Australian Dept of Defense Scientific and Intel Aspects of the UFO Problem

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3.

21.8.52
USAF started releasing ATIC reports to the UFO author, Major Keyhoe, for publication. This was a completely unexpected change of policy. The contents of these reports refuted the public pronouncements made by the USAF. In addition a USAF spokesman agreed that the attempt to explain the Washington sightings as due to anomalous propagation could not be upheld.

21.11.52
CIA arranged four government scientists to meet at ATIC for three days as a preliminary review panel to decide on recommendations for a higher-level panel of six scientists.

14/17.1.53
The Office of Scientific Intelligence, CIA, convened in Washington D.C., a panel of six scientists, Drs H.P. Robertson (Chairman), Luis Alvarez, Lloyd Berkner, Samuel A. Goudsmit, Thornton Page and one other. After three days of evidence, a two-page secret report that was prepared on the fourth day, concluded that there was no direct threat to national security but that there was an indirect threat to "the orderly functioning of the protective organs of the body politic". It was recommended that national security agencies should "strip the UFO's of the special status they have been given" and to educate the public accordingly.

16.2.53
CIA issued a larger but still secret report on the meeting, summarising the eight half-day sessions and outlining panel members' individual viewpoints. The lack of artifacts of clear extra-terrestrial origin was a strong argument against acceptance of the extra-terrestrial hypothesis. The panel agreed with CIA concern that enemy artifacts may be misidentified by U.S. defence personnel, that emergency reporting channels be overloaded and that the public may become vulnerable to enemy psychological warfare. The public should be educated to recognise balloons, meteors etc. and a policy of "debunking" should be introduced in order to reduce public interest. This "training and debunking" programme would be required for "a minimum of one and one half to two years". "Some expansion of the ATIC effort would certainly be required to support such a programme". A professional staff of 12 supported by an administrative staff was suggested.

.53
Section III, Title 18 of the Joint Army, Navy and Air Force Publication (JANAP 146) legislated that service personnel talking about UFO sightings were liable to 1-10 years gaol and/or a fine of up to $10,000.

26.8.53
Air Force Regulation (AFR 200-2) removes investigation authority from Project Blue Book in favour of the Air Defence Command's 4602 Air Intelligence Service Squadron, a unit dispersed over area commands, and trained both for rapid access to remote areas and to interrogate enemy personnel. The Air Force requires immediate reporting to evaluate the threat, and detailed reporting to assist technical analysis. All written reports are to be sent to USAF Intelligence in Washington, mainland reports first going to Air Defence Command for distribution to "interested investigative agencies". Electrical reports are addressed to both these headquarters and to ATIC. The public is to be informed of the results of individual cases only when "the object is positively identified as a familiar object".

National Archives of Australia

NAA: A13693, 3092/2/000