Reopening Investigations Into The UFO Phenomena

The UFO phenomena, even though officially classified as not being a threat to national security, is considered real by the United States government; and due to the technological advancement of human civilization, the investigations into the UFO phenomena should be re-opened.

In 1948, General Nathan Twining, head of the Air Force Service Command, established under the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC), code name Project Sign, in order to "collect, collate, evaluate, and distribute within the government all information relating to such sightings, on the premise that UFOs might be real (although not necessarily extraterrestrial) and of national security concern". ("How To Investigate a Flying Saucer") In 1949, Project Sign evaluated 243 UFO cases and issued a report of its findings. An excerpt of their findings concluded:

No definite and conclusive evidence is yet available that would prove or disprove the existence of these unidentified objects as real aircraft of unknown and unconventional configuration. It is unlikely that positive proof of their existence will be obtained without examination of the remains of crashed objects. Proof of non-existence is equally impossible to obtain unless a reasonable and convincing explanation is determined for each incident. . . . Explanations of some of the incidents revealed the existence of simple and easily understandable causes, so that there is the possibility that enough incidents can be solved to eliminate or greatly reduce the mystery associated with these occurrences. . . . Under wartime conditions, rapid and convincing solutions of such occurrences are necessary to maintain morale of military and civilian personnel. ("History and methodology of 'flying saucer' intelligence")

With 243 of roughly 300 reported UFO cases relayed to the Air Technical Intelligence Center and reviewed by Project Sign, the project itself was reduced and renamed to code name Project Grudge. This new project:
rel[ied] heavily on the work of university scientists and other outside consultants, as well as the USAF Air Weather Service and the U.S. Weather Bureau" ("History and methodology of 'flying saucer' intelligence"), and in august 1949 concluded after examining 244 UFO cases that "the UFO sightings signified nothing that would constitute a threat to the national security of the United States, that they were chargeable to misinterpretations of conventional objects, a mild form of mass hysteria or war nerves, and fabrications for the sake of hoax or publicity. ("History and methodology of 'flying saucer' intelligence")

On March 15 1949, a memorandum was sent from Dr. Stone of the OSI (Office of Scientific Intelligence), to Dr. Machle of the OSI that pointed out flaws in the methods used to evaluate UFO cases. Clause 2 sub clause b of the memorandum states:

b. If a tame "flying saucer" is to be involved, it is extremely unlikely they be found over the U.S. because:
(1) U.S. developments would be closely coordinated with USAF or commercial designers.
(2) Foreign aircraft development would hardly be tested at such a range from home areas, even if fuel could be supplied.
(3) Guided aircraft at a range of several thousand miles are beyond any known capabilities, including ours. (OSI, Dr. Stone
)
Both Project Sign and Project Grudge failed to address such problems. If an organization were to truly investigate the UFO phenomena, the organization would need to have access to individuals and ideas outside the confines of the military.

In March 1952, Project Sign, reduced to Project Grudge, was once again reduced to codename Project Blue Book. Project Blue Book was headquartered out of Wright-Patterson Airbase. However, when dealing with the initial investigation of a UFO sighting, authority was directed to the commander of the closest Air Force base. With a crew of one officer, two sergeants, and a civilian stenographer, personnel assigned to Project Blue Book was limited. This small compliment was assisted by multiple individuals, most notably: Dr. J. Allen Hynek, astrophysicist and Chairman of the Dearborn Observatory, Northwestern University, who was Project Consultant for eighteen years and evaluated all suspected astronomical cases, and Dr. Charles P. Oliver, head of the American Meteor Society, who evaluated suspected meteorite cases.

Access to intellectual individuals was not the only addition made to the new rendition of Project Sign. Corporations, government agencies, and military bases were all at the disposal of Project Blue Book.

For help on suspected aircraft sightings we have gone to Federal Aviation Agency offices, local airports, the Strategic Air Command, and the Air Defense Command. In suspected balloon sightings we have called upon local airports, local weather stations, the U.S. Weather Bureau, Holloman AFB Balloon Control Center, the National Center for Atmospheric Research, General Mills, Raven Industries, Sea Space Systems, and colleges and universities conducting balloon research. For suspected satellite sightings we use the printed Echo schedules, NASA satellite reports, the Smithsonian North and South Equatorial Crossings, and the professional services of the Space Detection and Tracking System. For suspected missile observations we go directly to Cape Kennedy, Vandenberg AFB, Point Magu, Wallops Island, Eglin AFB, Holloman AFB, and Green River.

For radar analysis we contact one of our internal organizations. For photo analysis we use an internal organization but also Kodak in Rochester, N.Y. On physical specimens we have used the services of the Air Force Materials Laboratory, Battelle Memorial, the Food and Drug Administration, Libby Owens, Corning Glass, Institute of Paper Chemistry, and the Northwestern Geology Department. Numerous other organizations and individuals have helped the project in the past. No individual, government agency, or industrial group has ever refused assistance. ("History and methodology of 'flying saucer' intelligence")

With multiple entities at the disposal of Project Blue Book, the objectives outlined by Air Force Regulation 200-2 in 1953 appeared obtainable. These objectives were: "(1) To determine if UFO phenomena present a threat to the security of the United States. (2) To determine if UFO phenomena exhibit any technological advances which could be channeled into U.S. R&D. (3) To explain or identify the stimuli which caused the observer to report a UFO." ("History and methodology of 'flying saucer' intelligence") These objectives allowed Project Blue Book to take a more impartial and analytical stance when making an official report.

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During the entire duration of Project Blue Book, a questionnaire developed by the US Air Force's Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) was used to "provide the investigators enough information to determine what the unknown phenomenon most likely was. The duration of the sighting, the date, time, location, or position in the sky, weather conditions, and the manner of appearance or disappearance are essential clues for investigators evaluating reported UFO sightings." ("How To Investigate a Flying Saucer") This vetting process allowed the investigators to categorize the reports based on the presented facts, the categories being:

Astronomical (including bright stars, planets, comets, fireballs, meteors, and auroral streamers); Aircraft (propeller aircraft, jet aircraft, refueling missions, photo aircraft, advertising aircraft, helicopters); Balloons; Satellites; Other (including missiles, reflections, mirages, searchlights, birds, kites, spurious radar indications, hoaxes, fireworks, and flares); Insufficient Data; and finally, Unidentified. ("How To Investigate a Flying Saucer")
The subjects: propeller aircraft, jet aircraft, refueling missions, photo aircraft, advertising aircraft, helicopters, balloons, earth satellites, astronomical events, and other categories are expanded upon in the "History and methodology of "flying saucer" intelligence" ("History and methodology of 'flying saucer' intelligence"), defining the classification in detail.

In a memorandum to the Director of Central Intelligence from H. Marshall Chadwell, Assistant Director of Scientific Intelligence, dated September 24, 1952, it points out that there had been:
an inquiry conducted by the Office of Scientific Intelligence to determine whether there are national security implications in the problem of "unidentified flying objects," i.e., flying saucers; whether adequate study and research is currently being directed to this problem in its relation to such national security implications; and what further investigation and research should be instituted, by whom, and under what aegis. (Office of Scientific Intelligence, p.4)

Within this memorandum, Chadwell explains the inquiry and what questions had to be answered in order for the OSI to reach a conclusion. He poses questions like air vulnerability in the US and the psychological effect on individuals. Item 5 of the September 24, 1952 memorandum, Chadwell sums up that the purpose of ATIC is not only to study the UFO sighting cases, but to solve them; and his recommendation on how to go about doing that.

It was found that the ATIC study is probably valid if the purpose is limited to a case-by-case explanation. However, that study does not solve the more fundamental aspects of the problem. These aspects are to determine definitely the nature of the various phenomena which are causing these sightings, and to discover means by which these cause, and their visual or electronic effects, may be identified immediately. The CIA consultants stated that these solutions would probably be found on the margins or just beyond the frontiers of our present knowledge in the fields of atmospheric, ionospheric, and extraterrestrial phenomena, with the added possibility that the present dispersal of nuclear waste products might also be a factor. They recommended that a study group be formed to perform three functions:

a. analyze and systematize the factors which constitute the fundamental problem;
b. determine the fields of fundamental science which must be investigated in order to reach an understanding of the phenomena involved; and
c. make recommendations for the initiation of appropriate research. (Office of Scientific Intelligence, p.5)

In a second memorandum to the Director of Central Intelligence from Chadwell, dated October 2, 1952, Chadwell cuts to the point with the Office of Scientific Intelligences official findings. He covers four topics: problem, facts and discussion, conclusion, and action recommended. Under conclusion, Chadwell points out that there is indeed a threat to national security. "CONCLUSIONS-"Flying saucers" pose two elements of danger which have national security implications. The first involves mass psychological considerations and the second concerns the vulnerability of the United States to air attack. Both factors are amplified in TAB A." (Office of Scientific Intelligence, p.1)

In January 1953, the Scientific Advisory Panel On Unidentified Flying Objects was formed. This panel:
was composed of civilian scientists outside the government with well-known and respected names—H. P. Robertson, Luis W. Alvarez, Lloyd V. Berkner, S. A. Goudsmit, Thornton Page. Following is an extract from their report: The panel . . . has reviewed a selection of the best documented incidents. . . . We firmly believe that there is no residuum of cases which indicates phenomena which are attributable to foreign artifacts capable of hostile acts, and that there is no evidence that the phenomena indicate a need for the revision of current scientific concepts. The panel further concludes that the continued emphasis on the reporting of these phenomena does, in these perilous times, result in a threat to the orderly functioning of the protective organs of the body politic. We cite as examples the clogging of channels of communication by irrelevant reports, the danger of being led by continued false alarms to ignore real indications of hostile action, and the cultivation of a morbid national psychology in which skillful hostile propaganda could induce hysterical behavior and harmful distrust of duly constituted authority. The panel recommended: That the national security agencies take immediate steps to strip the unidentified flying objects of the special status they have been given and the aura of mystery they have unfortunately acquired. ("History and methodology of 'flying saucer' intelligence")

This panel had covered multiple topics including: potential related dangers, geographic locations of unexplained sightings, instrumentation to obtain data, radar problem of mutual interference, and unexplained cosmic ray phenomena. (Comments And Suggestions Of UFO Panel)

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The findings of the Scientific Advisory Panel On Unidentified Flying Objects were known to the Office of Scientific Intelligence and presented to the CIA before the panel had reached its final conclusion. "Capt. E.J. Ruppelt of ATIC, Lt. Neashan and Mr. H. Woo of the Navy photo interpretation Lab at Anacostia, and Major Fournet and Capt. Smith of Air Force Directorate of Intelligence were present" ("Meeting of OSI Advisory Group on UFO", p.1) during the review and analysis of the panel’s findings. In a memorandum titled "Meeting of OSI Advisory Group on UFO", dated January 14 thru 17, 1953, the preemptive conclusion of the Scientific Advisory Panel On Unidentified Flying Objects findings made by the OSI states:

1. No evidence is available to indicate any physical threat to the security of the United States.
2. No evidence is available to indicate the existence or use of any as yet unknown (to us) fundamental scientific principles.
3. The subject "UFO" is not of direct intelligence interest. It is of indirect intelligence interest only insofar as any knowledge about the innumerable unsolved mysteries of the universe are of intelligence interest.
4. The subject "UFO" is of operational interest for three reasons:

(a) Interference with air defense by intentional enemy jamming or by lack of ability on the part of operating personnel to discriminate between radar anomalies and actual airborne weapons
(b) Related to (a), interference with air defense by overloading communication lines from the air defense observation stations.
(c) Possibility of a psychological offensive by the enemy timed with respect to an actual attack could conceivably seriously reduce the defense effort of the general public. ("Meeting of OSI Advisory Group on UFO, p.1")

Towards the end of 1954, a study conducted by an anonymous company released its findings under ATIC cover, this study is known as Special Report No.14. The purpose of Special Report No.14 was to "[reduce] and [evaluate] all the UFO data held in the Air Force files. It contains graphs showing the frequency distribution of sightings by time, date, location, shape, color, duration, azimuth, and elevation. It records an attempt to build a model of the typical UFO and an ultimate finding that UFOs come in all sizes, shapes, and colors." ("History and methodology of 'flying saucer' intelligence") Special Report No.14 concludes that without physical evidence, the UFO phenomena can never be proven.

It can never be absolutely proven that "Flying Saucers" do not exist. . . . Scientifically evaluated and arranged, the data as a whole did not show any marked patterns or trends. . . . A critical examination of the distributions of the important characteristics of sightings, plus an intensive study of the sightings evaluated as unknown, led to the conclusion that a combination of factors . . . resulted in the failure to identify as Knowns most of the objects classified as Unknowns. An intensive study aimed at finding a verified example of a "Flying Saucer" or at deriving a verified model or models of "Flying Saucers" led to the conclusion that neither goal could be attained using the present data. It is emphasized that there was a complete lack of any valid evidence consisting of physical matter in any case of a reported unidentified aerial object. Thus, the probability that any of the unknowns considered in this study are "Flying Saucers" is concluded to be extremely small, since the most complete and reliable reports from the present data, when isolated and studied, conclusively failed to reveal even a rough model, and since the data as a whole failed to reveal any marked patterns or trends. Therefore, on the basis of this evaluation of the information, it is considered to be highly improbable that any of the reports of unidentified aerial objects examined in this study represent observations of technological developments outside the range of present-day scientific knowledge. ("History and methodology of 'flying saucer' intelligence")

Operation Sign, based out of Wright-Patterson Airbase, was established under ATIC. Operation Sign turned into Operation Grudge, which turned into Operation Blue Book. During Operation Blue Book, investigations into the validity of Operation Blue Book were being held by the OSI. The OSI sent their findings to the head of the CIA, which in turn sponsored the idea of allowing independent and corporate research be done on the UFO phenomena, as to be more objective and unbiased when coming to their conclusion. During the review and analysis of the Scientific Advisory Panel On Unidentified Flying Objects findings, one Major, two Captains, and one Lieutenant were present; and one of the Captains was part of ATIC, which released Special Report No.14.

A letter was sent by H. A. McClanahan, Lt Col, USAF, attached to the letter was a document from the Federal Bureau Of Investigation (FBI) titled "UFO FACT SHEET". The following was the closure of Project Blue Book and its reason why.

On December 17, 1969 the Secretary of the Air Force announced the termination of Project Blue Book, the Air Force program for the investigation of UFOs. The decision to discontinue UFO investigations was based on an evaluation of a report prepared by the University of Colorado entitled, "Scientific Study of Unidentified Flying Objects;" a review of the University of Colorado's report by the National Academy of Sciences; past UFO studies; and Air Force experience investigating UFO reports during the past two decades. as a result of these investigations and studies, and experience gained from investigating UFO reports since 1948, the conclusions of Project Blue Book are: (1) no UFO reported, investigated, and evaluated by the Air Force has ever given any indication of threat to our national security; (2) there has been no evidence submitted to or discovered by the Air Force that sightings categorized as "unidentified" represent technological developments or principals beyond the range of present day scientific knowledge; and (3) there has been no evidence indicating that sightings categorized as "unidentified" are extraterrestrial vehicles. (United States, FBI, p.3)

Nearly fifty years have passed since the closure of Project Blue Book, allowing enough time for both technology and our understanding of science to drastically change, or at least change enough as to allow the investigations into the UFO phenomena to be re-opened. I believe due to the scientific shift society has experienced, the conclusions of Project Blue Book if reexamined in today’s scientific field, would not be so dismissive. Advanced technology has the ability to find vulnerabilities and thus, threaten national security. As technology advances our ability to see and perceive more of the universe is increasing. Technology used in the past may not have been powerful enough, or the quantity of these machines that scan the sky for anomalies was limited. We are constantly finding astronomical anomalies that are beyond the range of scientific knowledge and therefore if focused on the UFO phenomena, might be able to find something exhibiting technological developments or principles beyond the range of scientific knowledge; or observe something that could be classified as an extraterrestrial vehicle.

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Works Cited

Comments And Suggestions Of UFO Panel. Scientific Advisory Panel On Unidentified
Flying Objects, 14 Jan. 1953. CIA, www.cia.gov/library/readingroom/docs/
DOC_0000015458.pdf. Accessed 12 June 2017.

"History and methodology of 'flying saucer' intelligence." The Investigation Of
UFO's. CIA, CIA Historical Review Program, 22 Sept. 1993, www.cia.gov/
library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/kent-csi/vol10no4/html/
v10i4a07p_0001.htm. Accessed 12 June 2017.

"How To Investigate a Flying Saucer." CIA, 21 Jan. 2016, www.cia.gov/
news-information/featured-story-archive/2016-featured-story-archive/
how-to-investigate-a-flying-saucer.html. Accessed 12 June 2017.

"Meeting of OSI Advisory Group on UFO." 21 Jan. 1953, www.cia.gov/library/
readingroom/docs/DOC_0000015352.pdf. Accessed 12 June 2017. Memo.

Office of Scientific Intelligence, Assistant Director. "Flying Saucers."
Received by Director of Central Intelligence, 2 Oct. 1952. CIA, www.cia.gov/
library/readingroom/docs/DOC_0000015339.pdf. Accessed 12 June 2017. Memo.

OSI, Dr. Stone. "Flying Saucers." Received by Dr. Machle OSI, 15 Mar. 1949.
CIA, www.cia.gov/library/readingroom/docs/DOC_0000015337.pdf.
Accessed 12 June 2017. Memo.

United States, FBI. Project Blue Book. Department of Defense, 1977,
vault.fbi.gov/Project%20Blue%20Book%20%28UFO%29%20/
Project%20Blue%20Book%20%28UFO%29%20part%201%20of%201/view. Accessed 12 June 2017. Report 62-83894-483.

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originally posted by: MrEnergy
The UFO phenomena, even though officially classified as not being a threat to national security, is considered real by the United States government; and due to the technological advancement of human civilization, the investigations into the UFO phenomena should be re-opened.

Isn't that exactly what 'To the Stars' is all about?

BTW, you probably mean 'the FORMAL, PUBLICLY KNOWN investigations' - I believe, and it was recently proven to be the case in the US, that governments still investigate this. And don't be fooled: the US has an active program to investigate / research these phenomena.

a reply to: ForteanOrg

You didn't read the post, did you.

"BTW, you probably mean 'the FORMAL, PUBLICLY KNOWN investigations". Are you serious. What other credible investigations can you possibly refer to, the informal privately known investigations.

Duh, they investigate the UFO phenomena in this era, however, it's not publically done; which was the whole point of the post. And even when it is done publicly, the alphabet agencies have their hands in the results. How do we even know that the government didn't silence the researchers. 30 years of research, and nothing came from it, come on.

In my opinion, To The Stars is a 'cult' of sorts, profiting off people that want to believe rather than investigate. "An accelerated path to transformative discoveries and technology applications and inspire global citizens through informative entertainment." That's from their home page. They Totally sound objective to the investigation of UFOs.

The point I was trying to make is that we need a new, completely transparent investigation into the UFO phenomena, with the most up to date 21st century technology, and with the most broad fields of science.

Thanks for the reply too.