Documents / Memo

FLYING SAUCERS memo

CIA Reading Room · 36 pages · text by OCR

This CIA file, released in 2001, gathers 1952 memoranda from H. Marshall Chadwell, Assistant Director of the Office of Scientific Intelligence, to the Director of Central Intelligence, along with draft letters to the Secretary of Defense and the NSC and a briefing on the Air Force position. It concludes that flying saucers carry national security implications, namely mass panic and air defense vulnerability. It recommends expanded scientific research, a public information policy and study of Soviet interest, noting that about 20 percent of roughly 1500 Air Force reports remained unexplained.

Open the PDF at page 11 Original source ↗

“CIA”26 pages

  • p. 2 …Approved For Release 2001/04/02 CIA-RDP81R00560R000100020012-7
  • p. 3 …for signature as TAB C. (c) That CIA, with the cooperation of PSB and other interested…
  • p. 6 …In its inquiry into this problem, a team from CIA's Office of Scientific Intelligence consulted…
  • p. 7 …The CIA consultants stated that these solutions would probably be found on the margins or just…
  • p. 8 # SECRET # Approved For Release 2001/04/02 : CIA-RDP81R00760R000100020012-7 The public concern with the phenomena…
  • p. 9 # Approved For Release 2001/04/02 : CIA-RDP81R0060R000100020012-7 c. The reasons for silence in the…
  • p. 10 Approved For Release 2001/04/02 : CIA-RDP81R0560R000100020012-7
  • p. 11 …Approved For Release 2001/04/02 CIA RDP81R00560R000100020012-7
  • p. 12 # Approved For Release 2001/04/02 CIA RDP81R00560R000100020012-7 SECRET Security Information (6) Since 1947, ATIC…
  • p. 13 # Approved For Release 2001/04/02 : CIA-RDP81R00560R000100020012-7 SECRET Security Information h. CONCLUSIONS a. The…
  • p. 14 # Approved For Release 2001/04/02 : CIA-RDP81R00560R000100020012-7 Security Information (2) A study should be…
  • p. 15 …On the basis of these programs of research, CIA develop and recommend for adoption by the…
  • p. 16 …25X1A 7312 Approved For Release 20010402:CIA-RDP81R00560R000100020012-7 Assistant Director for Operations
  • p. 17 …Stand on "Flying Saucers" -- as stated by CIA, in a briefing on 22 August 1952 I…
  • p. 20 Approved For Release 2001/04/02 : CIA-RDP81R00560R000100020012-7 the phenomena and in December 1949 released…
  • p. 21 Approved For Release 2001/04/02 : CIA-RDP81R00560R000100020012-7 In summarizing this discussion, I would restate…
  • p. 22 Approved For Release 2001/04/02 : CIA-RDP81R00560R000100020012-7 civilian groups that have sprung up to…
  • p. 23 Approved For Release 2001/04/02 CIA-RDP81R00560R000100020012-7 Security Information knowledge is achieved of the…
  • p. 24 Approved For Release 2001/04/02 : CIA-RDP81R00560R000100020012-7 In the next few minutes, I intend…
  • p. 25 …been: free baleons, aircraft, astronomical bodies, atmospheric Approved For Release 2001/04/02 : CIA-RDP81R00560R000100020012-7
  • p. 26 …since his plane carried no oxygen equipment. Approved For Release 2001/04/02 : CIA-RDP81R00560R000100020012-7
  • p. 27 Approved For Release 2001/04/02 : CIA-RDP81R0060R000100020012-7 A case under known conditions occurred some…
  • p. 28 …few weeks ago in Washington a man Approved For Release 2001/04/02: CIA-RDP81R00560R000100020012-7
  • p. 30 Approved For Release 2001/04/02 CIA-RDP81R00560R000100020012-7 of a ground radar sighting in Maryland…
  • p. 32 # Approved For Release 2001/04/02 CIA-RDP81R00560R000100020012-7 Security information reported to be traveling at…
  • p. 36 Approved For Release 2001/04/02 : CIA-RDP81R00560R000100020012-7 the vicinity of sightings. Sightings of UFO…
# Approved For Release 2001/04/02 : CIA-RDP81R0060R000100020012-7

SECRET

Security Information

MEMORANDUM FOR: Director of Central Intelligence

THPU Deputy Director (Intelligence)

SUBJECT Flying Saucers

## 1. PROBLEM

To determine:

4. whether there are national security implications in the problem of "unidentified flying objects" i.e. flying sensors]

b. whether adequate study and research is currently being directed to this problem in its relation to such national security implications; and

c. What further investigation and research should be instituted, by whom, and under what agis.

2. FACTS BEARING ON THE PROBLEM

a. OSI has investigated the work currently being performed on flying saucers and has found that:

(1) The only unit of Government currently studying the problem is the Directorate of Intelligence, USAF, which has charged the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) with responsibility for investigating the reports of sightings.

(2) At ATIC there is a small group consisting of a reserve Captain, two Lieutenants and two secretaries to which come all reports of sightings through official channels, and which conducts investigation of the reports either itself or through consultation with other Air Force officers or with civilian technical consultants.

(3) A world-wide reporting system has been instituted and major Air Force bases have been ordered to make interceptions of unidentified flying objects.

(4) The research being carried on is strictly on a case basis and appears to be designed solely to attempt a satisfactory explanation of each individual sighting as it occurs.

(5) ATIC has concluded an arrangement with Eattelle Memorial Institute for the latter to establish a machine indexing system for official reports of sightings.

Approved For Release 2001/04/02 CIA RDP81R00560R000100020012-7

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Memo, cited by the archive. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is under it. The text was read from the page images by an OCR model; expect the odd misread word. 36 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.