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.

  • 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
  • p. 14 …Approved For Re.se ~001/08/07: CIA-RDP81R00560R-100030027-0 ~i\.~ ~~=-.::r........e~.. ~...-~... •Q~VJ…
  • p. 15 Approved For Re.se 2001/08/07: CIA-RDP81R00560R~00030027-0 ··•"""'$liiit:tl~~~'1~~,,.,,"""'"">:50 'E…
  • 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…
  • p. 19 . Approved For Rel.e 2001/08/07: CIA-RDP81R00560R0.00030027-0 ~;:i~~·&4!i'#\,\%t S…
  • p. 20 Approved For Re.e 2001/08/07: CIA-RDP81R00560R~00030027-0 of the sky is now…
  • p. 21 Approved For a:se 2001/08/07: CIA-RDP81R00560.100030027-0 S..~·ro@>~·!lr ·~ .........., ..S&&w…
  • p. 22 …Approved For Rel.e 2001/08/07: CIA-RDP81R00560R0.0030027-0 -&+~~- ..,,_,_-.t.~.jjtjara:(~. '·... ,.... 'D"C'~~ '· . . . '~~~- 25X1A…
  • p. 23 …Fo.:l:a.se 2001/08/07: CIA-RDP81R005.00100030027-0 ~~~tijt~"'m.J!I """~~; levels…
  • 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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from the center of the screen,-if it still appeared at all.
felt such a technical solution was simpler and would cost much less than
a "Doppler filter.rr
UNEXPLAINED COS!!EC RAY PHENOMENA
Two reported cases were examined: one at Palomar :Mountain, California,
in October 1949, when cosmic ray counter wnet "off •cale for a few seconds,n
a,pparently while a uvn of flying acmcers was observed visually; and t1vo,
a series of oboervations by the "Los Alamos Bird Watchers Association" from
August 1950 to January 1951, when cosmic ray coincidence counters behaved
queerly. Circuit diagrams and records were available for the latter, and
able quickly to point out that the recorded data were
undoubtedly due to inatrumental effects that would have been recognized
as such by more experienced observers~
The implication that radioactive effects ivere correlated with
unidentified flying objects in these two cases vms, therefore, rejected
by the Panel•
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM
The Panel's concept of aborad educational program integrating
efforts of all concerned agencies was that it should have two major
aims: training and ttdebunking".
The training aim would result in proper recognition of unusually
illuminated objects (e.g., balloons, aircraft relfections) as well as
natural phenomena (meteors, fireballs, mirages, noctilucent clouds).
Both visual and radar recognition are concerned. There lvould be many
"''~-~~.
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Approved For Release 2001/08/07: CIA-RDP81R00560R000100030027-0
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Cases discussed

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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.