DOW-UAP-D095, Proyectos conjuntos de aviación entre EE. UU. y Canadá y reportes de avistamientos OVNI, 1954-1955

[PAGE 1] Authority: NND 974373 [PAGE 3] DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE, Headquarters United States Air Force, Washington 25, D.C. SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY BOARD. TO THE CHIEF OF STAFF, USAF: SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY BOARD REPORT ON AVRO PROJECT Y2, [November] 1954. This document consists of [ ] pages. Copy Number [ ] of [ ] copies. SECRET. [PAGE 4] DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE, Headquarters United States Air Force, Washington 25, D.C., 10 December 1954. Lieutenant General Donald L. Putt, Deputy Chief of Staff, Development, Headquarters United States Air Force, Washington, D.C. Dear Don: In response to your request for SAB comments on the Avro 'Saucer' project, the SAB has taken the following action: The Aircraft and Propulsion Panels were briefed on September 28 by representatives of Hq ARDC, at the time of the Fall meeting of the Board in Omaha. The tentative conclusions of both panels immediately after this briefing were to the effect that this project warranted no more than limited support. However, to assure thorough consideration of this project, I requested representatives of these two panels to supplement the briefing given to them at Omaha by a visit to A.V. Roe-Canada Ltd., Malton, Ontario. With the advice of Clark Millikan and Dean Soderberg, a select committee was chosen to conduct this study, composed of Dean Soderberg (Chairman of the Propulsion Panel and senior member of the group), Professor Markham (of the Aircraft Panel), and Mr. Donovan (liaison member with the Propulsion Panel). The attached report of this group is forwarded with my approval, representing the results of the SAB's completed study. Sincerely, /s/ J.H. DOOLITTLE, Acting Chairman, Scientific Advisory Board, Office of the Chief of Staff. Inclosure. SECRET. [PAGES 5-22] [Report body pages containing no extractable text -- likely images/diagrams of the Avro Y2 design or blank/redacted pages in the scanned original.] [PAGE 23] [Intelligence discussion, 1955, regarding possible Soviet 'flying saucer' development, badly degraded OCR but discernible content]: We have presented evidence that flying saucers are within the capabilities of the existing state of the art in this country and Canada. The state of the art is well known in European countries. The same effect has been known to all countries and its application is not beyond the capabilities of the Soviets. It is possible that German projects for flying saucers existed at the end of the war. The man considered possibly capable in this field is supposed to be in the U.S. now. We have reports of eyewitnesses of flying saucers in Soviet territory. RECOMMENDATIONS: 1. The entire intelligence community be alerted to possible Soviet activity in this field. 2. All existing files on foreign flying saucers should be reviewed and analyzed. 3. [Name, 'Bruno Detrich'?] should be interrogated by intelligence analysts who have a full background on existing intelligence. 4. [Name, 'Peter Kietsch'?] should be found; possibly Kietsch could have changed his name to Bruno Detrich or some other alias. 5. A collection requirement should be placed on all agencies in the field, including the [redacted]. [PAGE 27] SECRET. DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE, Headquarters United States Air Force, Washington 25, D.C., 13 January 1955. FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY. SUBJECT: Article 'The Flying Disc' in December Issue of Air Intelligence Digest. 1. During the latter part of November I was approached by Major [Boyton/Hosted] and asked for a very summary of the Air Force's current position on UFOs, previously classified, for use in the Air Intelligence Digest in connection with an article on 'revolutionary new types of aircraft.' I stated our position regarding UFOs and indicated that our best efforts in this field were consistently directed to lessening, minimizing, and playing down all attempts at publicity, and excluding classified vehicles such as [AVRO]. 2. Major [Boyton] accepted this statement, indicating the article on foreign aircraft would be published without any connection made with UFOs, and suggested I glance at the final draft. 3. I read the final draft and, since I had not been previously briefed as fully as I expected, I queried Major [Boyton] regarding some [text/Air Materiel Command] matters. He replied in the affirmative and indicated that we were on solid ground on this, that the project [AVRO] therefore was handled very circumspectly. My final suggestion was to eliminate the last paragraph of the article with a broad implication, which was probably overlooked before publication. 4. Since the receipt of the memorandum from the Executive Secretary of the Scientific Advisory Board (Tab A), my investigations have revealed the following: a. The extent of coordination on the article in [Air Intelligence Digest] was as follows: Mr. [name] - 2C1; Mr. [name] - 2C1; Lt Colonel [Farrior] - 2C1; Colonel Zoller - 2C; Mr. [Cummer] - 2I; Colonel [Adams] - 2I. b. Mr. [Boyton] was under the erroneous impression that the project had been favorably considered by the Air [Research and Development] Council and so advised Major [Hosted]. c. Colonel [J.W.] Vandey, Chief of the [Technical] Division, Directorate of Research and Development, advises that the present status of the project within [ARDC] is as follows: [text cuts off]. SECRET. [PAGE 30] DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE, Headquarters United States Air Force, Washington 25, D.C., 14 December 1954. MEMORANDUM FOR DIRECTOR OF INTELLIGENCE, DCS/O. SUBJECT: Scientific Advisory Board Report on AVRO 'Flying Saucer' Project. 1. Attached for your information is a copy of a recent report of the Scientific Advisory Board on their study of the 'flying saucer' project of A.V. Roe, Canada. 2. Your attention is particularly invited to the generally negative findings with regard to technical feasibility expressed in this report, in contrast to the general impression of technical soundness and optimistic expectations conveyed in the article on 'The Flying Disc' published in the December 1954 issue of the Air Intelligence Digest. 3. This report was submitted to Lt. Gen. D.L. Putt on 10 December in response to his previous request for SAB comments. Inclosure. CHESTER I. HASERT, Executive Secretary, Scientific Advisory Board, Office of the Chief of Staff. [PAGES 37-39] [Routing/coordination slips regarding a Memorandum for Record, July 1955, on the CIRVIS/UFO sighting matter, involving AFOIN-2, AFOIN-2C (Col. MacDuff), Col. Zoller, and others -- procedural cover sheets with minimal substantive content beyond routing instructions and signatures.] [PAGE 40] AFOIN-2C4, Col. MacDuff, 11 July 1955. MEMORANDUM FOR RECORD. PROBLEM: 1. To evaluate KC-97 crew sightings and ground radar returns of [an] object in the Newfoundland area (49N 59-50W). FACTS AND DISCUSSION: 2. AFOIN-2C directed the AFOIN-2C committee on 8 July to evaluate the 6 July KC-97 sightings and GCI radar returns over Newfoundland as summarized and detailed in CAF IN 15592, dated 6 July 55, and CAF IN 90703, dated 7 July 55. 3. In arriving at the following conclusions the committee reviewed reports summarizing the incident, the crew interrogations, and the NEAD [Northeast Air Defense] evaluation of the incident. In addition, certain new U.S. and Canadian developments in high-performance unconventional aircraft were considered. CONCLUSIONS: 4. It was concluded that no intelligence is available to support or deny the existence of unconventional Soviet aircraft comparable to those under consideration in the U.S. and Canada and providing performance such as reported. 5. The committee was unable to explain the simultaneous ground radar returns and aircrew visual sightings, and tentatively accepts the NEAC [Northeast Air Command] evaluation attributing the incident to electrical phenomena on the one hand and misinterpretation of the sightings by aircrew members on the other. 6. It was further concluded that this incident should be classified as UFOB. 7. This item is not considered suitable for inclusion in the D/I Policy Book or the Daily Staff Digest. RECOMMENDATIONS: 8. Due to the serious technological threat should unfriendly nations succeed in developing high-performance unconventional aircraft, increased effort should be made by all collection agencies to penetrate Soviet Research and Development establishments and programs in order to give the U.S. adequate warning of any developments in this area. 9. It is further recommended that in the event of future incidents of this nature, fighter scrambles be effected without delay. COORDINATION: AFOIN-2C4 (Col. MacDuff), AFOIN-2C1 (Lt. Col. Farrior), AFOIN-2C2 (Col. Gould), AFOIN-2O5 (Col. Gwynne). [PAGE 41] SUMMARY: 1. On 6 July, the crew of a KC-97 tanker aircraft in the Newfoundland area, and GCI radar in the same area, obtained a radar return of an object which apparently was identical to the one the KC-97 crew had under visual observation. A committee was appointed by this Directorate to evaluate this sighting, reviewing reports summarized by the Northeast Air Command. The committee tentatively attributed the sighting to electrical phenomena and visual misinterpretation by aircrew members. At the same time, however, the committee discussed the possibility that the object might have been a high-performance unconventional aircraft. This Directorate is of the opinion that the development of such an aircraft by an unfriendly nation would constitute a serious technological threat to the United States, and therefore every effort must be made to identify sightings in the future. 2. In its discussion of methods to be used to obtain identification of objects sighted in a similar fashion in the future, the committee concluded that the method possessing the greatest likelihood of success would be interception of the object by fighter aircraft, and recommended that in the event of future incidents of this nature, fighters be scrambled without delay. 3. Attached as Tab A is a proposed message to the Commander, NEAC, directing the scrambling of fighters as recommended by the committee. RECOMMENDATION: Signature of attached message. FRANK B. CHAPPELL, Colonel, USAF, Directorate of Intelligence. 1 Inclosure: Proposed message to Cdr NEAC. [PAGE 57] [Undated, circa Nov 1955] MEMORANDUM FOR THE RECORD. SUBJECT: CIRVIS Program. 1. In accordance with AFR 200-3, Hq MATS (Military Air Transport Service) is responsible for contacting commercial airlines and pilots to indoctrinate them and secure their participation in the CIRVIS (Communications Instructions for Reporting Vital Intelligence Sightings) program as outlined in the JANAP 146 series. 2. Intelligence Division, Hq MATS, has done an outstanding job in this indoctrination, having contacted commercial airlines, the National Business Aircraft Association, and pilots in both; they secured cooperation through extensive correspondence and personally lectured at regional pilots' meetings, generating real interest in CIRVIS for the first time. However, continued interest requires ongoing emphasis of the program's importance; MATS' efforts must continue. 3. AFOIN-1A-P, responsible for monitoring the CIRVIS program for AFOIN and in part for Hq USAF, has long felt MATS should be commended in writing for their fine job, and an informal suggestion has been made that any letter of recognition should come from CINCONAD. 4. This memo forwards correspondence from ADC expressing appreciation, as an opportunity to encourage MATS to continue the good work. [Pages 2, 5-22, 24-26, 28-29, 31-36, 42-56 contain no extractable machine-readable text -- likely blank pages, images, diagrams, or photographs in the original scan.]