Flying Saucers / UFOs in early events, film and books

Introduction

The following is a brief listing of mid' twentieth century films and books and significant events which feature flying saucers / UFOs and Alien encounters, usually with a negative, Earth-invasion scenario attached. Incorporated within it are items from the chronology of US UFO-related events published in the declassified 1971 Australian File. These early accounts reveal the acceptance by the majority of sectors of Western society of UFOs and Alien life as real, though only for a very brief period during the late 1940s and early 1950s. By the middle of the 1950s an official position had generally been adopted by government and business globally, and supported by the mainstream media, denying their very existence and instilling fear in the general public - a position that has largely remained in existence until the present day (late 2023). The reason for this denial of the truth, and associated classification of such matters as top secret, is not known, though it can be assumed was the result of vested interests, greed and the arms race by major powers and the military establishment, both public and private. This can be seen expressed in official, secret documents and even Hollywood films such as the Bamboo Saucer of 1968, wherein the lead character states that the reason the US has launched a mission to China is to destroyed a captured flying saucer before the local authorities have the chance to study it and perhaps secure technology which will give them a strategic and technological advantage over the Americans. There was no effort to collaborate in such endeavours for the overall betterment of mankind. UFOs and Aliens were presented as a threat to global dominance by the West (i.e. United States) or to the very survival of the human race. Of course, all of this was pure fear mongering and greed on the part of those involved. There was then, and remains so to this day, nothing to fear from Extraterrestrials.

Prior to this period of constant official coverup, there had been references to Alien visitations in books and film, following on the proliferation of science-fiction since the 1860s in works such as Jules Verne's From the Earth to the Moon (1865) and H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds (1898). The latter raised the spectre of Alien invasion, and this theme continued through to the 1940s and beyond, with common early reference to the planet Mars and mythical Martians, named after the Sumerian, Greek and Roman gods of war. The early years of cinema also saw films such as T.A. Edison's A Trip to Mars (1902), the British A Message from Mars (1913), the Russian Aelita, Queen of Mars (1924), and the 13 part serial film Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars (1938).

The present author came to this topic late in 2023, following the journalist Ross Coulthart and intelligence services whistleblower David Grusch revelations of 5 June 2023. This author believes in the truth, reality, and actuality of UFOs and Aliens, though is also aware that amongst the many accounts and information available at present, there is misinformation / disinformation which has largely been generated by governments, the media and individuals and organisations with a vested interest in deception. This author therefore has no time for skeptics and deniers who, despite all the evidence to the contrary - and there is ample evidence - maintain a dogmatic stance that (1) Alien life does not exist; (2) UFOs do not exist; and (3) the only possible scenario that could exist is one where we need to fear Aliens, as they are inherently hostile and intend to invade planet earth and kill everyone and everything. This stupid, militaristic attitude is present is most Hollywood depictions of the phenomena. It gives rise to the "shoot first, ask questions later" scenarios present in films such as The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), Earth versus the Flying Saucers (1956) and The Arrival (2016), and also present in the actual downing of Alien craft by US military forces since at least the time of Roswell in 1947. There are also those films, books and individuals which present a more realistic, humanitarian, peace-seeking reality, such as Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) and the numerous Steven Greer YouTube videos and books post 1992. The present author prefers the latter scenario and that promulgated by Greer, including his CE5 initiative, because it is based on fact and truth, not spin or white-anteing.

In closing, it is noted that this brief article is a mere tool to reveal some of the aspects of the UFO / Alien topic, and a stepping stone into deeper levels of research and engagement. It also reveals, to a degree, not only the fact that the flying saucers are real, but that we are being manipulated into believing that fear should be our first response to the subject - an example to all of us in a post-COVID world to not blindly follow the proclamations of government and those with a vested interest, where truth lies only in what they consider it to be, and what they tell us it is, and not what it is in a reality outside of the wishes of the military-industrial complex. Aliens and UFOs have been around for millenia, mentioned and depicted as far back as pre-Biblical times and the availability of the written record, though the Western world's 'discovery' of them only dates from about 1947, with the American encounter by Kenneth Arnold and the Roswell crash and retrieval in June-July of that year. Indigenous populations around the world, such as the Aztecs, Mayans and the Australian Aborigines, accepted their existence prior to 1947, to name but a few. NB: This article opens with material relating to the post WWII incidents such as Magenta, Italy 1933, Trinity 1945 and Roswell 1947.

----------------------------

Q: Why are you coming here?

Alien: We are part of an interstellar group from inside our galaxy - beings from different star systems that work together and visit different planets in the galaxy surveying what the state of evolution is of the various lifeforms on those planets.

Q: Who is in charge of all that, and tasking you?

Alien: Well, it is sort of like what you would refer to as God, but a lot different than you think....

‐--------------------

[Elana Danaan, 28 August 2024] The future of humanity is part of a greater federation of worlds in this galaxy, mixing with other races, exchanging technologies. Star Trek is not pure science-fiction - it is disclosure. Gene Rodenberry obtained his information from two sources: (1) a military source in the United States Navy, General Leslie Stevens, who told him all about the collaboration of the Galactic Federation of Worlds with the US Navy since the late 1940s; and (2) his second source was The Nine. They were supraconsciousness as well. So Star Trek is disclosure.

‐--------------------

Chronological listing

1917-19

* Aliens provide Austrian psychic Maria Orsic with information on the construction of an Alien flying saucer. She corresponds with Nicola Tesla during the 1920s. Construction commences in 1924 and is eventually hijacked during the 1930s and 40s by the NAZIs under Adolf Hitler.

-------------------

1933

* UFO crash and retrieval, including recovery of Alien bodies, at Magenta, Italy. Subsequently transferred to the United States in 1945.

-------------------

1941

* A UFO crashes at Cape Girardeau, just south of St. Louis, Missouri, and is retrieved by United States military forces. There were three deceased Aliens recovered. Reference: George Dunning, The Cape Girardeau 1941 UFO Incident, CreateSpace, 2015, 51p. / Columbia Daily Tribune 2015 / Southern Arrow 2017 / Thompson rebuttal 2020 / YouTube 2021.

-------------------

1942

* 27 February 1942 - President Roosevelt issues a memo, written two days after the Battle of Los Angeles. Reference is made to Dr. Vennevar Bush, Director of the Office of Scientific Research and Development.

Top Secret
The White House, Washington
Memorandum for Chief of Staff of the Army

I have considered the disposition of the material in possession of the Army that may be of great significance toward the development of a super weapon of war. I disagree with the agreement that such information should be shared with our ally the Soviet Union. Consultation with Dr. Bush and other scientists on the issue of finding practical use for the atomic secrets learned from the study of celestial devices precludes any further delay. This information is vital to the nation's superiority and must remain within the confines of state secrets. Any further discussion on the matter will be restricted to General Donovan, Dr. Bush, the Secretary of War and yourself. The challenge our nation faces is daunting and perilous in the undertaking and I have committed the resources of the government to that end. You have my assurance that when circumstances are favourable and we are victorious, the Army will have the fruits of research in exploring further application of the new wonder. You may speak to me about this if the above is not wholly clear. F.D.R.

* China, 1942. Photograph of a so-called "Black Hat" UFO taken by a local street photographer in a town in northern China, possibly Tientsen, Hopeh Province.

-------------------

1944

* 24 February 1944 - Memorandum by President Roosevelt to the Special Committee of Non-Terrestrial Science and Technology.

DOUBLE TOP SECRET
MEMORANDUM FOR THE WHITE HOUSE, WASHINGTON
February 24, 1944

THE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON NON-TERRESTRIAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

I agree with the OSRD (Office of Scientific Research and Development) proposal of the recommendation put forward by Dr. Bush and Professor Einstein that a separate program be initiated at the earliest possible time. I also agree that application of non-terrestrial know how in atomic energy must be used in perfecting super weapons of war to affect the complete defeat of Germany and Japan. In view of the cost already incurred in the atomic bomb program, it would, at this time, be difficult to approve without further support of the Treasury Department and the military. I therefore have decided to forego such a enterprise. From the point of view of the informed members of the United States, our principle object is not to engage in exploratory research of this kind but to win the war as soon as possible. Various points have been raised about the difficulties such an endeavour would pose to the already hardened research for advanced weapons programs and support groups in our war effort and I agree that now is not the time. It is my personal judgment that, when the war is won, and peace is once again restored, there will come a time when surplus funds may be available to pursue a program devoted to understanding non-terrestrial science and its technology which is still greatly undiscovered. I have had private discussions with Dr. Bush on this subject and the advice of several eminent scientist who believe the United States should take every advantage of such wonders that have come to us. I have heard the arguments of General Marshall and other members of the military that the United States must assume its destiny in this matter for the sake of the Nation's security in the post-war world and I have given assurances that such will be the case. I appreciate the effort and time spent in producing valuable insights into the proposal to find ways of advancing our technology and national progress and in coming to grips with the reality that our planet is not the only one harbouring intelligent life in the universe. I also commend the committee for the organization and planning that is evident in Dr. Bush's proposal and the delicate way in which it was presented. I trust the committee will appreciate the situation on which this office must render its decision.

Franklin D Roosevelt

* 13 December 1944 - Commander of Allied Forces in Europe, General Dwight Eisenhower, releases a press release about Foo Fighters. / Wikipedia / YouTube.

Floating Mystery Ball Is New Nazi Air Weapon - Supreme Headquarters, Allied Expeditionary Force, Dec. 13 - A new German weapon has made its appearance on the western air front, it was disclosed today. Airmen of the American Air Force report that they are encountering silver coloured spheres in the air over German territory. The spheres are encountered either singly or in clusters. Sometimes they are semi-transparent. / The Germans have produced a "secret" weapon in keeping with the Christmas season. The new device, apparently an air defence weapon, resembles the huge glass balls that adorn Christmas trees. There was no information available as to what holds them. up like stars in the sky, what is in them, or what their purpose is supposed to be.

-------------------

1945

* 17 August 1945 - UFO crash landing near the Trinity site, New Mexico. Reference: Jacques F. Vallée and Paola Harris, Trinity: The best-kept secret, 2021, 358p.

Interview with Jacques F. Vallée and Paola Harris, 5 June 2021, YouTube, duration: 28.01 minutes.

George Knapp interview with Jacques F. Vallée, Trinity UFO crash in New Mexico, Mystery Wire, YouTube, 22 October 2021, duration: 86.27 minutes.

-------------------

1946

* June 1946 - Albert Einstein and Robert Oppenheimer write the 6 page Relationships With Celestial Beings document.

* 9 October 1946 - Polish-American Georg Adamski (1891-1965) sees his first UFO - a cigar shaped craft. Thereafter he commences contact with Aliens, and over the following years travels with them outside of Earth. He also publishes books on his encounters.

* George Adamski, The Possibility of Life on Other Planets, Royal Order of Tibet, 1946. [Pamphlet]

------------------------

1947

* 24 June 1947 - Arnold sighting of nine "saucers" creates public interest. Investigations initiated by the United States Air Technical Intelligence Centre (ATIC) of Air Material Command (AMC, Army Air Forces) at Wright-Paterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio. Initially Soviet advanced aircraft were suspected.

* Tuesday, 8 July 1947, Roswell Daily Record. Two UFOs and 5 deceased occupants are retrieved by US military forces at Roswell, New Mexico, after being shot down by a Directed Energy weapon or particle beam radar weapon referred to by them simply as a radar. The military subsequently retract their statements and lie in calling it a weather balloon, thus initiating a coverup.

RAAF Captures Flying Saucer on Ranch in Roswell Region

No details of flying disk are revealed

Roswell hardware man and wife report disk seen

The intelligence office of the 509th Bombardment group at Roswell Army Air Field announced at noon today, that the field has come into possession of a flying saucer. According to information released by the department, over authority of Major Jesse A. Marcel, intelligence officer, the disk was recovered on a ranch in the Roswell vicinity, after an unidentified rancher had notified Sheriff George Wilcox, here, that he had found the instrument on his premises. Major Marcel and a detail from his department went to the ranch and recovered the disk, it was stated. After the intelligence office here had inspected the instrument it was flown to "higher headquarters." The intelligence office stated that no details of the saucer's construction or its appearance had been revealed.

Mr. and Mrs. Dan Wilmot apparently were the only persons in Roswell who have seen what they thought was a flying disk. They were sitting on their porch at 105 South Pennsylvania Avenue last Wednesday night [2 July 1947] at about ten minutes before ten o'clock when a large glowing object zoomed out of the sky from the southeast, going in a north-westerly direction at a high rate of speed. Wilmot called Mrs. Wilmot's attention to it and both ran down into the yard to watch. It was in sight less then a minute, perhaps 40 or 50 seconds, Wilmot estimated. Wilmot said that it appeared to him to be about 1,500 feet high and going fast. He estimated between 400 and 500 miles per hour. In appearance it looked oval in shape like two inverted saucers, faced mouth to mouth, or like two old type washbowls placed together in the same fashion. The entire body glowed as though light were showing through from inside, though not like it would be if a light were merely underneath. From where he stood Wilmot said that the object looked to be about 5 feet in size, and making allowance for the distance it was from town he figured that it must have been 15 or 20 feet in diameter, though this was just a guess. Wilmot said that he heard no sound but that Mrs. Wilmot said she heard a swishing sound for a very short time. The object came into view from the southeast and disappeared over the treetops in the general vicinity of six-mile hill. Wilmot, who is one of the most respected and reliable citizens in town, kept the story to himself hoping that someone else would come out and tell about having seen one, but finally today decided that he would go ahead and tell about seeing it. The announcement that the RAAF was in possession of one came only a few minutes after he decided to release the details of what he had seen.

Brigadier General Roger M. Ramey Telegram [approximate typographical transcription from photograph of telegram in the hand of Ramey at the time of the weather balloon announcement on 8 July 1947. c.f. James Houran and Kevin D. Randle, "A Message in a Bottle:" Confounds in Deciphering the Ramey Memo from the Roswell UFO Case, Journal of Scientific Exploration, 16(1), 2002, 45-66.]

Urgent / HQAAF / Washington / 8 July 1947 / Vandenberg / 17:13 CST / From: HQ 8th AAF / Subject: Roswell / FWAAF acknowledges that a "Disk" is next new find west of cordon. At location was a "Pod" near operation at the ranch July 4th Victims of the wreck you forwarded to the Team at Fort Worth, Texas. Aviators in the "Disc" they will ship for A1-8th AAF AMU, by B29-ST or C47. Wright AF assess Airfoil at Roswell. Assure that CIC / Team said this mistaken meaning of story and think late today next sent out proof of weather balloons would work better if they add land surveyor crews. Ramey. Copy. Top Secret

References:

The Roswell Incident, by Charles Berlitz and William L. Moore, MJF Books, 1980.
UFO Crash at Roswell, by Kevin D. Randle and Donald R. Schmitt, Avon Books, 1991.
The Roswell Report: A Historical Perspective, The J. Allen Hynek Center for UFO Studies, 1991.
Crash at Corona, by Stanton T. Friedman and Don Berliner, Paragon House, 1992.
The Truth about the UFO Crash at Roswell, by Kevin D. Randle and Donald R. Schmitt, Avon Books, 1994.
Roswell UFO Crash Update - Exposing the Military Cover-Up of the Century, by Kevin D. Randle, Global Communications, 1995.
Top Secret/MAJIC, by Stanton T. Friedman, Marlowe & Company, 1996.
Beyond Roswell, by Michael Hesemann and Philip J. Mantle, Marlowe & Sons, 1997.
The Day After Roswell, by Philip J. Corso and William H. Birnes, Simon and Schuster, 1997.
The Roswell UFO Crash - What they don't want you to know, Karl K Koff, Dell, 2000, 352p.
Witness to Roswell, Thomas J. Carey and Donald R. Schmitt, New Page Books, 2022, 336p.

* 26 July 1947 - National Security Act creates both the USAF and CIA.

* 23 September 1947 - Lt General Twining (AMC) requested the Commander Army Air Forces to issue an authority, priority and code name for the investigation of "flying discs". Preliminary conclusions by AMC were that the phenomena were "real and not visionary or fictitious", that the objects were mostly disc-shaped about the size of man-mace aircraft and were intelligently controlled. Any U.S. attempt to design aircraft of similar performance would be costly, time-consuming and detrimental to other projects. Investigations by AMC would continue pending further advice.

* 30 December 1947 - Authority given to AMC to investigate the phenomena on a priority 2A basis under the code-name Project Sign. Minimum classification was Restricted, reports were to be made quarterly and data exchanged with interested parties.

------------------------

1948

* 15 January 1948 - USAF officially a separate service.

* 22 January 1948 - Project Sign starts officially.

* 24 July 1948 - Near-collision between DC3 and UFO prompt ATIC to write an Estimate of the Situation.

* September 1948 - The Top Secret Estimate was forwarded to the Pentagon. The conclusion that UFOs were of interplanetary origin was not acceptable to the Air Force Chief of Staff ( General Vandenberg) who insisted on demonstrable proof not circumstantial evidence. ATIC was unable to provide UFO hardware or detailed photographs.

* 13 December 1948 - Dr J.E. Lipp of the Rand Corporation replied to the Director or Research and Development, USAF, that if the flying objects were inter-planetary they would most likely originate from Mars although intelligent life as we know it would "be more occupied with survival than we are on Earth''. Our present technology cannot conceive as to how an inter-stellar race could reach Earth, even though it is conceded that there is a high probability that intelligent life does exist within say 16 light-years from Earth.

* Arthur Bernard Newman, The Flying Saucer, Victor Gollanz, London, 1948, 250p. Novel.

------------------------

1949

* January 1949 - USAF orders Project Sign to be come Project Grudge which should terminate before the end of 1949.

* February 1949 - Final report of Project Sign (TR-2274-IA of the Technical Intelligence Division AMC) recommended that only a minimum effort be devoted to recording, analyzing and evaluating reports, but on the other hand where factual evidence such as photographs, radar, physical evidence and data on size and shape is involved, every effort should be made to collect this evidence. Radio alerts to other military units should be made.

* 11 February 1949 - Project Sign officially becomes Project Grudge. According to Ruppelt, Sign personnel either volunteered to leave or were compelled to leave, after which they were replaced by personnel willing to ridicule the concept of UFOs. During 1949 Grudge personnel did not follow up reports.

* August 1949 - Secret Technical Report No.102 AC 49/15-100 "Unidentified Flying Objects - Project Grudge of about 600 pages issued, with the conclusion that all reports were the result of misidentifications, mass hysteria and hoaxes even though they admit to 23% of the reports as being "unknown". The report was declassified 1 August 1952.

* 27 December 1949 - Department of Defense news release stated that the Air Force's flying saucer project had been terminated.

* George Adamski, Pioneers of Space: A Trip to the Moon, Mars and Venus, Leonard-Freefield, Los Angeles, 1949, 229p.

* The Flying Saucer - film, US, 1949, 69 minutes. Released 1950. Insert poster 1950 (illustrated below), plus re-release poster from 1953. This film was a manifestation of the official government and media fear campaign.

------------------------

1950

* March 1950 - Publication of a report, previously cleared by the U.S. Army, describing the tracking of a UFO by an official team led by Commander McLaughlin at the White Sands (missile) proving ground. From the tracking data, it was concluded that the UFO required an extraterrestrial origin.

* 22 March 1950 - Memo, FBI agent Guy Hottell to Director, FBI, J. Edgar Hoover:

To: Director, FBI

From: Guy Hottell, SAC, Washington

Subject: Information Concerning Flying Saucers

The following information was furnish to SA xxxx by xxxx.

An investigator for the Armed Forces stated that three so-called flying saucers had been recovered in New Mexico. They were described as being circular in shape with raised centers, approximately 50 feet in diameter. Each one was occupied by three bodies of human shape but only three feet tall, dressed in metallic cloth of a very fine texture. Each body was bandaged in a manner similar to the blackout suits used by speed fliers and test pilots. According to Mr. xxxx informant, the saucers were found in New Mexico due to the fact that the Government has a very high-powered radar set-up in that area and its believed the radar interferes with the controlling mechanism of the saucers. No further evaluation was attempted by SA xxxx concerning the matter.

* Vic Torry and His Flying Saucer [comic], Fawcett, London, 1950, 36p.

* Flying Saucers [comic], An Avon Publication, 1950.

* Flying Saucers are 52 years old, Pittsworth Sentinal, Queensland, 23 June 1950. For additional Australian references to UFOs and flying saucers from 1950 see Flying Saucers over Australia 1950.

* Donald E. Kehoe, The Flying Saucers are Real, Gold Medal Books, 1950, 175p. This is one of the first, significant, whistleblower-type accounts defending the existence and reality of the UFO / Alien phenomena and pushing back against the official coverup The title tells all. Kehoe subsequently published two more books, in 1953 and 1955.

* Rocket Ship X-M - film, US, 1950, 78 minutes.

* Flying Disc Man from Mars - 12 part serial film, Republic Pictures, US, 1950, 155 minutes.

* The Flying Saucer Mystery - documentary, 1950, duration: 22.24 minutes.

* Gerald Heard, The Riddle of the Flying Saucers - is another World watching? [serial + book], London, 1950.

* Frank Scully, Behind the Flying Saucers, Popular Library #326, 1950.

------------------------

1951

* 17 January 1951 - [Australia] First pro-forma for UFO sightings issued.

* 14 September 1951 - On learning that ATIC was not investigating UFO reports, the USAF Director of Intelligence (General Cahill) ordered Project Grudge to be revitalized. This was acted upon at once.

* The Day the Earth Stood Still - film, 18 September 1951, 92 minutes. This is perhaps the most well-known, thoughtful, and likely most accurate depiction of the phenomena to date.

* 27 October 1951 - Project Grudge now headed by Capt. Ruppelt.

* Flight to Mars - film, US, 11 November 1951, 72 minutes.

------------------------

1952

* March 1952 - Project Grudge renamed Project Blue Book. By this stage the staff had built up to 10, all with Top Secret clearances, and a highly qualified research group of consultants provided expertise. As part of Project Stork, this research group (RAND is a possibility) started to transcribe data onto IBM cards for future analysis.

* 24 April 1952 - Air Force Letter 200-5 ordered all USAF units to wire UFO reports direct to ATIC with a copy to the Pentagon. Project Blue Book was permitted to contact any USAF unit directly, allowing rapid investigation.

* June - August 1952 - During 1948-51 the average monthly number of reports was 15, but during June, July and August of 1952, the average was 337 including 536 during July. The UFOs were not only seen in greater numbers, but there was a greater number of reliable witnesses. Several sensitive Atomic Energy Commission plants and defence units were subjected to close approaches. Defence communications were being overloaded and there were fears that U.S. reaction time against enemy action was being hindered.

* 19/26 July 1952 - Two series of radar-visual sightings over Washington National airport, the Capitol and White House electrified the nation. As a result of the upsurge of interest in scientific and military circles, the interplanetary hypothesis gained ground despite official efforts to explain away the sightings.

* 27 July 1952 - Press conference by Major General John A. Colonel Samford commenting on UFOs.

* Red Planet Mars - film, US, 1952. The 1 sheet poster is a facsimile newspaper front page proclaiming an Alien invasion, with headline - 'Terror from Mars throws world into panic!'

* 21 August 1952 - USAF started releasing ATIC reports to the UFO author, Major Keyhoe, for publication. This was a completely unexpected change of policy. The contents of these reports refuted the public pronouncements made by the USAF. In addition a USAF spokesman agreed that the attempt to explain the Washington sightings as due to anomalous propagation could not be upheld.

* 21 November 1952 - CIA arranged four government scientists to meet at ATIC for three days as a preliminary review panel to decide on recommendations for a higher-level panel of six scientists. The Office of Scientific Intelligence, CIA, convened in Washington D.C., a panel of six scientists, Drs H.P. Robertson (Chairman), Luis Alvarez, Lloyd Berkner, Samuel A. Goudsmit, Thornton Page and one other. After three days of evidence, a two-page secret report that was prepared on the fourth day, concluded that there was no direct threat to national security but that there was an indirect threat to "the orderly functioning of the protective organs of the body politic". It was recommended that national security agencies should "strip the UFOs of the special status they have been given" and to educate the public accordingly.

------------------------

1953

* 16 February 1953 - CIA issued a larger but still secret report on the meeting, summarising the eight half-day sessions and outlining panel members' individual viewpoints. The lack of artifacts of clear extraterrestrial origin was a strong argument against acceptance of the extraterrestrial hypothesis. The panel agreed with the CIA concern that enemy artifacts may be misidentified by U.S. defence personnel, that emergency reporting channels be overloaded and that the public may become vulnerable to enemy psychological warfare. The public should be educated to recognise balloons, meteors, etc., and a policy of "debunking" should be introduced in order to reduce public interest. This "training and debunking" programme would be required for "a minimum of one and one half to two years. Some expansion of the ATIC effort would certainly be required to support such a programme". A professional staff of 12 supported by an administrative staff was suggested.

* 1953 - Section III, Title 18 of the Joint Army, Navy and Air Force Publication (JANAP 146) legislated that service personnel talking about UFO sightings were liable to 1-10 years gaol and/or a fine of up to $10,000.

* 18 May 1953 - [Australia] Lt Col George A. Uhrich, USAF Assistant Air Attache of the U. S. Embassy approached D/DAFI with a request f or UFO reports to be sent to the U.S.

* 20 July 1953 - [Australia] Lt Col Uhrich stated that the U.S. is very interested in UFO reports from all over the world - (despite the official U.S. viewpoint that UFOs are the result of misidentifications, hysteria or hoaxes). Sighting details were requested to be signalled with photos, drawings etc. to follow by mail . As a result, the RAAF produced a new pro-forma.

* 26 August 1953 - Air Force Regulation (AFR 200-2) removes investigation authority from Project Blue· Book in favour of the Air Defence Command's 4602 Air Intelligence Service Squadron, a unit dispersed over area commands, and trained both for rapid access to remote areas and to interrogate enemy personnel. The Air Force requires immediate reporting to evaluate the threat, and detailed reporting to assist technical analysis. All written reports are to be sent to USAF Intelligence in Washington, mainland report first going to Air Defense Command for distribution to "interested investigative agencies". Electrical reports are addressed to both these headquarters and to ATIC. The public is to be informed of the results of individual cases only when "the object is positively identified us a familiar object." Headquarters USAF will release summaries of evaluated data to the public.

* September 1953 - When the head of Project Blue Book departed, the staff was reduced to just one airman (first-class). All instrumentation plans had been negated except for diffraction cameras which had been shown to be useless.

* 20 November 1953 - [Australia] In a reply to a question in the House of Representatives, the Minister for Air stated that "the RAAF makes detailed investigations of every such report it received".

* Commander Cody - Robot Monster from Mars - serial film episode, US, 1953.

* Phantom from Space - film, US, 1953, 71 minutes.

* Donald E. Kehoe, Flying Saucers from Outer Space, Henry Holt, 1953. Book.

* Abbott and Costello go to Mars (Venus) - film, US, 1953.

* Desmond Leslie and George Adamski, Flying Saucers Have Landed, London, 1953.

* Invaders from Mars - film, US, 1953, 79 minutes.

* Donald H. Menzel, Flying Saucers, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, 1953, 319p.

------------------------

1954

* 1 February 1954 - The distribution of 275 diffraction-grating cameras (200 to U.S. bases and 75 to overseas bases) was completed.

* 17 February 1954 - Airline pilots at a meeting at the Roosevelt Hotel, Hollywood, were coerced by military intelligence using JANAP 146 to agree to not informing the public of their sightings, and confine their reporting to official channels.

* 20 February 1954 - President Eisenhower meets with two Nordic Aliens at Edwards Air Force Base, California. He also meets Aliens on two further occasions at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico. They request a halt to the use of atomic weapons. He refuses. Reference: Peter Carlson, Ike and the Alien Ambassadors, The Washington Post, 19 February 2004; Michael Salla, Exopolitics: Implications of the Extraterrestrial Presence, Dandelion Enterprises, 2004, 326p.

* 15 May 1954 - USAF Chief of Staff, General Nathan Twining , stated "The best brains in the Air Force are working on this problem of Unidentified Flying Objects, trying to solve this riddle." General Twining was not referring to Project Blue Book.

* 10 June 1954 - Deputy Commander of Intelligence at ATIC, Colonel O'Mara, stated that more than a thousand people were working on the problem.

* Devil Girl from Mars - film, UK, 1954, 76 minutes. Features a rocket-powered flying saucer.

* Stranger from Venus / Immediate Danger - film, UK/US, 1954.

* Killers from Space - film, US, 1954, 70 minutes.

* Donald E. Keyhoe, Flying Saucers from Outer Space, 4th Estate, 1954.

* Harold T. Wilkins, Flying Saucers on the Attack, New York, 1954.

------------------------

1955

* 2 February 1955 - William P. Lear, Chairman of Lear Inc., Santa Monica stated that because of flying saucers, serious efforts were being made in the U.S. to prove the existence of anti-gravitational forces.

* 15 March 1955 - Deputy Chief of Air Staff would not permit the appointment of a full-time investigator of UFO sightings.

* 23 August 1955 - Revealed that the U.S. Government had taken over the Canadian Avro 'flying saucer' project. This was a circular aerofoil powered by jets and designed to take-off and land vertically, hover, travel at 1500 mph and change direction rapidly. The design specifications for performance and shape were clearly directly related to UFO reporting. The project was started in 1951-52 and in 1954 after $400,000 had been spent, the Canadian Government withdrew its financial backing. When the U.S. assumed control over the project it imposed a high level of security, preventing even Canadian officials from inspecting the premises. At the press release meeting on 25 October 1955 for the Special Report No. 14, photographs of a drawing of the proposed version showed a typical flying disc.

* 25 October 1955 - Release of Project Blue Book Special Report No.14 dated 5 May 1955. The report was originally compiled by Project Blue Book research consultants who analysed 3,200 reports out of 4,000 received by the end of 1952. These results were used to brief the Robertson panel in January 1953. To this basic 316 page report, a 3 page so-called "summary" has been added dealing mainly with the 1953 - 55 period and dismissing UFOs as mainly misidentifications. The more uncomfortable conclusions of the main report were concealed. Only 100 copies of the main report were distributed on a restricted non-public basis (the only Australian copy was destroyed by the RAAF in 1959) whereas copies of the misleading "summary" were freely available to press and public.

* 2 November 1955 - [Australia] Minute from A/DAFI to D. Ops stating that the RAAF was not undertaking detailed investigations as had been indicated by the Minister in November 1953, and that some form of investigation should be made.

* 4 November 1955 - [Australia] On receiving Special Project Report No.14 and its Summary from the U.S., A/DAFI stated that "the general tone is that the USAF consider *Flying Saucers* do not exist" . The Special Report was later destroyed.

* Georg Adamski, Inside the Space Ships, Abelard-Schuman, 1955, 256p.

* Donald E. Kehoe, The Flying Saucer Conspiracy, Holt, 1955, 315p.

* H. J. Wilkins, Flying Saucers from the Moon, Peter Owen, London, 1955.

* Harold T. Wilkins, Flying Saucers Uncensored, Citadel Press, 1955.

* Waveney Girvan, Flying Saucers and Common Sense, Frederick Muller, London, 1955.

* Cedric Allingham, Flying Saucer From Mars, Frederick Muller, London, 1955.

* This Island Earth - film, 1955, 72 minutes. Lobby card with alien flying saucer over Earth.

------------------------

1956

* Gray Barker, They knew too much about Flying Saucers - The true story of what happened to certain researchers and investigators who found out where the saucers come from, New York, 1956. Includes references to Australian information.

* Arthur Constance, The Inexplicable Sky, London, 1956.

* M.K. Jessup, UFO and the Bible, Citadel Press, New York, 1956.

* Jimmy Guieu, Flying Saucers come from another world, Hutchinson, 1956, 248p.

* UFO - Unidentified Flying Objects - film, US, 1956, 90 minutes.

* Earth versus the Flying Saucers - film, 1956, 84 minutes. Screenplay by Curt Sidomak based on Major Donald E. Kehoe's book Flying Saucers from Outer Space.

------------------------

1957

* 1 April 1957 - [Australia] DAFI formally requested JIB to accept the UFO commitment as the newly formed Scientific Intelligence section would be more capable "than anyone in this Directorate".

* Invasion of the Saucer Men - film, 1957. Lobby card from the film, featuring the green alien attacking a man.

------------------------

1958

* 9 April 1958 - First sanitized version of Robertson (short) report released.

* C.G. Jung, Flying Saucers - A Modern Myth of Things Seen in the Skies, Zurich, 1958.

* Aime Michel, The Truth About Flying Saucers, Corgi Books, London, 1958.

* Aime Michel, Flying Saucers and the Straight Line Mystery, 1958.

* IT! The terror from beyond space - film, US, 1958.

------------------------

1959

* 24 December 1959 - Inspector-General of Air Force circulates classified "UFO's Serious Business" in an effort to stimulate and improve the reporting of UFOs. Investigating officers are to be equipped with geiger counters as well as a camera, binoculars and sampling containers.

* Battle in Outer Space - Japanese film, 1959.

------------------

post 1950s

The trend towards disastrous Alien invasion movies did not end with the 1950s, but continued through to the new millennium, occasionally interspersed with a thoughtful, non-invasion film. In more recent times books and articles have been supplemented by online social media forms such as YouTube which provide information on the UFO / Alien subject.

1960

* US - JANAP l46C invokes espionage laws to prevent the revealing of UFO data, 1960.

1961

* Battle of the Worlds - Italian film, 1961.

1963

* 5 June 1963 - US President J.F. Kennedy demands a full briefing on the UFO / Alien issue by the intelligence and military services. He begins corresponding with Russian President Kruschev in regards to removing the nuclear arsenal and utilise the Pope as an intermediary.

1964

* Landing of an Alien spacecraft at Holloman Air Force Base on 24 April 1964.

1965

* 28 September 1965 - Following the August peak of UFO activity , the USAF Office of Information requests a review of Project Blue Book.

1966

* 3 February 1966 - USAF Scientific Advisory Board Ad Hoc Committee reviewed Project Blue Book. Although the committee considered most unidentifieds "were due to inadequate analysis, they also accused Blue Book of identifying objects "when the evidence collected was too meagre or too indefinite". It was recommended that University contracts be made and that more scientifically trained investigators be used.

* 5 April 1966 - U.S. Congress House Committee on Armed Services recommends that Project Blue Book reports be investigated by University contract.

* April 1966 - [Australia] RAAF publish a list of identifications of all UFO sightings from 1960 to 1965.

* 6 June 1966 - Dr McDonald reads Robertson (complete) report which had been declassified under 12 year rule.

* 20 June 1966 - Robertson report reclassified. Second sanitised version issued.

* 19 September 1966 - AFR 80-17 replaces APR 200-2 and transfers responsibility from Intelligence to Research and Development . Para 12(B) states "Air Force echelons receiving suspected or actual UFO material will safeguard it to prevent any defacing or alterations which might reduce its value for intelligence examination and analysis".

* 6 October 1966 - Contract signed with Colorado University.

----------------------

1968

* 3 June 1968 - [Australia] Letter from A Sec A to Minister for Air stated that the primary interest in UFOs was with Air Defence and the RAAF has not been concerned with the scientific nature of such sightings.

* 29 July 1968 - U.S. Congress House Committee on Science and Astronautics held a one-day symposium on UFOs at which many prominent scientists testified in favour of UFOs being real and requiring international investigation.

* The Bamboo Saucer - film, 1980, 103 minutes. Story about a crashed and retrieved UFO.

1969

* 8 January 1969 - Condon report published. Condon's conclusions were not supported by the staff conclusions.

* 1969 - J. Allen Hynek's contract as Scientific Consultant on UFOs to the USAF Project Blue Book was not renewed (after 21 years).

* 17 December 1969 - Project Blue Book closed down.

* 26/31 December 1969 - The American Association for the Advancement of Science met at Boston to discuss UFOs. One outcome was a resolution appealing for Blue Book data to be released.

-----------------------

1970

* 15 January 1970 - [Australia] In view of the termination of Project BLUE BOOK, DAFI considered that the RAAF might reduce their effort.

-------------------------

1977

* Close Encounters of the Third Kind - film, 1977. The most accurate and humane recent film on the phenomena.

1980

* Hanger 18 - film, 1980, 97 minutes. Story about a crashed and retrieved UFO.

1996

* Mars Attacks! - film, 1996. Surrealistic Hollywood invasion comedy.

* Independence Day - film, 1996. The ultimate Us against Them film. We win (temporarily).

1997

* Contact - film, 1997.

2008

* The Day the Earth Stood Still - film, 2008. Weak remake of 1951 film.

2016

* Arrival - film, 2016.

---------------------------

Last updated: 16 October 2024

Michael Organ, Australia (Home)

Search This Blog

Rambling thoughts of an overactive mind

Flying Saucers / UFOs in early events, film and books

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The death of Nick Drake, Monday, 25 November 1974

TR-3B - an American, anti-gravity, warp drive, interstellar UFO

Malaysian Airlines flight MH370: What really happened?