Sunday, May 01, 2005

UFOs and Intelligence Operations

A while back, I offered the conclusion that the information passed along to Wilbert Smith by Robert Sarbacher back in 1950 was part of some intelligence operation - looking at the evidence and the information that Sarbacher provided, this seems to me to be the most logical conclusion. Some ufologists scoffed at my conclusion (without much discussion, I might add, of the evidence). However, they did ask a salient question - where's the proof that such operations, of any sort, were being undertaken.

The following memo, from 1952, demonstrates that these types of operations were definitely part of the ufological mix. Yes, 1952 was after Sarbacher - Smith. However, I post this not to prove my original conclusion, per se, but simply to show that using the UFO phenomenon for intelligence purposes was definitely happening in that time period.

"Central Intelligence Agency
Office of the Director

Memorandum To: Director, Psychological Strategy Board

Subject: Flying Saucers

1. I am today transmitting to the National Security Council a proposal (TAB A) in which it is concluded that the problems connected with unidentified flying objects appear to have implications for psychological warfare as well as for intelligence and operations.

2. The background for this view is presented in some detail in TAB B.

3. I suggest that we discuss at an early board meeting the possible offensive or defensive utilization of these phenomena for psychological warfare purposes.

Walter B. Smith
Director"

If the CIA was getting into the UFO game for psychological warfare or intelligence operations in 1952, one wonders whether other agencies (the Air Force, for example) were already playing that game?

Or whether they're still playing them today (MJ-12 pops to mind)?

Hmm...

Paul Kimball

1 comment:

Paul Kimball said...

Brad:

This is a draft memo that can be found on the CIA FOIA website. I'll have more on this subject in the days and weeks to come; suffice it to say that there is plenty of evidence that various elements of the US government were involved in these activities virtually from the get go.

Paul