Newspaper report on UFOs 1

       From the New York Times, February 28, 1960, page 30:
       AIR FORCE ORDER ON 'SAUCERS' CITED       Pamphlet by the
       Inspector General Called objects                      a
       'Serious Business'       WASHINGTON, Feb. 27 (UPI)--The Air
       Force has sent its commands a warning to treat sightings of
       unidentified flying objects as "serious business" directly
       related to the nation's defense, it was learned today.
       An Air Force spokesman confirmed issuance of the directive
       after portions of it were made public by a private "flying
       saucer" group.       The new regulations were issued by the
       Air Force inspector general Dec. 24.       The regulations,
       revising similar ones issued in the past, outlined procedures
       and said that "investigations and analysis of UFOs are
       directly related to the Air Force's responsibility for the
       defense of the United States."              Committee Reveals
       Document       Existence of the document was revealed by
       the National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena.
       The privately financed committee accused the Air Force of
       deception in publicly describing reports of unidentified
       flying objects as delusions and hoaxes while sending the
       private admonition to its commands.       Vice Admiral
       R.H. Hillenkoeter (Ret.), a committee board member and
       former director of the Central Intelligence Agency, said in a
       statement that a copy of the inspector general's warning had
       been sent to the Senate Science and Astronautics Committee.
       "It is time for the truth to be brought out in open
       Congressional hearings," he said.       The Air Force
       confirmed tha tthe document had been issued. A spokesman
       said it was put out by Maj. Gen. Richard F. O'Keefe, acting
       inspector general at the time, to call attention to revised
       Air Force regulations concerning unidentified flying objects.
       The statement was included in an "operations and training"
       pamphlet circulated at intervals to bring commands up to date.
       Pentagon aides said the new regulations, covering seven
       printed pages, made no substantive changes in policy but
       had been rewritten as a matter of course.       The Air
       Force has investigated 6,312 reports of flying objects
       since 1947, including 183 in the last six months of 1959.
       The latest Air Force statement issued a month ago said, "no
       physical or material evidence, not even a minute fragment of a
       so-called flying saucer, has ever been found."       Admiral
       Hillenkoetter said that "behind the scenes, high-ranking
       Air Force officers are soberly concerned about the UFOs."
       "But through official secrecy and ridicule, many citizens
       are led to believe the unknown flying objects are nonsense,"
       the retired admiral said.  He charged that "to hide the
       facts, the Air Force has silenced its personnel" through
       the issuance of a regulation.


Go back to UFO reports and sightings index page