Unidentified Flying Objects: Project "Grudge" (Technical Report No. 102-AC 49/15-100)

Since August 1947 until the present, except May 1949 as noted above, the number of reports maintained a monthly average of approximately twelve, with occasional up-surges often directly attributable to an unusual or overly publicized report.

## III. Air Force Comitance of Unidentified Aerial Objects

In September 1947, the Air Force was forced to take official cognizance of the "flying discs" because of increasing demand from the public for an explanation, and as a result of certain publications persisting in using a sensational approach in reporting such items, and often implying that something subversive, dangerous, and fearful was upon us.

Hq. ALC in a letter dated 23 September 1947, requested the Commanding General, Army Air Forces, to issue a directive assigning a priority, security classification and code name for a detailed study of flying disc reports. Hq. ALC explained that their action was based on the opinion that the phenomena reported appeared to be real. awaiting a specific directive, Hq. ALC collected information on flying disc incidents in order to more clearly define the nature of the phenomena. On the 22nd of December 1947, in a memorandum, "Analysis of Flying Disc Reports", the Director of Intelligence, Hq. USAF, concurred with ALC recommendations and forwarded them to the Director of Research and Development, DCS/M, Hq. USAF, for reply to the Commanding General, ALC. In a letter dated 30 December 1947, the Director of Research and Development, DCS/M, advised the Commanding General, ALC, that Air Force policy was not to ignore reports of sightings and phenomena in the atmosphere. To implement this policy, ALC was directed by Hq. USAF, to not up a project with the purpose of collecting, collating, evaluating, and distributing to interested government agencies and contractors, all information concerning sightings and phenomena in the atmosphere which might be construed to be of concern to the national security. This directive assigned a priority of 24 to the project, a DISTRIBUTED classification and a code name of "Sign". (The code name of "Sign" for the project was changed to "Grudge" by a 16 December 1948 request of the Director of Research and Development, DCS/M. "Grudge" under the U.S. Joint Services code word index refers to the title "Detailed Study of Flying Disc".) As a result of the directive from Hq. USAF for establishment of the special project, Hq. ALC Technical Instruction No. 2169, dated 11 February 1948, was published and assigned responsibility for the project activities to the Technical Intelligence Division, Intelligence Department, Hq. ALC.

Department of Air Force and Department of Army letters directed all respective subordinate units to report directly to Air Material Command all information concerning unidentified flying objects. Air Intelligence Requirements Memorandum No. 4 was published 15 February 1949 at the request of Air Material Command in an effort to obtain more comprehensive and accurate information.

## IV. Project Administration

At the outset, project personnel proceeded by air to the some of a reported sighting to personally interrogate witnesses. This was not