The Condon Committee
The Air Force paid the University of Colorado to study UFOs under physicist Edward Condon. His summary, published in January 1969, said nothing of scientific value had come from UFO study in 21 years. A National Academy of Sciences panel endorsed it. Critics point out that a good share of the cases the team studied stayed unexplained, and a leaked internal memo seemed to show the study was designed to reach a negative conclusion.
The ledger
What the record shows, what people say, and the best explanation available so far.
What's documented
- The full report, 'Scientific Study of Unidentified Flying Objects,' is public.
- The leaked 'Low memorandum' controversy was covered by Look magazine in 1968.
What's claimed
- The study was rigged.
Best explanation so far
The report gave the Air Force its reason to close Blue Book. It remains the most detailed scientific UFO study of its era, and both skeptics and believers quote it.
Check the sources
Go to the originals. Every link opens the archive or record in a new tab.
If you liked this one
Projects Sign, Grudge & Blue Book
Twenty-two years of Air Force UFO investigation: 12,618 reports, 701 unidentified.
The 1968 House UFO Symposium
Scientists, including Carl Sagan, argue about UFOs before Congress.
The McMinnville Photos
Two farm photos of a disc that have been argued over for 75 years.
The RB-47 Encounter
A spy plane's crew, its electronic sensors and ground radar all tracked something for hours.