Department of the Air Force Committee to Review Project Bluebook, 1966-1967

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substantiate this conclusion, the UOC Committee cites the experience of
NICAP teams of "eager amateursn armed with cameras, magnetometers, and
other specialized instrumentation who have gone instantly to sighting
zones and attempted to obtain actual data.
Despite their zeal, these
teams apparently have never been able to obtain .a.ctu~lz. real-time data.
The conclusion, therefore, is that the UOC Committee will have to work
with data that are available (i.e., reports from those who have sighted
UFOs) and attempt to interpret those data so as to obtain a better under­
standing of UFOs.
5.
Although the UOC Committee will deal primarily with data from reports,
this will not preclude some team investigations of current sightings of
special interest.
Primary and back-up teams each consisting of two members
(a physical scientist and a social scientist) are now being equipped with
suitable instruments (i.e., Gieger counters, binoculars, cameras, maps,
almanacs, etc.).
'lllese teams will be on stand-by alert at Colorado to
investigate sightings of special interest.
One unresolved question is how
to determine which sightings to investigate.
These teams will not be
decentralized because the transportation from Denver to any part of the
United States is adequate. After listening to this briefing, one cannot
avoid the conclusion that the actual field investigations will be low
priority items and will be played in low key during this investigation.
6.
Discussion on the teams' activities led to another question basic to
the Air Force approach to the UFO problem and one that the UOC Committee
hopes to provide answers to--is a large field organization composed of an
investigating officer at each Air Force base worthwhile? If such a system
does not produce worthwhile, tangible results then the Air Force does not
need it. If such a system does produce results then perhaps the Air Force
needs to refine its reporting and investigating procedures, i.e., Project
Blue Book and AFR 80-17.
The Connnittee has developed an improved reporting
form in consultation with psychologists to be used to obtain d.ata from
future sightings. Project Blue Book might find this useful.
7.
Some interesting aspects of the UOC Committee's approach to the inves­
tigation are:
a .
.An attempt will be made to establish reliability of the reports
and/or reporters.
UOC wants to know how many are reliable, how many are
accurate.
b.
The Committee will assume some hypothesis that UFOs may e.xist.
They will then try to d~termine how much evidence s'liorts the probabilitl
or i
robabilit of this
othesis.
Thus far the best hypothesis that
UFOs exist appears to be the one proposed by Mr. Richard Hall, Deputy
Director of NICAP.
His is an active hypothesis whereas McDonald's is
passive. According to the Committee, Hall definitely believes UFOs exist
and are extra-terrestrial solid ob·ects. McDonald also believes they
exist and are of extra-terrestrial origin but arrives at his conclusion
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