Secrets of the Condon Report

Release of Long-Awaited Study Touches Off a New Controversy

Source:  Flying Saucers and UFOs 1969,  Page 34, Vol. 3, 1969

Scientists Speak Out at Saucer Committee Hearing on Capitol Hill

 

Dr. Edward U. Condon, prominent scientist, who headed special UFO study at University of Colorado, Boulder. (UPI Photo)

 Helicopters, taking off from the Pan-Am Building's helipad in midtown New York, are often mistaken for flying saucer, especially at night when copters sport flashing light.

 Only a month before his tragic death, Senator Robert F. Kennedy expressed his interest in the UFO phenomenon in a letter to Gray Barker, publisher of Saucer News, Clarksburg, W. Va.
 Representative J. Edward Roush (D-Ind.), member of House Science and Astronautics Committee, was reportedly so disturbed by Air Force UFO study that he organized committee hearings.  Dr. Carl Sagan of Astronomy Department, Cornell University, cautioned House group against wide UFO search program.

  

The First Flying .Saucer?

..An 78th Century diary recorded what may have been the first sighting of an unidentified flying obiect over North America. The incident is recorded under the date October 12, 1796, in the diary of Simeon Perkins in Canada and was discovered by the Rev. James S. McGivern, S.J., historian at Regis College. The item reads: "A strange story comes from the Bay of Fundy, that ships have been seen in the air. Mr. Darrow is lately come from there by land. I inquired of him. He stated that they were said to be seen at New Mines, near Mr. Ratchford's, by a girl about sunrise. The girl cried out and two men, who were in the house, came out and saw them. There were 15 ships and a man forward with his hands stretched out. They made to the eastward. They were so near people saw their sides and ports. The story did not obtain universal credit, but come people believed it."

.Father McGivern made this sage comment concerning the entry in Simeon Perkin's diary: "It is of interest that in the era of sail, the UFOs were reported in the form of ships, whereas today they are reported seen as exotic aircraft."

When A Flying Saucer Arrives. .

..,In a letter of the editor of the magazine, Science, F.P. Hughes of Hawkesbury, Canada, tells us what to do when an Unidentified Flying Object suddenly arrives in your front yard. Hughes suggests that the viewer employ the same method applied to watching meteors of fireballs. "On becoming aware of the object, stand still and start counting seconds. Kick your heel in the ground to mark your position exactly. Hold a hand up to arm's length and gauge the angular size of the object (the thumb in width subtends two-and-a half degrees, the open hand 20 degrees.) Note the brightness of the object, as compared with other visible objects and any changes that might occur. Establish the beginning and the end of the object's path with reference to marks on the horizon. Determine whether the object passes on earth if you think it has occurred. Once the UFO has zipped off, you're supposed to transfer your own count to accurate time by your watch, listen for any sounds and time them, then hop down to where. the UFO was seen. Search for material objects. Notice any smell, as of ozone, at this point. Feel for a temperature gradient. Pace off the heelmark (you made earlier) from a permanent landmark for transfer to a map reference. Finally, make sure your watch is correct, preferably comparing it with a radio signal, then forward your notes to the nearest observatory. (It might he a good idea to tell your wife and neighbors what it's all about before going through this routine.

Orbiting Post Office Next?

...For the time being at least, the Post Office Depart­ment has put aside plans to send about half its employees into space aboard a satellite to sort out mail for delivery to all the nation's major postal facilities. But that doesn't mean the plan won't be activated at some future date. The project calls for an "out-of­this-world" postal facility, to be established by sending a post office satellite (POS) into earth orbit. On board would he thousands of postal clerical workers. The satellite would he connected to such cities as New York, Chicago, Dallas, Washington and Atlanta and some 80 other localities by means of tubes to the spaceborne post office. The clerks would then sort the mail by cities, and shoot it back through the tubes connecting to each major post office. From there on it would be up to the pedestrian letter-carrier to do the rest. The problem, of course, would be building a satellite big enough to accomplish all this long with the commuting problem that would face earth-side postal workers.

After two years of study financed by a $500,000 government grant, Dr. Edward U. Condon's University of Colorado UFO Research Group has issued its report. The massive, 1,485-page report says, in effect:

"Our general conclusion is that nothing has come from the study of UFOs in the past 21 years that has added to scientific knowledge . . . Further extensive study of UFOs probably cannot be justified."

Specifically, the Condon Report also recommended the closing down of Project Blue Book, the UFO information collection and analysis department now maintained at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. The Report says the normal intelligence gathering activity of the Air Force would be adequate in dealing with any future sightings.

Furthermore, a panel of leading scientists, convened by the National Academy of Science, has given it’s complete endorsement to the Condon Report. This group is headed by Dr. Gerald M. Clemence of Yale University, a former scientific director of the Naval Observatory. "We are unanimous in the opinion," says the panel, "that this has been a very creditable effort to apply objectively the relevant techniques of science to the solution of the UFO problem."

However, the Condon Report does admit there is a reverse side to the coin. Some things, after all, of necessity remain unexplained. Although plausible explanations are advanced for a majority of the UFO sightings, the Report does list several well-documented cases that defy any reasonable analysis as to their cause or origin. Two of these sightings concern radar targets that pursued aircraft both in Britain and the United States. Still another case involves two photographs of a saucer-shaped object taken by a farmer in Oregon.

Chapters in the Report also deal with analysis of photographic evidence, direct physical evidence, optical and radar analysis of field cases, and visual observations. Other chapters deal with various suggested scientific explanations of UFOs, including psychological, optics, radar, sonic boom, atmospheric electricity, plasma, and balloons.

Also, there is an intriguing chapter on "visual observations made by U.S. astronauts." It deals with the various objects astronauts have reported seeing in outer space. Most of these sightings are explained away as being air glow, aurora, stars, meteors and various pieces of space hardware still in orbit. There is a mention of the famous "fireflies" which Astronaut John Glenn observed, and also of phenomena seen by Astronaut James A. Lovell on his extra vehicular activities and also described as "stars." However, there are three visual sightings by astronauts which have not been explained.

One statement in the Report which brought the most explosive reaction was this.

"A few such puzzling episodes do not justify the conclusion that the earth is being visited by the spacecraft of an extraterrestrial civilization."

Among the very first to challenge the Condon Report and its findings was Dr. David R. Saunders, a psychologist, a former member of the Colorado Project and a student of the UFO phenomenon. Dr. Saunders has set forth his opinions in a book entitled, "UFOs? Yes!" In it he presents his views on some cases investigated by the Colorado project, and argues that the earth actually may be under surveillance by outer space vehicles, regardless of the Condon Report's finding's. The stand taken by Dr. Saunders, and other "believers," is that the Colorado project was in the hands of men who were biased against the extraterrestrial hypothesis.

In his book, Dr. Saunders argues that the Colorado project quite possibly was a cover-up. This theory he bases on reports that the C.I.A., as early as 1953, had tried to divert the public's attention away from Unidentified Flying Objects. The record shows that the C.I.A. did convene a panel of top scientists in 1953 to evaluate the UFO situation, and the panel did recommend that the UFO craze be dispelled. The panel was unanimous in saying that "UFOs represent nothing out of the ordinary," and sought to prevent any potential enemy from using UFO hysteria as a screen for an attack against the United States.

Among the puzzling cases which reached Dr. London's study group only a few months ago was one which occurred at Lakenheath Air Base in England in 1956. This base is used by both the Royal Air Force and the U. S. Air Force. Radar operators on the ground detected airborne targets that seemed to be moving at speeds up to 4,000 miles an hour, even though there was no sonic boomor at least none that could be heard. The targets also were making right angle turns at a few hundred miles an hour. Two RAF fighters were sent up to investigate and one reported it had obtained a radar "gunlock" on the target. But the UFO circled the fighter plane's tail and doggedly remained there, despite the RAF pilot's efforts to shake away. Running low on fuel, he came in to land. All this time, ground personnel reported seeing one or more "white objects" rapidly moving through the air.

Even before the Condon group completed its study and issued the final report, the United States Congress had launched an investigation of its own. Taking part in this probe were some of the nation's most distinguished scientists.

 Precisely at 10:15 A.M. on Monday, July 29, 1968, a hush fell over the audience gathered in Room 2318 at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington. Representative J. Edward Roush of Indiana, Chairman of the UFO Symposium, raised his gavel, rapped once, then began to speak:

"The committee will be in order. Today, the House Committee on Science and Astronautics conducts a very special session, a symposium on the subject of unidentified flying objects; the name of which is a reminder to us of our ignorance on this subject and a challenge to acquire more knowledge thereof.

"We approach the question of unidentified flying ob­jects as purely a scientific problem, one of unanswered questions. Certainly the rigid and exacting discipline of science should be marshaled to explore the nature of phenomena which reliable citizens continue to report.

"A significant part of the problem has been that the sightings reported have not been accompanied by so­called hardware or materials thatcould be investigated and analyzed. So we are left with hypotheses about the nature of UFOs. These hypotheses range from the conclusion that they are purely psychological phenomena, that is, some kind of hallucinatory phenomena; to that of some kind of natural physical phenomena; to that of advanced technological machinery manned by some kind of intelligence, that is, the extraterrestrial hypotheses.

"With the range in mind, then, we have invited six outstanding scientists to address us today, men who deal with the physical, the psychological, the sociological, and the technological data relevant to the issues involved. We welcome them and look forward to their remarks. We take no stand on these matters. Indeed, we are here today to listen to their assessment of the nature of the problem; to any tentative conclusions or suggestions they might offer, so that our judgment and our actions might be based on reliable and expert information. We are here to listen and learn. Events of the last half century certainly verify the American philosopher John Dewey's conclusion that `Every great advance in science has issued from a new audacity of imagination.' With an open and inquiring attitude, then, we now turn to our speakers for the day. They will include:

Dr. J. Allen Hynek, head of the Department of Astronomy, Northwestern University.

Dr. James E. McDonald, senior physicist, the Institute of Atmospheric Physics, the University of Arizona.

Dr. Carl Sagan, Department of Astronomy and Center for Radiophysics and Space Research, Cornell University.

Dr. Robert L. Hall, head of the Department of Sociology, University of Illinois at Chicago.

Dr. James A. Harder, associate professor of civil engineering, University of California at Berkeley.

Dr. Robert M. L. Baker, Jr., Computer Sciences Corporation and Department of Engineering, UCLA."

Just before the actual speeches and discussions got underway, Rep. George P. Miller, Chairman of the full Committee on Science and Astronautics, rose to make this disclaimer:

"I want to join in welcoming you here. I want to point out that your presence here is not a challenge to the work that is being done by the Air Force, a particular agency that has to deal with this subject. Unfortunately there are those who are highly critical of the Air Force, saying it hasn't approached the problem properly. I want you to know that we are in no way trying to go into the field that is theirs by law, and thus we are not critical of what the Air Force is doing. We should look at the problem from every angle, and we are here in that respect. I just want to point out we are not here to criticize the actions of the Air Force. Thank you."

It was a thorough and enlightening session that followed, although no one really came up with an answer to the biggest question of all - what are those Unidentified Flying Objects which haven't been identified as birds, planes or planets? Dr. J. Allen Hynek, who spoke first, made this thoughtful comment in the course of his statement:

"Now, it may be well to remind ourselves at this point, that the UFO problem may not lend itself to an immediate solution in our time. The problem may be far more complex than we imagine. Attempts to solve it may be more productive than attempts to solve the problem of the Aurora Borealis would have been 100 years ago. The cause of the northern lights could not have been determined within the framework of the science of 1868. Scientific knowledge in those days was not sufficient to encompass this phenomenon. Similarly, our scientific knowledge today may be grossly insufficient to encompass the problem posed by UFOs. A profound scientific obligation exists, nonetheless, to gather the best data possible for scientific posterity.

"I recommend that the United States seek the cooperation of the United Nations in establishing a means for the impartial and free interchange among nations of information about, and reports of, unidentified flying objects-a sort of international clearinghouse for the exchange of information of this subject. For, since the UFO phenomenon is global, it would be as inefficient to study it without enlisting the aid of other nations as it would be to study world meteorology by using weather reports from one country alone."

Dr. James E. McDonald posed a number of "commonly encountered questions" about UFOs.

"As Mark Twain said, `Faith is a great thing, but it's doubt that gets you an education.' There are many questions that one encounters again and again from persons who have done no personal case-checking and who maintain a healthy skepticism about UFOs. Why don't pilots report these things if they are buzzing around in our skies? Why aren't they tracked on radar? Why don't our satellite and astronomical tracking systems get photos of UFOs? Why are they always seen in out-of­the-way rural areas but never over large cities? Why don't large groups of people ever simultaneously see UFOs, instead of lone individuals? Why don't astronomers see them? Shouldn't UFOs occasionally crash and leave clear-cut physical evidence of their reality? Shouldn't they affect radios and produce other electromagnetic effects at times? If UFOs are a product of some high civilization, wouldn't one expect something of the nature of inquisitive behavior, since innate curiosity must be a common denominator of anything we would call intelligence? Why haven't they contacted us if they're from somewhere else in the universe and have been here for at least two decades?"

McDonald also urged the Committee to recognize the fact that the UFO problem is far more serious than either the public or Congress has been led to believe. He emphasized that his extraterrestrial hypotheses is the one that his present information leads him to prefer.

Dr. Carl Sagan, the Cornell astronomer, drew the Committee's attention to recent, evidence that points more and more toward the likelihood of intelligent life on many planets in the Galaxy. He made clear that even though this evidence is inferential, it's being accepted by a steadily growing segment of the scientific community. Sagan, however, admitted that he had not seen "persuasive evidence" of the reality of UFOs and urged that information concerning extraterrestrial civilizations be acquired through an expansion of radio astronomy techniques.

The late Senator Robert F. Kennedy of New York, in a letter dated May 9, 1968, written only a month before his tragic death, informed Mr. Gray Barker of his interest in the UFO phenomenon. (Mr. Barker is Publisher of Saucer News, Clarksburg, West Va.). Senator Kennedy's letter follows:

"As you may know, I am a card carrying member of the Amalgamated Flying Saucers Association. Therefore, like many other people in our country I am interested in the phenomenon of flying saucers. It is a fascinating subject that has initiated both scientific fiction fantasies and serious scientific research.

"I watch with great interest all reports of unidentified flying objects, and I hope that some day we will know more about this intriguing subject. Dr. Harlow Shapley, the prominent astromomer, has stated that there is a probability that there is other life in the universe.

"I favor more research regarding this matter, and I hope that once and for all we can determine the true facts about flying saucers. Your magazine (Saucer News) can stimulate much of the investigation and inquiry into this phenomenon through the publication of news and discussion material. This can be of great help in paving the way to a knowledge of one of the fascinating subjects of our contemporary world."

Sincerely,

ROBERT F. KENNEDY

 The Committee also inserted into the Congressional Record a statement by Stanton T. Friedman, a nuclear physicist who has investigated a number of UFO sightings in western Pennsylvania. Excerpts from his statement follow:

"After considerable study, first­hand investigation, and review of a great variety of data, I have concluded that the evidence is overwhelming that the earth is being visited by intelligently controlled vehicles whose origin is extraterrestrial. This does not mean that I know why they are here, where they came from, how they operate, why they don't seem to be talking to us. It also does not mean that I believe that everything people see that they cannot identify is an extraterrestrial spaceship. Quite the contrary, I believe that most things that people report as UFOs can be identified as relatively conventional phenomena seen under rather unconventional circumstances just as most isotopes cannot fission or fusion, most chemicals don't cure any diseases, most people cannot run a four-minute mile, and most women don't look like Brigitte Bardot. The scientific approach to any problem is to sift the information to find that which is relevant to the solution of the problem at hand.......

"Sightings of UFOs are relatively common and have occurred all over the world. One out of every 25 adult Americans has seen a UFO . . . . . . Some observed on radar have been subsequently labeled Unknowns. There have been simultaneous radar and visual sightings. Comparisons between Knowns and Unknowns clearly showed definite differences in color, shape, size, velocity, maneuverability, etc. Much data, which most people have never seen or even heard of, is published in an Air Force document, "Project Blue Book Special Report, Number 14," which was completed in 1955 and has never been made readily available. The low percentage of Unknowns since that time is the direct result of deception on the part of the U.S. Air Force whose entire approach since that time has been based upon the assumption that everything can be identified.

"The usual arguments made against `visitations' are based upon false assumptions, also upon wrong (unanswerable) questions and faulty knowledge. `Things cannot go that fast in the atmosphere spaceflight is impossible - trips to the stars are impossible, if they were here they would talk to us . . . etc.' The typical educated non-believer focuses on the irrelevant IFOs (Identified Flying Objects) and poor sightings by incompetent observers and carefully neglects the Unknowns seen by com­petent observers. The great probability that there are civilizations thousands, perhaps millions of years ahead of us and possessing technology about which we are probably totally ignorant, is neglected. The distressing thought that we, the inhabitants of this planet, might not be worth talking to, is pushed aside. The most effective filter between the facts as they are and the widespread distribution of those facts has been ridicule. Fewer than one percent of sightings that have occurred have been investigated or reported. . . . . . .

"Literally hundreds of reports from all over the world also testify to the existence of humanoid creatures associated with UFOs on the ground. Once again ridicule has kept the facts from being known. More than 200 landings have been documented for 1954 alone. There are good pictures of UFOs from all over the world - most of which have also not received the publicity that they deserve.

"A good example of the ridiculousness of the professional skeptic's attitude is the statement that `life as we know it cannot exist on any other body in the solar system.' It sounds sensible until we note that we expect to send men to the moon and to Mars. For those who believe that the Mariner IV pictures of Mars proved that there isn't life there, it should be pointed out that of 10,000 pictures taken of the earth from a satellite with cameras of the same resolving power as those used on the Mariner IV, only one gave any in­dication of life on earth.

"Max Plank once said that new truths come to be accepted not because their opponents come to believe in them but because their opponents die and a new generation grows up that is accustomed to them. Perhaps this is what will happen with UFOs."

 

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