Condon Report

Scientific Study of Unidentified Flying Objects

The Condon Report (formally titled Scientific Study of Unidentified Flying Objects) was a comprehensive study of UFO reports commissioned by the United States Air Force and conducted by the University of Colorado between 1966 and 1968. Led by physicist Dr. Edward U. Condon, the report's conclusions provided the Air Force's justification for terminating Project Blue Book in 1969.

Background

By 1966, Project Blue Book faced severe and mounting public criticism. The Portage County UFO Chase, the Michigan Swamp Gas Incident, and congressional pressure led the House Armed Services Committee to recommend in April 1966 that the Air Force commission an independent scientific study. On October 7, 1966, the Air Force announced that the University of Colorado would conduct the study under Dr. Edward Condon.

Critics noted that Condon's personal skepticism was evident before the study was completed. In a speech at the Corning Glass Works shortly after the study began, Condon stated: "It is my inclination right now to recommend that the government get out of this business. My attitude right now is that there's nothing to it."

Composition of the Committee

The Condon Committee included scientists from multiple disciplines — physics, meteorology, psychology, and engineering. Dr. J. Allen Hynek, Blue Book's scientific consultant, was not a member of the committee, though he was consulted.

Internal controversy arose during the study when a memo by project coordinator Robert Low (written before the study began) suggested the study was designed to give the appearance of a genuine investigation while reaching a predetermined negative conclusion. The memo's disclosure created a public scandal and led to the dismissal of two researchers — David Saunders and Norman Levine — who had shared it.

The Report

The Condon Report was completed in 1968 and comprised 1,485 pages. It was reviewed by the National Academy of Sciences, which endorsed its conclusions. The Report reached three central findings:

1. No Threat to National Security: No UFO reported, investigated, and evaluated by the Air Force was ever an indication of a threat to national security.
2. No Evidence of Extraterrestrial Technology: There was no evidence that UFO sightings represented technological developments or principles beyond the range of known science.
3. No Scientific Value in Continued Study: Further extensive study of UFO reports was unlikely to yield major scientific discoveries.

Controversy

The Condon Report has been extensively criticized:

• Of the roughly 90 cases analyzed in detail by the committee, approximately 30% were left as Unidentified — a proportion that critics argued contradicted the report's own summary conclusions.
• Dr. J. Allen Hynek criticized the report for selective case analysis and for reaching conclusions not supported by its own data.
• Physicist Dr. James E. McDonald presented a detailed critique before the American Meteorological Society, arguing the report was scientifically flawed.
• The Low Memo controversy suggested the committee's objectivity was compromised from the outset.

Outcome

Based on the Condon Report and the National Academy of Sciences review, Secretary of the Air Force Robert C. Seamans Jr. officially terminated Project Blue Book on December 17, 1969. The project's records were subsequently transferred to the National Archives and Records Administration.

Legacy

While it ended official USAF UFO investigation, the Condon Report did not settle the scientific debate. Private research organizations — including the Center for UFO Studies founded by J. Allen Hynek in 1973 — continued investigating UFO reports. The report remains a central and contested document in the history of UFO research.

See Also

• Project Blue Book
• J. Allen Hynek
• Hector Quintanilla
• Robertson Panel
• Project Blue Book Special Report No. 14
• Portage County UFO Chase