CIA-Bericht: Sowjetische Wissenschaftler zu UFOs, 1967

[PAGE 1] Approved for Release 2026 INFORMATION REPORT INFORMATION REPORT 21 AUG 1967 CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY This material contains information affecting the National Defense of the United States within the meaning of the Espionage Laws, Title 18, U.S.C. Secs. 793 and 794, the transmission or revelation of which in any manner to an unauthorized person is prohibited by law. CONTROLLED DISSEM CONFIDENTIAL [struck through] NO DISSEM ABROAD COUNTRY USSR SUBJECT Report on Conversations With Soviet Scientists on Subject of Unidentified Flying Objects in the USSR REPORT NO. OO-B-321/23490-67 DATE DISTR. 18 AUG 67 NO. PAGES 2 REFERENCES (351) [handwritten annotation, illegible] DATE OF INFO. May 1967 PLACE & DATE ACQ. USSR; May 1967 THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION SOURCE US citizen; an astrophysicist on the staff of a large research institute. The information in this report was extracted from a memorandum he wrote for his superiors. [This report was developed by an Air Force (AFNIN) representative assigned to the office of preparation.] 1. This report is an account of conversational exchanges on the subject of UFO's during the course of a one-month trip of a US scientist through the USSR in the spring of 1967, for the purpose of visiting several astronomical observatories having staff members engaged in planetary research. The only scientists contacted during the trip were astronomers, and inquiries concerning Soviet observations and interpretations of UFO's were a minor aspect of the trip. Within these limitations, an attempt was made to assess Soviet scientific thinking on this controversial topic. 2. He visited V.I. Moroz, Sternberg Institute, Moscow, who was noncommittal on the subject of UFO's. The scientist who served as translator, a radio astronomer, emphatically stated that he knew of no sightings of UFO's in the USSR and added with a laugh that if they were only seen in the US, they must be of Soviet origin. 3. At the Pulkovo Observatory, Leningrad, one of the astronomers mentioned that she had heard of some sightings of unidentified objects near the Caucasus. She was unaware of any study being made of them but was open-minded on the subject. 4. The US scientist's main visit was to N.A. Kozyrev, who was very interested in the problem. He had read Menzel's book (which has been translated into Russian) but did not accept his conclusions. Kozyrev knew of some sightings in the northern part of the USSR, but said that reports of such sightings are not printed in Soviet newspapers because they are not regarded as scientific observations. (Comment: this is interesting in view of the readiness of Soviet newspapers to print rather fantastic reports of hypotheses and "observations" suggested by the more imaginative members of the scientific community. Apparently some official sanction is needed.) Kozyrev has been interested in US reports of UFO's and readily accepts their reality. In fact, it is his personal opinion that the UFO's may originate on Venus. He is well aware of the negative effect of "enlightened" scientific opinion on the interpretation of questionable observations as he has had personal INFORMATION REPORT INFORMATION REPORT U Yes CONFIDENTIAL [struck through] [GROUP 1: Excluded from automatic downgrading and declassification] S Yes The dissemination of this document is limited to civilian employees and active duty military personnel within the intelligence components of the USIB member agencies, and to those senior officials of the member agencies who must act upon the information. However, unless specifically controlled in accordance with paragraph 8 of DCID 1/7, it may be released to those components of the departments and agencies of the U.S. Government directly participating in the production of National Intelligence. IT SHALL NOT BE DISSEMINATED TO CONTRACTORS. It shall not be disseminated to organizations or personnel, including consultants, under a contractual relationship to the U.S. Government without the written permission of the originator. [PAGE 2] CONTROLLED DISSEM CONFIDENTIAL [struck through] NO DISSEM ABROAD - 2 - OO-B-321/23490-67 experience of this effect. (Comment: Kozyrev is a controversial figure in the Soviet scientific community as well as internationally. Apparently one of his questionable observations (the activity of the central peak in the lunar crater Alphonsus) has turned out to be correct. On the other hand, it is really more accurate to say that this observation led to an intensive search for activity on the Moon that has produced some positive results. There may be no connection between the two sets of data, however.) 5. At the Main Astronomical Observatory, Kiev, little interest is shown in the UFO question. I.K. Koval mentioned that he and several other astronomers had been out in the countryside one evening and had seen a curious, reddish object flashing through the sky that they were convinced was neither a satellite nor a meteorite. However, their immediate interpretation was that this object might have been a fragment of a satellite or rocket returning from orbit, burning up in the atmosphere. Koval thought that UFO's had been seen in the USSR but he could not be specific as to locations and characteristics. 6. At the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory, Crimea, again little interest was shown. One of the astronomers, L.I. Galkin, was with the group mentioned by Koval and confirmed the observation of a peculiar object. He did not discuss the experience in detail but clearly had been struck by the possibility that the object might have been a "saucer." 7. At the Astrophysical Institute, Alma Ata, there was considerable interest. The institute includes an Atmospheric Optics Section presided over by G.S. Lifschitz. However, the initial discussion of the problem was with the director of the institue, G.M. Idlis. He too had read Menzel's book, but considered it an adequate treatment of the subject which he consequently felt was closed. He indicated that no observations of UFO's had been made by his staff and that they had received no reports of such observations. However, when the US scientist proceeded to indicate the results of McDonald's critical study of the problem, Idlis readily conceded that there might be more to it and concluded by stating that it was "clearly still an open question." 8. Another astronomer mentioned that in the northern part of Kazakhstan there had been repeated sightings of ball lightning. The University in Alma At[a] had sent a team out to investigate and discovered that what was being seen were reflections of automobile headlights from an inversion layer. 9. Later, a discussion was held with Lifschitz. He was not very impressed with Menzel's book, but was also not impressed with the significance of the phenomenon. It is possible that some interest was kindled that might lead to additional investigations. 10. A stellar spectroscopist, Dr. FNU Kupo, was also interested in this problem, partly as an adjunct to her attempts to locate fragments from bolides. She was also dissatisfied with Menzel's book and felt that there was definitely an opportunity for additional research. 11. The general feeling one gets is that no official treatment of the UFO problem has been given in the USSR. Instead people refer to the US work, principally Menzel's book, to demonstrate the absence of real scientific problems. At the same time, there is an almost universal awareness of the history and characteristics of the phenomenon often associated with considerable interest. The result is that a demonstration of the inadequacy of US Official explanations coupled with some proof of the reality of the observations might excite enthusiasm more rapidly among Soviet astronomers than among their US counterparts who are more strongly influenced by the official ridicule associated with UFO's in the US. - end - CONFIDENTIAL [struck through]