Scientific Study of Unidentified Flying Objects (the Condon Report, complete, three volumes)

UFO reports filed in Wing Intelligence are destroyed routinely after
six months. Si.nce Project Blue Book, which maintains pennanent UFO
recurd~,had no report of this event. we concluded that there existed
no Air Force record that we could study.
The question of reliability of the crew's oral report reMains.
The individuals involved were trained, experienced observers of
aerial events. None had encountered anything el~e of this nature
before or since I tmd all were deeply impressed hy the experience.
Inconsistencies in the various accounts of the event itself Wfre minor,
and of a nature expected for reco llection of an impres 51 v.;,) event
ten years past. There was serious lack of agreement regarding in-
formation recorded during the flight and events :;ubsequent to landing.
On the basis of criteria commonly applied, however, these ohservers
would be judged re bab le.
If the report is accurate, it describes an unusual, intriguing,
and puzzling phenomenon, \~hich, in the absence of additional information,
must be listed as unidentified. In view of the date and nature of
the mission, it may be assumec! that radar "chaff" and a temperature
inversion may havE' been factors in the inciden. t ,. (See Section VI,
Chapter 5). A temp::ratuc"" hversion did exist at .34,000 ft. The
fact that the t:lectromagn~tic energy received hv the monitor wa;; of
the same frequl'Dcy as that emitted by the ground radar units makes one
suspect the ground units as the ul timate ~,ource of this energy.
\\11f:ther such factors are pertinent or coinci dental to the experience
of this B-47 crew remains hOl~cver, open to Jebatc. For a dctai led
anal>sis of this case see Section Ill, Chapter:', pp. 2U:~-207.
For the purposes of this discussion the case t)'pi fjcs 0r10 of the
difficulties inherent in the investigation of old~'r sighting reports:
The first informat.ioll that the investigator receives leads hilll to
t".. l.1.e'.! that further inq1liry mtlY well adduce reliabll' records of
:'. ~\trange cycll1. / for example. recordings of intcrcommlll1Lcatjoll within
the ai rcraft and bet\~ef'l\ ai r and ground; photographs of radars cope
targets; graphic data from other instrumentation; written reports
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UFO reports filed in Wing Intelligence are destroyed routinely after
six months. Since Project Blue Book, which maintains penn~lent UFn
record:- ,had no report of this event,. we concluded that there existed
no Ai r Force record that we could study.
The question of reliability of the crew's oral report reMains,
The individuals involved were trained, experienced observers of
aerial events. NOile had encountered anything ebe of this nature
before or sincE', t!,nd all were deeply impressed hy the experience,
Inconsistencies in the various accounts of the event itself were minor,
and of a nature expected for recollection of an impressIve event
ten years past. There was serious lack of agreement regarding in-
formation recorded during the flight and events ;;ubsequent to landing.
On the basis of cri teri a commonly applied, however, these observers
would be judged reliab Ie.
If the report is accurato, it describes an unuslIal, illtriguill~,
and puzzling phenomenon, I;hich, in the absence of addItional information,
must be listed as unidentified. In view of the date and nature of
the mission, it may be assumecl that radar "chaff" and a temperature
inversioTl may have been factors in the incidel'+,. (See Section VI,
Chapter 5). A temr:cr.atUc':' i~1Version did exist at 34,000 ft. The
fact that the t:lcctromagm.tic energy received hI' the monitor wa:; of
the same frequency as that emi.tted by the ground radar units makes one
suspect the I?round units as the ul timate source of this energy,
1I11ether such factors are pertinent or coinci !lental to the experience
of this 8-47 crew remains however, open to debate. ror a dotal led
anal,sis of thi~ case see Section Ill, Chapter :'. pp. llU-207,
For the purposes of thjs discussion the case t/pi fles on" of the
difficulties inherent in the invcstjgutIol1 of olc.!c'r sighting reports:
The first infonnnt.ioll that the inVestigator receives le~1ds hilll to
\",,1.;. e'.! t hat further ilHl'!i ry moty we 11 adduce ro li ab ll' records of
~,!;trange eYom,for l'xamplc, rccorclirq;s of intercommunication 'o'Iithin
thli' aircraft and bet\~e('11 air and ground; photographs of radarscope
targets; graphic dHta from other instrumentation; written reports
82