confirmed1953· Washington, D.C.

In January 1953, the CIA convened a secret Scientific Advisory Panel on UFOs, led by physicist Howard P. Robertson, which reviewed Air Force cases and recommended a public education campaign to reduce UFO interest and surveillance of civilian UFO organizations.

The panel met for only 12 hours and reviewed 23 of the 2,331 UFO cases on record. It concluded UFOs posed no direct national security threat but recommended 'debunking' them through media and entertainment to prevent communication channels from being overwhelmed by reports. The panel also recommended monitoring civilian UFO groups for subversive potential.

Citations

Robertson Panel· Wikipedia, 2024
Report of Meeting of Scientific Advisory Panel on Unidentified Flying Objects, January 14-18, 1953· CIA FOIA Reading Room, 1953

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