The U.S. government decided to investigate the UFO phenomenon in the late 1940s and established committees to investigate the matter.
On 9 July 1947, the Intelligence Service of the U.S. Air Force, in cooperation with the FBI, secretly began an investigation to examine the best evidence of UFOs, including those of Kenneth Arnold and crew theft of United Airlines. The intelligence service said use “all its scientists to determine whether a” phenomenon that could, in fact, occur. ” In addition, research was conducted “keeping in mind that the flying objects might be a celestial phenomenon or a foreign body designed and controlled by mechanical means”. Three weeks later, they concluded “these stories of flying saucers are not the fruit of the imagination or exaggeration of certain natural phenomena. There really has stolen something. “
A further investigation conducted by the technical divisions and intelligence of the Air Materiel Command came to the same conclusions that “the phenomenon is something real, not visions. These are objects shaped disc, metallic appearance and size of aircraft. Their characteristics are a “climbing speed and extreme maneuverability, a lack of noise in general, lack of drag, theft in connection with training and behavior fleeing as they are spotted by a plane or radar without hostile intent. ” Air Force Directive 200-2 of 1954 defines a UFO as “any airborne object whose behavior, aerodynamic characteristics and peculiarities not unusual for any type of aircraft or missile known or can not be treated as absolutely familiar object. ” It stipulates that UFOs Class B should be studied as a potential threat to the security of the United States “and that it must determine” the technical aspects related. In addition, the staff of the Air Force was ordered not to discuss with the press of the outstanding cases. It recommends, in late September 1947, a formal study of the phenomenon is established by the Air Force. It follows the creation of the Sign end of 1947, which became the project Grudge late 1948 and the Project Blue Book in 1952. Blue Book expires in 1970, putting an end to official investigations of the Air Force in this field.
The use of the name UFO in place of “flying saucer” was suggested by Captain Edward J. Ruppelt, first director of Project Blue Book, saying that the term “flying saucer” did not reflect the diversity of comments. Ruppelt recounts his experience in a memory: The Report on Unidentified Flying Objects (1956), first book to use the term UFO (pronounced by the author but is most commonly spelled out).
Works Cited:
Hall, Richard H., editor. The UFO Evidence: Volume 1. 1964, NICAP, reissued 1997, Barnes & Noble Books
Hall, Richard H. The UFO Evidence: A Thirty-Year Report. Scarecrow Press, 2001
Hynek, J. Allen. The Hynek UFO Report. New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1997.
Rose, Bill and Buttler, Tony. Flying Saucer Aircraft (Secret Projects). Leicester, UK: Midland Publishing, 2006
The UFO Enigma: A New Review of the Physical Evidence. 2000. Edited by Peter Sturrock. Aspect Books
