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. 3 …Origin Tremonton, Utah, Sighting Potential Related Dangers Geographic Locations of Unexplained Sightings Instrumentation to Obtain Data…
  • p. 5 …In cooperation 1vi th the Air Technical Intelligence Center, case histories of reported sightings and related…
  • p. 6 …For example, case histories involving radar or radar and visual 25X1A sightings were selected for while…
  • p. 7 …instrumentation watches of patrol cameras searching for sightings of U.F.O.'s. At 1615 Brig…
  • p. 10 …Among the case histories of significant sightings discussed in detail "ivere the follmving: Bellefontaine, Ohio (1…
  • p. 11 …objects sighted• Instances of nFoo Fighters 11 were cited• These were unexplained phenomena sighted by aircraft…
  • p. 12 …It was interesting that in at least two cases reviewed that the object sighted was categorized…
  • p. 13 …Hhat they did not find vras any evidence that related the objects sighted to space travelers…
  • p. 14 …However, the Panel could not accept any of the cases sighted by him because they were…
  • p. 15 …representatives that the objects sighted were not birds, balloons or aircraft, were nnot reflections because there…
  • p. 16 …There was no valid reason for the attempt to relate theobjects in the Tremonton sighting to…
  • p. 17 …The Panel believed strongly that the data available on this sighting was sufficient for positive identification…
  • p. 18 …Page noted that more competent screening or filtering of reported sightings at or near the source…
  • p. 19 …On the other hand, there had been no sightings in the vicinity of sensitive related AE…
  • p. 20 …exposure in order to photograph an alleged sighting in a different part of the sky; This…
  • p. 27 …mc;~EfkSE IN NU1".il3F.R OF SIGHTINGS The consensus of the Panel Has, based upon…
·' Approved For Reise 2001/08/07: CIA-RDP81R00560R.00030027-0
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as Chairw~n of the Panel• enumerated the evidence
availabl~ and requested consideration of specific reports and
letters be taken by certain individuals present (Tab B). For
example, case histories involving radar or radar and visual
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sightings were selected for while reports of Green 25X1A
Fireball phenomena, nocturnal lights, and suggested programs of
25X1A investigations were routed to Following these remarks,
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the motion pictures of the sightings at Tremonton, Utah (2 July 1952)
and Great Falls, Hontana (15 August 1950) were shown. The meeting
adjourned at 1200.
WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON
The second meeting of the Panel opened at 1400. Lt. R. S.
Neasham, USN, and Mr. Harry Woo of the USN Photo Interpretation
Laboratory, Anacostia, presented the results of their analyses of
the films mentioned above. This analysis evolved considerable
discussion as elaborated upon below. Besides Panel members and
CIA personnel, Capt. E. J. Ruppelt, Dr. J. Allen Nynak,
Capt. Harry B. Smith (2-e-2), and Dr. Stephen Possony
were present.
Following the Photo Interpretation Lab presentation, Mr. E.
J. Ruppelt spoke for about 40 minutes on ATIC methods of handling
and evaluating reports of sighting and their efforts to improve
the quality of reports. The meeting was adjourned at 1715.
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Approved For Release 2001/08/07: CIA-RDP81R00560R000100030027-0
25X1A

Cases discussed

About this file

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.