The issue of Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) is no longer being investigated by the Defense Department. The United States Air Force began investigating UFOs in 1948 under a program called Project Sign. Later the program's name was changed to Project Grudge, and in 1953 it was changed again to Project Blue Book. On December 17, 1969, the Secretary of the Air Force announced the termination of Project Blue Book.
The decision to discontinue UFO investigations was based on a number of factors, including reports and studies by the University of Colorado and the National Academy of Sciences, as well as past UFO studies and the Air Force's two decades of experience investigating UFO reports.
As a result of these investigations, studies, and experience, the conclusions of Project Blue Book were:
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No UFO reported, investigated, and evaluated by the Air Force has ever given any indication of threat to our national security.
- There has been no evidence submitted to or discovered by the Air Force that sightings categorized as "unidentified" represent technological developments or principles beyond the range of present-day scientific knowledge.
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There has been no evidence indicating that sightings categorized as "unidentified" are extraterrestrial vehicles.
Between 1948 and 1969 the Air Force investigated 12,618 reported UFO sightings. Of these, 11,917 were found to have been caused by material objects such as balloons, satellites, and aircraft; immaterial objects such as lightning, reflections, and other natural phenomena; astronomical objects such as stars, planets, the sun, and the moon; weather conditions; and hoaxes. Only 701 reported sightings remain unexplained.
All documentation regarding the former Blue Book investigation was permanently transferred to the Military Reference Branch, National Archives and Records Administration, 8th and Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, DC 20408, and is available for public review. A list of private organizations interested in aerial phenomena can be found in Gale's Encyclopedia of Associations, available in the reference section of many libraries. Air Force Fact Sheets on this topic may be viewed, including one about the so-called Roswell Incident. The Naval Historical Center has compiled a bibliography.
The documents displayed below reflect all current Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD)/Joint Staff (JS) holdings on this subject matter.
- Assorted documents from or related to the operation of the National Military Command Center (NMCC) and UFO's (5,337K Bytes). This file contains the following documents:
- MEMORANDUM FOR RECORD, subject: AFB [Loring, ME] Penetration, dated 29 October 1975, and related materials, 17 pages.
- MEMORANDUM FOR RECORD, subject: Low Flying Aircraft/Helicopter Sightings at Wurtsmith AFB MI, dated 31 October 1975 and related materials, 4 pages.
- DDO UPDATE, dated 8 November 1975, subject: UFO Sightings, 1 page.
- DDO UPDATE, dated 3 November 1975, subject: North Dakota (Penetration of Flight Line), 1 page.
- DDO TALKER, dated 9 November 1975, subject: UFO Sighting, 1 page.
- MESSAGE, 230810Z SEP 76, UFO Sighting In Iran, 3 pages.
- DDO UPDATE, dated 11 November 1975, subject: CJCS Comments RE UFO Incident, 1 page.
- MEMORANDUM FOR RECORD, subject: Unidentified Sightings, dated 8 November 1975, 2 pages.
- DDO UPDATE, dated 13 November 1975, subject: UFO Analysis, 1 page.
- MEMORANDUM FOR RECORD, subject: Request for Temperature Inversion Analysis, dated 13 November 1975, 1 page.
- MEMORANDUM FOR RECORD, subject: Report of UFO - Cannon AFB NM, dated 21 January 1976, 1 page.
- MEMORANDUM FOR RECORD, subject: UFO Sighting, dated 31 January 1976, 1 page.
- MEMORANDUM FOR RECORD, subject: Reports of UFO's, dated 30 July 1976, 2 pages.
- Miscellaneous Papers from NMCC (???) or other source, 4 pages.
- Bermuda Triangle Packet
- Fact Sheet, USAF Public Affairs, subject: Information of UFO's, undated, 3 pages (691K Bytes).
- Fact Sheet, USAF Public Affairs, Number 87-34, subject: UFO, undated, 3 pages (137K Bytes).
- MEMORANDUM, Subject: Unexplained Lights [RAF Woodbridge], dated 13 January 1981, 1 page (182K Bytes).
- McAndrew, James. "The Roswell Report: Case Closed (39MB)." HQ USAF: 1997.
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Information Sheet 78-1, subject: UFO's, undated, 7 pages (722K Bytes).
- News Release, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs, subject: Air Force to Terminate Project Blue Book, dated December 17, 1969, 2 pages (331K bytes).
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Office of Naval Research Information Sheet, subject: Philadelphia Experiment; UFO's, undated, 2 pages (262K bytes).
- Paranormal Phenomena: DARPA Study
- Philadelphia Experiment
- Project Blue Book Document, dated 1 February 1966, 12 pages (1173K Bytes).
- Report of Air Force Research Regarding the "Roswell Incident," dated 27 July 1994, consists of transmittal memo and report, 30 pages (6135K Bytes).
- Review of the University of Colorado Report on UFO's By a Panel of the National Academy of Science, 1969, 8 pages (1177K Bytes).
- UFO Fact Sheet, Undated, 3 pages (297K bytes).
- UFO Fact Sheet, AFSINC, dated 11 August 1985, 3 pages (308K bytes).
- UFO Packet
- UFO's and Philadelphia Experiment Information Sheet
- Weaver, Richard L. and James McAndrew. "The Roswell Report: Fact vs. Fiction in the New Mexico Desert (87MB)." HQ USAF: 1995.
Other Links
- Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC)
- Department of the Air Force UFO Pages
- Central Intelligence Agency UFO Page
- Defense Intelligence Agency UFO Pages
- Department of the Army UFO Page
- Federal Bureau of Investigation UFO Page
- France's Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES), UFO Page (Search page in French; others in English)
- Library of Congress UFO Page
- National Archives UFO Page
- National Security Agency UFO Page
- National Technical Information Service (NTIS) - This is the NTIS product search page. Key in "UFO" in the search field to locate documents related to UFOs. Note: Not all UFO listings provided in the search results pertain to Unidentified Flying Objects. NTIS is a fee-based service.
- United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence's UFO Pages
- United Kingdom's National Archives UFO Page
- U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission UFO Page
- Department of Defense Press Release concerning UFOs
Please note that this material was obtained from a variety of sources and is quite old. Nevertheless, it represents the most comprehensive collection that we have been able to assemble on this subject. Effectively, the information we have posted on this page is all that we have available.
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