Documents / Report

Robertson Panel Report

The Black Vault · 1953 · 29 pages · text from the file's own layer

This declassified CIA document, released through The Black Vault, reports on the meetings of the Scientific Advisory Panel on Unidentified Flying Objects, which the Office of Scientific Intelligence convened on January 14 to 18, 1953. It includes a history of the sessions and the panel's informal comments, and it appends the formal report signed by H. P. Robertson and others. The panel found no evidence of a direct threat to national security. It recommended stripping UFOs of their special status and starting a public education program.

Open the PDF at page 12 Original source ↗

“CIA”28 pages

  • p. 2 …S CONVENED BY OFFICE OF SCIENTIFIC INTELLIGENCE, CIA January 14 - 18, 1953 25X1A Declassified b}' _ ooees…
  • p. 3 - ~. Approved For Release 2001/08/07: CIA-RDP81R00560R0.00030027-0 Purpose ~·-~··fi!#~-..:::i'lftlltl!ftM!!I…
  • p. 4 • • . Approved For Release 2001/08/07: CIA-RDP81R00560R.100030027-0 ·~ ~~ 16 February 1953 MEMORANDUM FOR: Assistant…
  • p. 5 …WEDNESDAY MORNING The AD/SI opened the meeting, reviewing CIA interest in the subject and action…
  • p. 6 …Besides Panel members and CIA personnel, Capt. E. J. Ruppelt, Dr. J. Allen Nynak, Capt. Harry…
  • p. 7 …Besides Panel members.and CIA personnel, Mr. Ruppelt and Dr. Hynek were present for both sessions…
  • p. 8 …Besides Panel members and CIA personnel, Dre Hynek was present. as Panel Member, was present at…
  • p. 9 ·. Approved For Reise 2001/08/07: CIA-RDP81R00560R.100030027-0 ·~ :g~·~~ ~M~n conclusions reached. A…
  • p. 10 .Approved For Rel.e 2001/08/07: CIA-RDP81R00560RO&oo30027-0 ....IIPJ!fi'l'#'· ~1Jrlj!1…
  • p. 11 …Approved For Rel.e 2001/08/07: CIA-RDP81R00560RAoo030027-0 ..,.,.s.~~!O:I; ~·~l~~M@en…
  • p. 12 25X1A . Approved For Reise 2001/08/07: CIA-RDP81R00560Ra00030027-0 ~.J' ~'~'Moa have been so labeled…
  • p. 13 …aeronautical engineer and technical intelligence 25X1A -10- Approved For Release 2001/08/07: CIA-RDP81R00560R000100030027-0
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  • p. 16 Approved For Re.e 2001/08/07: CIA-RDP81R00560Roe00030027-0 ,•}_:· - . "' ·-,'. .. d• Objects in the Great Falls…
  • p. 17 …Approved For Re.se 2001/08/07: CIA-RDP81R00560R.00030027-0 k. Hand "jitter 11 frequencies…
  • p. 18 …Although not the concern of CIA, the first two of' these problems may seriously affect the…
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  • p. 20 Approved For Re.e 2001/08/07: CIA-RDP81R00560R~00030027-0 of the sky is now…
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  • p. 24 25X1A Approved For Reise 2001/08/07: CIA-RDP81R00560R.00030027-0 W•ms mentioned as possibly…
  • p. 25 Approved For R~~e· 2001/08/07: CIA-RDP81R00560R0.. , historical cases but thEC current ones. Recent…
  • p. 26 Approved For Reise 2001/08/07: CIA-RDP81R00560R.00030027-0 _......£j.;.•~..~~i,.,;~\\;!• f!f.<11~~~ would…
  • p. 27 Approved ;or ·~se 2001/08/07: CIA-RDP81R00560.0100030027-0 great influence on mass thinking if…
  • p. 28 ~ . Approved For RAse 2001/08/07: CIA-RDP81R00560R.100030027-0 ~~;j!,~""""' .3~~,m~fl·on REFORT…
  • p. 29 .. Approved For Aase 2001/08/07: CIA-RDP81R005601o100030027-0 ... -tt·'fJ'~~··q!.....,.._...,, Released in MORI -.-S…
25X1A
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have been so labeled. It was interesting that in at least two
cases reviewed that the object sighted was categorized by
as probably "Foo Fighters" to date unexplained but not
dangerous; they were not happy thus to dismiss the sightings be
calling them names. It 'lvas their feeling that these phenomena are
25X1A
not beyond the domain of present knowledge of physical science, however.
AIR FORCE REPORTING SYSTEM
It was the Panel's opinion that some of the Air Force concern
over U.F.O.'s (notwithstanding Air Defense Command anxiety over fast
radar tracks) was probably caused by public pressure. The result
today is that the Air·FOrce has instituted a fine channel for
receiving reports of nearly anything anyone sees in the sky and
fails to understand• This has been particularly encouraged in popu-
lar articles on this and other subjects, such as space travel and
science fiction. The result is the mass receipt of lo1-r-grade reports
which tend to overload channels of communication with material quite
irrelevant to hostile objects that might some day appear • The Panel
agreed generally that this mass of poor-quality reports containing
little, if any, scientific data was of no value. Quite the opposite,
it was possibly dangerous in having a military service foster public
concer-.a in "nocturnal meandering lights. 11 The implication being,
since the interested agency 1ras military, that these objects were
or might be potential direct threats to national security. Accord~
ingly, the need for deemphasization made itself apparent. Comments
on a possible educational program are enumerated belmv ~
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Approved For Release 2001/08/07: G.~.:RDP81R00560R000100030027-0

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Report, cited by the archive. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is under it. 29 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.