS DIGEST, POPULAR SCIENCE, TRUE and other magazines joined the parade with serious saucer articles.

CBS TV devoted a full-hour to this phenomena with veteran newscaster Walter Cronkite moderating "UFO ..... Friend, Foe or Fantasy?" Many other networks followed suit, but not in such a questionable way.

In this area, the Pennsylvania and New Jersey Two-State UFO Study Group observed its first anniversary on April 25, 1966.

Three authors wrote saucer books that became best sellers overnight. Two newsmen, Frank Edwards and John G. Fuller wrote "Flying Saucers ... Serious Business" and "Incident at Exeter" respectively. Fuller was a 1931 graduate of Lafayette College in Easton. French Astronomer and NASA Consultant Jacques Vallee penned "Anatomy of a Phenomenon".

False explanations attributed to saucers were a dime a dozen and included Moon Dust, Swamp Gas, the Planet Venus, Sodium Vapor Clouds, and Ball Lightning. College students in California, Ohio, Maine, North Carolina and elsewhere sent up balloons with flares to add to the confusion of eyewitnesses and serious researchers and investigators.

Evidence of saucer censorship was uncovered in 1966 when it was revealed that Air Force Directive 200-2 prohibits disclosing UFO information unless "it has been positively identified as a familiar or known object." A Joint Chiefs of Staff directive - JANAP 146-B - threatens prosecution under the Espionage Act to military personnel, commercial pilots and merchant seamen who discuss any sightings in public.

mimufon.org...