CIA-UAP-007, Current Status Of Unidentified Flying Objects (UFO) Project.

[PAGE 1] Approved for Release 2026. 17 December 1953. MEMORANDUM. TO: Assistant Director, Scientific Intelligence. FROM: Chief, Physics and Electronics Division, SI. SUBJECT: Current Status of Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOB) Project. 1. In accordance with the verbal request of Mr. Brent, Exec/SI, on 30 November, the following resume of the current status of unidentified flying objects activities has been prepared. 2. P&E Division assumed responsibility for the OSI project on unidentified flying objects as a result of [a] memorandum of 27 May 1953. The project has been confined to maintaining awareness of the activities of other agencies (notably the USAF) in the unidentified flying objects business and to maintenance of files. 3. Status of Department of Defense Activities. a. Air Force. The Air Force continues to maintain, but with apparently decreasing emphasis, its interest in UFOBs. The present interest of the Directorate of Intelligence, Hq. USAF, is confined to a cursory cognizance of ATIC's project (Bluebook No. 10073). At ATIC the project is carried by one officer (Capt. Charles A. Hardin), one airman (A/1C Max G. Futch), and a secretary, operating as the Aerial Phenomena Section of the Electronics Branch, Technical Analysis Division. In spite of this limited staff, as well as several changes of project officer, the project records appear to be up-to-date. ATIC personnel no longer conduct field investigations of UFOB sightings (these are requested from USAF intelligence officers, primarily Air Defense Command and Airways and Air Communications Service, nearer to the sightings), but confine their activities to receiving and checking reports as received; requesting additional field investigation where necessary; performing necessary checking against meteorological, astronomical, aircraft, and balloon data; and recording their findings and conclusions in a cross-referenced system by date, location, source, type of observation, and conclusion drawn. The Aerial Phenomena Section also deals directly with the Public Information Office of Hq. USAF, releasing information for public release. For about the past year, approximately ten percent of the reported sightings have been tagged as unsolved. Of particular interest is the fact that ATIC is in the process of transferring Project Bluebook to Hq., Air Defense Command. According to Lt. Col. Harry Johnston, Chief, Electronics Branch, the reason for the transfer was that ADC had been doing most of the [investigative work already -- text cuts off]. [PAGES 2-3] [No extractable text -- image-only scan pages without an OCR text layer in the source PDF; likely contain the memo's continuation covering other Department of Defense activities and conclusions.]