Page 17 - 200811 - The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper - November 2011

17 Building A Secret Air Force 17 Building A Secret Air Force BUILDING A SECRET of reports had to have been the result of Chadwell then briefly reviewed the situation BUILDING A SECRET AIR FORCE : The deliberate Soviet Government policy. The group and the active program of the ATIC relating to AIR FORCE : The also envisioned the USSR's possible use of UFOs. The committee agreed that the DCI CIA's Role in the Study UFOs as a psychological warfare tool. In should "enlist the services of selected scientists CIA's Role in the Study to review and appraise the available evidence in addition, they worried that, if the US air of UFOs warning system should be deliberately the light of pertinent scientific theories" and of UFOs continued from Page 16 overloaded by UFO sightings, the Soviets might draft an NSCID on the subject. (27) Maj. Gen. continued from Page 16 gain a surprise advantage in any nuclear attack. John A. Samford, Director of Air Force (21) Intelligence, offered full cooperation. (28) Upon receiving the report, Deputy Because of the tense Cold War situation At the same time, Chadwell looked into Director for Intelligence (DDI) Robert Amory, and increased Soviet capabilities, the CIA Study British efforts in this area. He learned the Jr. assigned responsibility for the UFO Group saw serious national security concerns in British also were active in studying the UFO investigations to OSI's Physics and Electronics the flying saucer situation. The group believed phenomena. An eminent British scientist, R. V. Division, with A. Ray Gordon as the officer in that the Soviets could use UFO reports to touch Jones, headed a standing committee created in charge. (16) Each branch in the division was to off mass hysteria and panic in the United States. June 1951 on flying saucers. Jones' and his contribute to the investigation, and Gordon was The group also believed that the Soviets might committee's conclusions on UFOs were similar to coordinate closely with ATIC. Amory, who use UFO sightings to overload the US air to those of Agency officials: the sightings were asked the group to focus on the national security warning system so that it could not distinguish not enemy aircraft but misrepresentations of implications of UFOs, was relaying DCI Walter real targets from phantom UFOs. H. Marshall natural phenomena. The British noted, however, Bedell Smith's concerns. (17) Smith wanted to Chadwell, Assistant Director of OSI, added that that during a recent air show RAF pilots and know whether or not the Air Force investigation he considered the problem of such importance senior military officials had observed a "perfect of flying saucers was sufficiently objective and "that it should be brought to the attention of the flying saucer." Given the press response, how much more money and manpower would National Security Council, in order that a according to the officer, Jones was having a be necessary to determine the cause of the small communitywide coordinated effort towards it most difficult time trying to correct public percentage of unexplained flying saucers. Smith solution may be initiated." (22) opinion regarding UFOs. The public was believed "there was only one chance in 10,000 Chadwell briefed DCI Smith on the convinced they were real. (29) that the phenomenon posed a threat to the subject of UFOs in December 1952. He urged In January 1953, Chadwell and H. P. security of the country, but even that chance action because he was convinced that Robertson, a noted physicist from the California could not be taken." According to Smith, it was "something was going on that must have Institute of Technology, put together a CIA's responsibility by statute to coordinate the immediate attention" and that "sightings of distinguished panel of nonmilitary scientists to intelligence effort required to solve the problem. unexplained objects at great altitudes and study the UFO issue. It included Robertson as Smith also wanted to know what use could be traveling at high speeds in the vicinity of major chairman; Samuel A. Goudsmit, a nuclear made of the UFO phenomenon in connection US defense installations are of such nature that physicist from the Brookhaven National with US psychological warfare efforts. (18) they are not attributable to natural phenomena Laboratories; Luis Alvarez, a high-energy Led by Gordon, the CIA Study Group or known types of aerial vehicles." He drafted a physicist; Thornton Page, the deputy director of met with Air Force officials at Wright-Patterson memorandum from the DCI to the National the Johns Hopkins Operations Research Office and reviewed their data and findings. The Air Security Council (NSC) and a proposed NSC and an expert on radar and electronics; and Force claimed that 90 percent of the reported Directive establishing the investigation of Lloyd Berkner, a director of the Brookhaven sightings were easily accounted for. The other UFOs as a priority project throughout the National Laboratories and a specialist in 10 percent were characterized as "a number of intelligence and the defense research and geophysics. (30) incredible reports from credible observers." The development community. (23) Chadwell also Air Force rejected the theories that the sightings urged Smith to establish an external research Continues on Page 18 involved US or Soviet secret weapons project of top-level scientists to study the development or that they involved "men from problem of UFOs. (24) After this briefing, Mars"; there was no evidence to support these Smith directed DDI Amory to prepare a NSC concepts. The Air Force briefers sought to Intelligence Directive (NSCID) for submission explain these UFO reports as the to the NSC on the need to continue the misinterpretation of known objects or little investigation of UFOs and to coordinate such understood natural phenomena. (19) Air Force investigations with the Air Force. (25) and CIA officials agreed that outside knowledge of Agency interest in UFOs would make the The Robertson Panel, 1952-53 The Robertson Panel, 1952-53 problem more serious. (20) This concealment of CIA interest contributed greatly to later charges On 4 December 1952, the Intelligence Advisory of a CIA conspiracy and coverup. Committee (IAC) took up the issue of UFOs. The CIA Study Group also searched the (26) Amory, as acting chairman, presented DCI Soviet press for UFO reports, but found none, Smith's request to the committee that it causing the group to conclude that the absence informally discuss the subject of UFOs.