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.
diseases were supposed to be caused by different devil~. lhe guiding
principle for medical research was then the study and clas:>ifi cation of
different kinds uf dcvi Is, and progress in therapy \vas soug:,t in the
search for ;1110 cii scovery of means fu r cxurcj sing each kind of dey i 1.
Gradually medical research discovered bacteria, toxins and viruses,
and their causative rL'lation to various disenscs. More and more
disea~;es came to be described by their Cluses.
Suppose no\~ that Instead, medicine had clung to the devil theory
0f disease. As long as there exists one human illness that is not y~t
fully understood in modern terms such a theory canno:: be disproved.
1t is always po::;sible, whi Ie granting th,lt c;ome diseases are caused by
viruses, etc. to maintain that those thJt arc not yet understood are
the ones that are really cau~0d by devils.
11; sOllle in::;tances the same S(Jrt of UFO j s ohserved night after
ni ght under si mi 1ar circumstances. In our experience thIS has been a
sure ~,;ign that the UFO could be correlated wi th some ordinary
phcnonenon.
Far example, rather :'a1'1)' in our work, II Colorado farmer reported
secin~ an UFO 1:1I1d \~est of his farm nearly evC'ry evening about 6:00 p.m.
A field t('<1.o went to SC'C' him anu quickly :md unambiguously identified
the UFO a~ the I1I::Jn(·t S~lturn. The nights on which he did not see it
land were those in which the western sky was cloudy.
But the farmcr did not easily accept our iJentdL:ution of his UFO
as Saturn. lie contendeu that, While his UHJ had lanJcd behind the
mountains on tile particular evening thD.t we visited rim, on T!lGst ni~hts,
h" illsisted, it landed ill front of the mountains, ant! therefore could
n'lt be ;) p1an('t. The identification with Saturn frolTi the ephemeris
\":I~~ so prec i ~(' that we did not vi sit hi ~ I'a rlll 11 i ght ilftcr night in
l'l'dcr to ~<.'l' 1'<'1' \lurselv\'s \~hctlH'r his IJI'O ever lant!{'d in front of the
1IlL'untains. N(' did not regard it as part of \lUI' duty to pcrsuade ob~er
vcrs of th(' correctness of ouri lltcrpl'C'Llti ons . In mo~t cases ob:'ictvers
l"l'adily acceptl'u our eXjdan[1rion, and sOllie expr0sscd relief at h"wing
:'7
diseases were supposcd to be c;JUscd hy different devil~. The guiding
principle foJ' I1Ic,iicai research was then thl' study anu clas:',ifi cation of
different kincl~ uf devi Is. and pr()gress in therapy \,as snug:,t ill the
search for ;md uiscovery of InC;:ms fu!' exurcising each kind of devil.
(;radually meJical rcsearcll discllvc1'eJ bacteria, toxins and viruses,
and their causative l'l'lation to various disenscs. More and more
diseases came to be descri hed by the i r c;!uses.
Suppose 110'" that l11steau, mcdicine had clung to the devil theory
('If disease. As long as there exists one human illness that is not yt!t
fully unuers toad in modern terms such a the,)ry canno~: be di sproved.
It i:, 3.1wa~·s po~sihle, whi Ie granting tlut lJC'rne diseases are caused by
nrU5es, etc. to maintain that those th,)t arc not yet understood are
the OIlCS that aI'<.' really cal.l,;(;)d by devi J s.
11: SOllie lll~tanccs the same s()rt of UFO is ohserved night after
night under similar circumstances. In Ollr experience thlS has been a
sure ~";igl1 that the UFO could be correlated wi th some ordinary
phcllon"enon.
Fol' eX(lmple, rather ?<ll'i), in our work, iJ Colorado farmer reported
sec in", an UFO LInd \,es t 0 f his farm neilr J y evc)"y pvcn i ng about 6: UO p.l11 .
.\ field tt',UI went to s\'e him and quickly :Illd unaillbiguously identified
the UFO as the pLm!'t S;.rurn. The nights on which he did not see it
land were those 111 which the wc~tern sky wus cloudy.
But the farlller did not easily UCCt'pt our ider.t ifi,:ution of his UFO
a~ Saturn. lie ,"olltend(~d that, while his UHJ had lanJcd behind the
mountains on tile pUl'ticuJal' evening tli"t we visited bim, on llIc,st nights,
he i •• sisted, it Janued ill front of the mountains, and therefore could
11"t b~ :1 plant'(, Thf' iU(,lltiflcation with SaturTi from the cphemcri:5
1.;1:' so pl'eci~c that we did not visit hi~ funll night <.If tel' night in
"1".1('1' to ~l't' f"l" (lurs('I\'('s \'het.hf'f his IJI'O ever land('d in front of the
Ilillunt(Ji ns. We di d not regard it as part of \llll" duty to jlersuade oiJf'er-
vcr;; of th/~ C01'l·.:-c1"ness of ouri IItcrpl'et :Iti ons.
"27 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.