Editing UFOs An International Scientific Problem (section)

== Introduction ==
At the outset, let me try to summarize concisely the main points of my position:

1) From my studies of the UFO problem, I conclude that, quite apart from
being the "nonsense problem" it is so often labelled, it appears to be
a matter of extraordinarily great scientific interest.

2) Over twenty years of evidence (admittedly largely, though not solely,
anecdotal in nature) suggests that machine-like objects/ products of
some technology rather than atmospheric optical or electrical anoma-
lies, have been repeatedly seen - often by observers of very high
credibility. I favor an extraterrestrial hypothesis for UFOs.

3) A search for patterns in these observations discloses one major feature
- the seemingly global scale on which the observations are coming in.
Hence we appear to be confronting here an international scientific
problem.

4) There has never been a scientific investigation of the UFOs that can
be termed thorough-going. Repeated assurances that U. s. Air Force
Project Bluebook has been doing a careful study utilizing the best
scientific talent available to the U. S. Air Force are found, on care-
ful checking, to be without basis in fact. No other country of the
world appears to have undertaken even as much investigation as the
U. S. has done via Project Bluebook. Thus the UFO problem has not
received anything that can be called scientifically adequate study.

5) I do not see convincing evidence of any U.S. cover-up conspiracy oper-
ating to conceal the true nature of the UFO problem; rather I see sub-
stantial and dismaying evidence pointing to failure to do more than
superficial investigation, employing only very limited scientific
talent, and exhibiting (especially since 1953) strong negative bias
towards "explaining away" the UFO problem on the part of the U. S.
Air Force. It is my strong impression that Air Force officials and
public information officers sincerely believe that the UFO problem is
a nonsense problem, one involving nothing more than misidentified
natural phenomena.

6) The present Condon Committee at the University of Colorado, sponsored
by the U. S. Air Force, is charged with trying to clarify the nature
of the UFOs. I must state that I have become quite disappointed with
the lack of scientific vigor with which that group has prosecuted its
study, and I am disturbed by the frequency with which its Director has
publicly indicated that he had already taken a position (negative in
tone) long before the working staff had assembled adequate data to
justify taking any position. I must also express my inability to
understand the Director's evident preoccupation with the cultist and
crackpot type of UFO accounts which, in my own experience, are quite
easily filtered out and ignored. I have elaborated these criticisms
in communications to [[Edward Condon|Dr. Condon]] quite recently.

7) I would urge that scientific groups in countries other than the United
States immediately undertake careful reviews of UFO reports from their
own areas and systematic appraisals of a spectrum of conceivable
hvpotheses to account for the UFO phenomena. It seems quite pos-
sible that a group cutside the United States, entirely free of the
obstacles one encounters within the U.S. as a result of twenty years'
officially negative attitude towards the UFO problem, might rapidly
make very real progress towards clarifying the scientific issues at
stake, given adequate scientific personnel and support. The UFO
study program now developing at the University of Toronto's Institute
for Aerospace Studies, here in Canada, is a laudable step towards
solution of the UFO problem. More such groups in other parts of the
world are needed.