Current Status of Unidentified Flying Objects UFO Project

Approved f or Rel ease 2026 1 17 December 1953 r,";g1,~0MNDUM TO, .Assistant Director, 3c:i.entif'ic Intelligence FROM : Chief, Phys l cs and Electron.ics Division; SI SUBJECT : Current Status of Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOB) Project. l. In accordarii'.~e with the verbal request ol' Mr. Brent,.. Exec/SI, on 30 November, the following resume of the current status or' unidenti­ fied flying objects activities has been prepared. 2. P&E Division assumed responsibility for the OSI project on unldentified f lying objects as a result oJ: ~,our memorandum of 27 Ma~ 1953. The project has been con:t'l~ed to rr:aintainiog awareness of the nctlvities of other agencies {notabl_y the USAF) in ·the unidenti fied f lying objects business and t o !aa.intenance of files. 3. Sta.tus ot' Depa.rtrnent of Defense Act ivi ties. . . a. Air Force. The Air Force continues to ,1JS.1.Gtain, but with aJ)parently decreasing emphasis, .Lts interest in UFOB's. The present interest of th•~ Directorate of Intel ligence, Hq. , USAF, is conf.).ned to a curso~ cop.,nlzance of ATIC's project (.iuebook No. 10073). At ATIC the project is carri ed by one officer (Capt . Charles A. Hardin), one airman (A/lC Max G. Futch), and a secreta.lJ· operating as tlie .Aeri al . Phenomena. Secti on of'. the Electronics Branch, Technic_al A:Qalysis Division. In s:pite of thls 11.::nited staff, as weLle as several changes or proJect • officer, the project records appear to be up-to-date. ATIC personnel no longer conduct f ield investigations of UFOB sightings (these are requested from USAF intelligence officers C9priroarily Air Defense Command and Airways and Air Communications ServiciJ nearer to the a j ghtings), but confine their acti vl tiea .to receiving and checking reports as received; requesting a.ddi~ional f ield investigation where necessary, pe.rfcnning necessary checkine against meteorological, ast~omical, aircraf t, and b.a lloon data, and record.lug their findings and honclusions in a cross-referenced system by date, location, source, tJ~e ·or observa.tioo and conclusion drawn. The Aerial Phenomena Section also deals directly ~1th the Public Information Office of Hq., USAF, re~ing 1nfo:rma.tion for public release. For about the past year, apprcxbiately ten percent of the reported s.i.gb.tlngs have been tagged us unsolved. •.. Of pa.:r.ticular interest is the fact that ATIC is i n the process oi' transterring pr9Ject Bluebook ~6 Hq., Air Defense Command . Accord Jng to Lt . Col. Harry Johnsto~, Chief , Electron i cs Branch, the reason for the transl'er was that l\DC bad been doing most of the s.