If you think this sounds like the recent saga of To The Stars Academy, you're right, but it's also true the year was 1957 and the organization was the National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena (NICAP). The CIA online reading room includes four pages of titles of files pertaining to NICAP. Among them is an archived photo of a 1957 newspaper clipping, pictured below, describing UFO advocacy undertaken by IC movers and shakers.
The article states California control tower operators tracked four flying saucers at speeds up to 3.600 mph. Retired Rear Adm. Herbert B. Knowles "certified" NICAP had seen the radar report.
In what might be considered part of writing the TTSA playbook, the admiral criticized a veil of secrecy surrounding UFOs, declaring, "There is a real need to break through the official Washington brush-off and get the truth to the people."
The article goes on to name respected members of the IC who joined NICAP, including former DCI Roscoe Hillenkoetter. NICAP leaders also included Joseph Bryan III, a career intelligence officer now known to have been a CIA propaganda specialist and whose activities we explored.
The California saucer case was highlighted in the first issue of a NICAP magazine, UFO Investigator, distributed to its membership. "Copies were also sent to all members of Congress," the article added.
In conclusion, it was reported, "The NICAP also proposed to Air Force Secretary James H. Douglas an eight-point plan of cooperation to end controversy and public confusion over flying saucers."
Guess it needed a little more work.
"There is a real need to break through the official Washington brush-off and get the truth to the people."
ReplyDeleteMost cogent and concise statement in the history of this phenomenon.
Thanks for unearthing this gem for us, Jack.
OK. You’ve now pretty much convinced me all of organized Ufology is just a vast intelligence/counter-intelligence operation that's been ongoing since WWII. It also seems to be coupled with a social experiment that has yet to yield the widespread, lasting results hoped for since UFOs go in and out of fashion on a fairly regular basis and Millennials are indifferent to them (they’re much too technologically sophisticated for those old Cold Warriors).
ReplyDeleteTTSA seems to be the latest combined intelligence op/ experiment. I suspect the experiment’s not been as impactful as hoped for since only those already in the UFO community have taken any serious note of it, despite coverage by major respected media.
None of this has anything to do with random non-believers occasionally seeing something they deem to be odd flying through the sky that they report only to family or friends. I have a hypothesis - those who believe or sort-of believe make “official” reports. Non-believers simply shrug off their experiences and go on about their business.