Documents / Report
This is the final report of the Scientific Study of Unidentified Flying Objects, conducted by the University of Colorado under Air Force contract F44620-67-C-0035, with Edward U. Condon as scientific director and Daniel S. Gillmor as editor. It was submitted to the National Academy of Sciences on 15 November 1968 for review. The report includes field studies, photographic and radar analyses, case studies, historical chapters and appendices such as the Robertson Panel report and the Twining letter.
tahl'l1 at face vallie, dl'SCI'illl'S l'xpcric'llccs which C~n be explained
onl: in terms of tin' pn'Sl'llCl' of strungl~ v('ilicll~S (,;C)C, for l!xt1lllplc',
l':lSl' (»). rlleSl' ca,,(',~ an' puz:.lill);, and conclusions regarding thl'lJI
depend entirely upon the weight on(; gives to the personal testimony
as presented.
B. Pranks and Hoaxes
For varying reasons, UFO-related pranks are commonly perpetrated
by the young, the yOU:lg at heart, and the lone ly and bored. Our
field teams were b:l'ought to the 5cene more frequently by victims
of pranksters than by the pranksters themselves.
In Olle instance, CCase') the jndjvidual chiefly involve(l
C'xpn'ssed serioas concern that this project might conclud~ that
fl)'i ng saucers do not ('xi 5 t. Whether or !lot this concern was a
factor in productioll of his photographs, rIds gl'f1tlcman, would,
b:' normal standards, be> given til(> higllest possihle crcchhility
rating. ,\ recently n'tired military officer,he now hold~ Cl responsible
civilian job. lie is a man tn his mid-tr.>rti('~· who is held in high
regard in the communi ty. According to Ai r FOrl.:l' records I he served
as an o~ficer for lG yr. and was rated a COiTIlllancl Pilot. He
logged over 150 hr. flyinr, time in C-47's in 1965. fie presented
t\~O 351l\111 color slides of a flymg saucer ass,'rting that he took
the photographs from an Air Force C-47 aircraft he was piloting,
'11lC object photographpo Was clearly a solid objc'ct of S;JuceT share.
lie clail11ecl the pictures ,ycre taken in lDf16, ,,,hill' he was off flight
status and piloting the plane "ullofficially" ,,,hell he IvBS aboard
cla.illlcJ,
that hl.' did not n':)()rt the Un) inciJcnt to the I\ir J:orCl'.
Whil(' the latter argument s('('l1lcd rl':lsonuIJlc', it was pll~zling
that no Dill' clSl' on till' pJ:I1H' aPl':ll'L'llt l~' l'l'port('d thc' lIFO. i\ccordi ng
to thl' offiCl'l', tho co-pilot who r('lllallll'J in the cockpit wus unaware
that hl' had takell the UFO pi ctUrt'S. The rl'[ison the officer had not bc~n
takl'n off f1 j~ht status was !H'VC't' revealec!, hut the l\lr l:orce Office
ta}..l'n at f,let' valul'. d,'scriill'" ,'xp('riC'llct's whiciJ l~8n be cxplnined
onl: in terms of thl' Pl'l'-';"Ilc<' of str:~ngl' vl'hieit,,, r';(~('. for examr.\('.
l':\~<, l)l. rhesl' eH~C;' an' Illlz:.1 ill!;, and cOllcllJS iOlls regarding ':f\{'fli
dq)(md entirely upon the "eight Olle- gives to the personal tt'stimony
as presented.
B. Pranks and Hoaxes
For varying reasons, UFO-related rranks are commonly perpetrated
by the young, the yDlI'lg at heart, and the lonely and bored. Our
field teams I~ere tn'ought to the ~celle more frequently by victims
of pranksters than by the pranksters themselves.
In Oile instance, (Case ') the j ndi vidual chiefly i nvol veIl
('xpress('d serio;!s cOllcorn that this project mi.~ht conelud~ that
flring saul,;~rs do not l'xist. Whether or 110t this concern was a
factor in product.ion of his photographs, thi;; gl'lIt leman, would,
b," normal standards, b" given tiw highest possihle credibility
rating. ,\ recently fl'tired militury officer,he now hold::; u responsible
civilian job. lie is a man in his mid-rf)rti(',' who is held in high
rC!iard in the community. According to Air Forc(' records, he served
as an o~ fi eer for IG )IT. amI was rated 8. CO!TImand r j lot. lie
logged over 150 hr. flyin~ time in C-47's in 1965. lie prcsented
hlo 3S\I\~l color slides of' a flYll\g saucer [Jss'·rtiT\~'. that he took
the photographs from an Air Force C-47 aircraft he was piloting.
'111(' ohject photographpJ was cle",rly ;1 solid object of SlJUC£'T share,
lie clailileu tlw picturl'~ "ere taken in Hlh6, while hl' Was off flight
statuf' ant.! piloting the planc "ul\officially" "hell he Ivas aboard
,I~ a 1'1~5l'nger. It "a~ becal1~(, of this ci rCUlllst;illCC, hl' cl,Lilllctl,
that lu' lhd not H':lnrt the liFO incident to the ,\iT Ferrcl'.
While the latter (lrguml'lIt ,('('II\C" rt'asf)lli1hll', it was pu~Zlill~
that no Ol\l' l'l~l' 01\ till' plal1l' aPl'arl'lltl)' rl'portql til,' IJH1, /lccording
to tIll' offi('l'l', the (;o-pi lot who r(,lllai n!:'u j n the c(Jckpi tWas lln!lWare
that hl' had takell till.' UFO pi ctllrl's. The reaSOl1 till' officer had not bC~11
takcn off f1 igln ;;tat\l~ Wa~ IIl'Vl'l' revealed, but the Atr Force Off.ice Report, from the classic collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is under it. 1497 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.