Capt Edward J. Ruppelt
Before the sighting
Decorated WWII bombardier; postwar Iowa State engineering degree; recalled to active duty for Korean War.
During the sighting
Led Project Blue Book through its 'golden age' (per Jerome Clark). Reorganized investigation effort. Engaged Battelle Memorial Institute for scientific approach. Authorized intelligence officers at all USAF bases to file UFO reports via normal channels. Coined 'Unidentified Flying Object' in 1952 to replace 'flying saucer'. Was in DC during 1952 Washington flap but was denied a staff car and left frustrated for Wright-Patterson.
After the sighting
Requested reassignment late 1953 (Blue Book staff then cut to 3). Author of 'The Report on Unidentified Flying Objects' (Doubleday 1956). Heart attack 1956; declined Keyhoe/NICAP offer. Joined Northrop Aircraft as research engineer. Released REVISED edition 1960 with 3 new chapters substantially MORE DISMISSIVE — explicitly reversed his position ('I'm positive they don't [exist]'). Died of second heart attack Sep 15 1960 age 37.
Research notes
Among 1950s USAF UFO-related authors, Ruppelt is HIGHEST-credibility primary source available. Actually ran the office during period he describes; case descriptions have held up well against later FOIA releases. The 1956 edition is gold for institutional-history reasons. The 1960 reversal raises genuine questions he never lived to resolve. Pressure-vs-genuine-change debate rests on Keyhoe + secondhand wife testimony — not documentary.