Report on Conversations with Soviet Scientists on Subject of Unidentified Flying Objects in the USSR

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Approved for Release 2026

21 AUG 1967

CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY

This material contains information affecting the National Defense of the United States within the meaning of the Espionage Laws, Title 18, U.S.C. Secs. 793 and 794, the transmission or revelation of which in any manner to an unauthorized person is prohibited by law.

CONTROLLED DISSEM

C-O-N-T-I-D-E-N-T-I-A-L

NO DISSEM ABROAD

COUNTRY USSR

REPORT NO. 00-B-321/23490-67

SUBJECT Report on Conversations With Soviet Scientists on Subject of Unidentified Flying Objects in the USSR

DATE DISTR. 18 AUG 67

NO. PAGES 2

REFERENCES

(351)

DATE OF INFO. May 1967

PLACE & DATE ACQ. USSR; May 1967

THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION

SOURCE

US citizen; an astrophysicist on the staff of a large research institute. The information in this report was extracted from a memorandum he wrote for his superiors.

[This report was developed by an Air Force (AFNIN) representative assigned to the office of preparation.]

1. This report is an account of conversational exchanges on the subject of UFO's during the course of a one-month trip of a US scientist through the USSR in the spring of 1967, for the purpose of visiting several astronomical observatories having staff members engaged in planetary research. The only scientists contacted during the trip were astronomers, and inquiries concerning Soviet observations and interpretations of UFO's were a minor aspect of the trip. Within these limitations, an attempt was made to assess Soviet scientific thinking on this controversial topic.

2. He visited V.I. Moroz, Sternberg Institute, Moscow, who was noncommittal on the subject of UFO's. The scientist who served as translator, a radio astronomer, emphatically stated that he knew of no sightings of UFO's in the USSR and added with a laugh that if they were only seen in the US, they must be of Soviet origin.

3. At the Pulkovo Observatory, Leningrad, one of the astronomers mentioned that she had heard of some sightings of unidentified objects near the Caucasus. She was unaware of any study being made of them but was open-minded on the subject.

4. The US scientist's main visit was to N.A. Kozyrev, who was very interested in the problem. He had read Menzel's book (which has been translated into Russian) but did not accept his conclusions. Kozyrev knew of some sightings in the northern part of the USSR, but said that reports of such sightings are not printed in Soviet newspapers because they are not regarded as scientific observations. (Comment: this is interesting in view of the readiness of Soviet newspapers to print rather fantastic reports of hypotheses and "observations" suggested by the more imaginative members of the scientific community. Apparently some official sanction is needed.) Kozyrev has been interested in US reports of UFO's and readily accepts their reality. In fact, it is his personal opinion that the UFO's may originate on Venus. He is well aware of the negative effect of "enlightened" scientific opinion on the interpretation of questionable observations as he has had personal

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The dissemination of this document is limited to civilian employees and active duty military personnel within the intelligence components of the USIB member agencies, and to those senior officials of the member agencies who must act upon the information. However, unless specifically controlled in accordance with paragraph 8 of DCID 1/7, it may be released to those components of the departments and agencies of the U. S. Government directly participating in the production of National Intelligence. IT SHALL NOT BE DISSEMINATED TO CONTRACTORS. It shall not be disseminated to organizations or personnel, including consultants, under a contractual relationship to the U. S. Government without the written permission of the originator.