Symposium on Unidentified Flying Objects: Hynek, McDonald, Sagan and others testify

On 29 July 1968 the House Committee on Science and Astronautics held a Symposium on Unidentified Flying Objects, chaired in session by Mr. Roush. Dr. Robert M. L. Baker, Jr., of Computer Sciences Corporation and UCLA, told the committee that substantial evidence supported the existence of unexplained phenomena near the earth, which he called anomalistic observational phenomena, based on his analyses of films from Utah, Montana, Florida and Venezuela. He argued that existing radar and optical sensors were not designed to detect such phenomena and recommended a well funded, long term interdisciplinary research programme. In later discussion Dr. Hynek and others said that ridicule discouraged witnesses from reporting sightings.

3 documents·5 points

Dr. Baker said that since 1954 he had found substantial evidence that an unexplained phenomenon was present in the environs of the earth, preferring the term "anomalistic observational phenomena" (p. 125).
He said he had analysed Utah and Montana films supplied by ATIC and concluded that neither birds nor airplane reflections explained them (p. 126).
He told the committee that on July 28, 1968 he had confirmed at Colorado Springs that a partially classified sensor system had recorded anomalistic alarms not explained by natural phenomena, malfunction or manmade objects (p. 130).
He said it was premature to give overriding attention to the extraterrestrial hypothesis but strongly advocated a long term interdisciplinary research programme (p. 131).
Dr. Hynek cited a poll of 5 million Americans reporting unexplained sightings against some 12,000 Air Force reports in 20 years, asking "who is holding out on the other 4,988,000 reports?" (p. 193).

Documents

Hearing transcript Baker report, 1968 congressional hearings NICAP· 1968· 68 pp.
Hearing transcript Symposium on unidentified flying objects: hearings before the Committee on Science and Astronautics, U.S. House of Representatives, Ninetieth Congress, second session, July 29, 1968. U.S. House of Representatives· 1968-07-29· 256 pp.
Hearing transcript Baker report, 1968 congressional hearings NICAP· 1968· 68 pp.