Project Blue Book - USAF Investigates UFO Sightings

A group of former pilots and government officials has called on the US government to reopen Project Blue Book, an investigation into claims of UFO sightings, an investigation that was closed in the late 1960's. Project Blue Book, a detailed study of alleged UFO sightings run by the US Air Force, ended in the late 1960s. It had two main goals - to determine if UFOs were a threat to national security, and scientifically analyse UFO-related data.

Thousands of UFO reports were collected, analysed and filed. As the result of the Condon Report (1968), which concluded there was nothing anomalous about UFOs. Project Blue Book was shut down in December 1969 and the Air Force continues to provide the following summary of its investigations:

• No UFO reported, investigated and evaluated by the Air Force was ever an indication of threat to our national security;
• There was no evidence submitted to or discovered by the Air Force that sightings categorised as "unidentified" represented technological developments or principles beyond the range of modern scientific knowledge;
• There was no evidence indicating that sightings categorized as "unidentified" were extraterrestrial vehicles.

By the time Project Blue Book ended, it had collected 12,618 UFO reports and concluded that most of them were misidentifications of natural phenomena (clouds, stars, etc.) or conventional aircraft.

The group calling for the files to be reopened includes former military officers, government and aviation personnel from seven countries, all of which say they have seen a UFO or have conducted research into the phenomenon. However, the Air Force says nothing has happened in the past four decades to justify resuming investigations. Every year thousands of people say they have seen UFOs in the United States and their claims are usually met with scepticism.

We want the US government to stop perpetuating the myth that all UFOs can be explained away in down-to-earth, conventional terms.Fife Symington, Ex-Governor of Arizona

The group has urged the US government to take such claims seriously. They say the apparent sightings of hovering orbs, glowing lights and high-speed spacecraft are a national security concern and should no longer be dismissed. In a statement, they said that after the attacks of 11 September it was no longer satisfactory to ignore radar returns that could not be associated with existing helicopters and other aircraft.

The group has called on the US military to re-open an investigation dormant since 1969, called Project Blue Book, in which more than 12,500 UFO claims were investigated by the Air Force. For now, it seems their pleas have been ignored - the US Air Force says nothing has changed that would support a resumption of the investigation.

However, those who believe they have seen UFOs, know they have influential supporters.