Document · 2 October 1952
CIA memorandum: “Flying Saucers” (Office of Scientific Intelligence to the Director of Central Intelligence)
Also known as OSI flying saucers memo
This memorandum of 2 October 1952 from the Assistant Director of the CIA's Office of Scientific Intelligence to the Director of Central Intelligence sets out three questions: whether "unidentified flying objects" have national-security implications, whether they are being adequately studied, and what further research should be done and by whom.
It reports that the Air Force's Air Technical Intelligence Center at Wright-Patterson was the only group giving the subject serious effort, and that its case-by-case explanations could not resolve the problem as a whole. It concludes that "flying saucers" posed two dangers with national-security implications, mass psychological effects and the vulnerability of the United States to air attack, and recommends that the DCI brief the National Security Council and the Psychological Strategy Board and that research be started.
The memo led directly to the CIA's convening of the Robertson Panel in January 1953. It is sometimes mislabelled online as the Robertson Panel report itself; it is the precursor.
Sources: CIA memorandum (1952)
Facts and claims
- documented A memo from the Assistant Director of the CIA’s Office of Scientific Intelligence asking whether “unidentified flying objects” had national-security implications, whether they were being studied adequately, and what further research should be done. It reviews the work of the Air Technical Intelligence Center at Wright-Patterson AFB. Source: doc-cia-osi-flying-saucers-1952.pdf
- documented It led to the January 1953 Robertson Panel. Note that this is the CIA document at the link sometimes labelled “Robertson Panel report”; it is the precursor memo, not the report itself. Source: Robertson Panel report (Durant Report): Report of Meetings of Scientific Advisory Panel on Unidentified Flying Objects
Connected files
Organizations
- Central Intelligence Agency (produced by)
- National Air and Space Intelligence Center (assesses) — The CIA found ATIC, NASIC's forerunner at Wright-Patterson, the only group giving the subject serious effort
Incidents
- Washington, D.C. UFO incident (follows) — Written in October 1952 after the summer wave: “During July 1952 alone, official reports totaled 250”
Documents
- Robertson Panel report (Durant Report): Report of Meetings of Scientific Advisory Panel on Unidentified Flying Objects (followed by)
Places
- Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (assesses) — The CIA found the Air Technical Intelligence Center at Wright-Patterson the only group giving the subject serious effort
More documents
- CIA's Role in the Study of UFOs, 1947–90 (Gerald K. Haines, Studies in Intelligence, 1997)
- The National Reconnaissance Office at 50 Years: A Brief History (NRO, second edition, 2018)
- U.S. Defense Attaché / DIA report: UFO sighting in Iran, 19 September 1976 (NSA-released reproduction)
- ODNI Preliminary Assessment: Unidentified Aerial Phenomena
- Air Force Regulation 200-2, Unidentified Flying Objects Reporting (12 August 1954)
- Intelligence Community Directive 906: Controlled Access Programs