1953 ATIC Project Status on UFOBs

Approved f or Rel ease 2026

1

17 December 1953
r,";g1,~0MNDUM TO,

.Assistant Director, 3c:i.entif'ic Intelligence

FROM

:

Chief, Phys l cs and Electron.ics Division; SI

SUBJECT

:

Current Status of Unidentified Flying Objects

(UFOB) Project.

l.

In accordarii'.~e with the verbal request ol' Mr. Brent,.. Exec/SI,

on 30 November, the following resume of the current status or' unidentified flying objects activities has been prepared.
2. P&E Division assumed responsibility for the OSI project on
unldentified f lying objects as a result oJ: ~,our memorandum of
27 Ma~ 1953. The project has been con:t'l~ed to rr:aintainiog awareness
of the nctlvities of other agencies {notabl_y the USAF) in ·the
unidenti fied f lying objects business and t o !aa.intenance of files.

3.

Sta.tus ot' Depa.rtrnent of Defense Act ivi ties.
.

.

a. Air Force. The Air Force continues to ,1JS.1.Gtain, but with
aJ)parently decreasing emphasis, .Lts interest in UFOB's. The present
interest of th•~ Directorate of Intel ligence, Hq. , USAF, is conf.).ned to
a curso~ cop.,nlzance of ATIC's project (.iuebook No. 10073). At ATIC
the project is carri ed by one officer (Capt . Charles A. Hardin), one
airman (A/lC Max G. Futch), and a secreta.lJ· operating as tlie .Aeri al .
Phenomena. Secti on of'. the Electronics Branch, Technic_al A:Qalysis Division.
In s:pite of thls 11.::nited staff, as weLle as several changes or proJect •
officer, the project records appear to be up-to-date. ATIC personnel
no longer conduct f ield investigations of UFOB sightings (these are
requested from USAF intelligence officers C9priroarily Air Defense
Command and Airways and Air Communications ServiciJ nearer to the
a j ghtings), but confine their acti vl tiea .to receiving and checking
reports as received; requesting a.ddi~ional f ield investigation where
necessary, pe.rfcnning necessary checkine against meteorological,
ast~omical, aircraf t, and b.a lloon data, and record.lug their findings
and honclusions in a cross-referenced system by date, location, source,
tJ~e ·or observa.tioo and conclusion drawn. The Aerial Phenomena Section
also deals directly ~1th the Public Information Office of Hq., USAF,
re~ing 1nfo:rma.tion for public release. For about the past year,
apprcxbiately ten percent of the reported s.i.gb.tlngs have been tagged
us unsolved. •..

Of pa.:r.ticular interest is the fact that ATIC is i n the
process oi' transterring pr9Ject Bluebook ~6 Hq., Air Defense Command .
Accord Jng to Lt . Col. Harry Johnsto~, Chief , Electron i cs Branch, the
reason for the transl'er was that l\DC bad been doing most of the

s.