UFO Inquiry from an American Citizen

Summary

In 1959, an American citizen named Catherine Carter Golden wrote to Senator Gordon H. Scherer about a reported UFO sighting in Brazil. Golden mentioned a photograph that had appeared on the Dave Garroway show, a popular TV program at the time. She claimed the image was taken by a freelance photographer and developed in the presence of witnesses. However, the CIA clarified that the photograph was developed only by the photographer, without other people present. Golden had been writing to both the Department of State and the Air Force about UFOs for some time. The Air Force was the main agency responsible for investigating such reports. The CIA responded that it had no additional information and referred the matter to the Air Force for further details.

The official CIA response was brief and clear: they had no new information beyond what the Air Force had already provided. The document shows how, even in the 1950s, U.S. authorities were receiving numerous UFO reports and how they were beginning to structure their responses to public inquiries. Although the Brazilian case was not confirmed or denied, the official communication suggests there were no new or alarming elements. The document also reflects the growing public interest in UFOs and the early efforts of government agencies to address these questions.