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Seisnce Prersream Jawalk Res: Pee ’ SYMPOSIUM ON UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECTS ees Moore HEARINGS Socorroe, NM 878301 BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE AND ASTRONAUTICS U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES NINE TIE TEE CONGRESS : SECOND SESSION FULLY 29, 1968 LNo. 7] \/ Printed for the use of the Committee on Science an@ Astronautics

SYMPOSIUM ON UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECTS HEARINGS. COMMITTEE ON im SCIENCE AND ASTRONAUTICS U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES NINETIETH CONGRESS JULY 29, 1968 [No. 7]. - Printed for the use of the Committee on Science and Astronautics ae U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 97-818 WASHINGTON : 1968 sneer inh einai hain iether ii

CONTENTS STATEMENTS i Page ‘ Dr. J. Allen Hynek, head, Department of Astronomy, Northwestern : pS 0 AN TRONAUTICS University, Mivanston, Tile sewn a) ae Kg oe eee Nee se ae a Prof. J pes E. McDonald, Department of Meteorology, University of » GEORGE P. MILLER, California, Chairman Arizona, Tucson, Ariz pe eee De 18 (tp OLIN EB. TEAGUE, Texas JAMES G. FULTON, Pennsylvania Dr. Carl Sagan, associate professor of astronomy, Center for Radiophysics JOSEPH E. KARTH, Minnesota CHARLES A. MOSHER, Ohio and Space Research, Cornell Wniversitye. 22 9 ie = aoe 86 | KEN HECHLER, West Virginia RICHARD L. ROU…

SYMPOSIUM ON UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECTS MONDAY, JULY 29, 1968 Howse or REPRESENTATIVES, CoMMITTEE ON SCIENCE AND ASTRONAUTICS, Washington, D.C. The committee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:05 a.m., in room 2318, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. J. Edward Roush (chairman of the symposium) presiding. Mr. Rousu. 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 know…

2 They will include: Dr. J. Allen Hynek, head of the Department of Astronomy, Northwestern University ; Dr. James E. McDonald, senior sicist, the Institute of Atmospheric Physics, the University of Coen - Dr. Carl Sagan, Department of Astronomy, ald Cen ee Radiophysics and Space Research, Cornell University ; ti nh os L. Hall, head of the Department of Sociology, University, 0 SUIS at Chicago; Dr. James A. Harder, associate professor 0: civil re : ing, University of California at Berkeley, and Dr. Robert M. nls a e > Jr., Computer Sciences Corp. and Department of Engineering, UCLA. Gentlemen, …

4 subject as rank nonsense, the product of silly seasons, and a peculiarly American craze that would run its course as all popular crazes do. I was asked by the Air Force 20 years ago to assist them, as an astronomer, in weeding out those reports arising from misidentifica- tion of planets, stars, meteors, and other celestial objects and events. In the course of doing my “homework” I found that some 30 percent of the then current cases very probably had astronomical causes, but my curiosity was aroused by some of the patently nonastronomical reports. These were ostensibly being explained by th…

6 se of many seems to be, apart from pose 0 to titillate the fancy of the rhi ur backs, of which the sole m Lee manne @ fast lomels itor wae BIN credulous. ‘ations three or four EO reper 1 h newsstand publications i ue : Indeed, in such news thee 8 eae 45 consationalized on one pas j r are oy eae ee haes ee ee accuracy and cocu ion; the resu: 1 © ellie ‘ ee ] nausea and to relegate the them at all—is very 1lkv ly to suffer menta boeey a ca oe ean encounters when he takes a look a eUHO. phenomenon. His publicly oe eae ee is almost certain to consist of sensational, unc Wes 5 cee 8 of shat may h…

8 (The document referred to is as follows 8) [From Journal of the Optical Society of America, April 1953] Unusual AERIAL PHENOMENA J. A. Hynex, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio , . ES (Received December 22, 1952) l sightings of an unusual character have been reported. On the assumption that the majority of eS poe citica made in concert, come from reputable persons, and in the Blo seee OL any universal rypotheses for the phenomena which stimulated these reports, it becomes a mat. bof scientific obligation and responsibility to examine the reported phenomena seriously, despite their seeming…