65_HS1-834228961_62-HQ-83894_Section_007

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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
OFFICE OF PUBLIC INFORMATION
WASHINGTON ZS, D . C.
The follow::f.ng infoniat1on concerning A1r Force 1nvest1gat1ons of unusual
aerial phenomena 1a submitted 1n answer to your request.
In the Fall of 19, 7 tho U'lited States Air Force took official notice of
reports of eo--call ed "f lying sauee1"8'1 because t he reports from the public
indicated t hat the problem might be related to the Air Force responsibility for
the air defense of t.be lbited Stat.es.
On December ;o, 19"7 t.ho AJ.r Foree d.:treoted its Air Materiel Command., a.t
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base~ Dayton~ Ohio, to set up a project 'to collect and
evaluate all available facto coneerning "fl.yi.ng saucer" sighti.ngB.
To perform this task the Air Ma~r14ll Cczmnantl obtained the services of
civilian and military aatronOIQfrs, psycholo~ate~ electronic specialists,
meteorologists, aeronautical engineers., and ~hyeiciste.
~ December 27, 1949, after 375 reported a1gllt.izl&3 had been tnvestiaated, the
Air Force, with the concurrence of' the Arm:I and the Navy, announced the findings
of the "fl.ying saucer" project.
The evidence at that time ind!cated that the majority of the reports of
unidentified flying objects could be accoWlt~d for aa misinterpretationa of
"farious conventional objects, a mild fonn of byateria, meteorologioal phenomena,
11~ aberrations, or hoaxes.
There r emained, hov~er , a number of unexplo.inad eightings., and the Air
Force has continued it.8 1nveet1ga.t1ona i:nrumnich as it is an A1r Force responsi­
bility to identify and anal.yze aerial phenomena that could poesibl.J be a menace
to the United States.
Subsequent to December 19li-9, these investigations have been conducted aa
a normal intelligence function, :-ather than a special project, by the Air
Technical Intelligence Center, Wright-Fatterson Air Force :Base, l>ayton, Ohio.