CIA Responsibility for Unidentified Flying Objects

Summary

In 1955, the CIA reviewed its role in the investigation of unidentified flying objects (UFOs). This internal memo details how the Physics and Electronics Division, responsible for scientific intelligence, managed UFO sightings. According to the document, the division periodically reviewed cases to separate explainable phenomena from those that were not. Materials on UFOs were archived unless they raised an immediate national security concern.

The workload was moderate, between 10 and 25 analyst hours per month, with half that for clerical tasks. However, the CIA requested to be relieved of this responsibility, arguing that no significant intelligence for national security had been obtained. Additionally, the project did not align with the critical objectives defined by DCID 4/4, and the FY-1956 intelligence production program required the termination of non-essential activities. Finally, it was recommended to end the project and place the files in dead storage.