| 1918-1939 is sometimes called "the golden age of | | | | work they had been involved with in UFO affairs |
| aviation" because of the much technological | | | | over the preceding years. Ultimately, the panel |
| advancement made in aircraft. With World War II | | | | spent twelve hours considering reports and |
| came better, faster airplanes and more | | | | investigations that Project Blue Book and other |
| experienced pilots. By the time the war was over, | | | | committees had spent years investigating. They |
| air travel was becoming firmly established across | | | | speedily found "explanations" for the reports. |
| the world. The skies became the highways of the | | | | When there was no answer to be found, they |
| future. People started looking up in curiosity. What | | | | swept the case under the table. |
| they saw in the skies was sometimes mundane, | | | | The Robertson Panel wasted no time in |
| but sometimes astonishing. The UFO age had | | | | formulating their official report. They concluded |
| begun. The early 1950s saw a surge of civilian | | | | that 90% of UFO sightings could be readily |
| UFO reports. So serious had the problem become, | | | | identified with meteorological, astronomical, or |
| that normal intelligence duties in the CIA were | | | | natural phenomenon, and that the remaining 10% |
| being seriously impacted. Authorities were worried | | | | could be explained with detailed study. They |
| that if the Soviet Union or another adversary | | | | furthermore stated that such study would be a |
| attempted to invade the US, the lines would be | | | | waste of time. Their final recommendation stated |
| clogged and the government would be unable to | | | | "That the national security agencies take |
| act, so serious had UFO hysteria become. Clearly, | | | | immediate steps to strip the Unidentified Flying |
| something had to be done. | | | | Objects of the special status they have been |
| The CIA responded by forming a committee to | | | | given and the aura of mystery they have |
| investigate the thousands of UFO reports and | | | | unfortunately acquired." |
| choose a course of action. The committee, | | | | Based on their recommendations, a public relations |
| headed by Howard Percy Robertson came to be | | | | committee was assembled to reduce public |
| known as The Robertson Panel. Robertson was a | | | | interest in UFOs. Believers subscribing to such |
| distinguished physicist, a CIA employee, and a | | | | notions were painted as foolish and irrational. This |
| director of the Defense Department Weapons | | | | effort drew upon the resources of renowned |
| Evaluation Group. He drew upon six friends and | | | | scientists as well as celebrities and mass media. |
| colleagues of scientific importance to fill the panel. | | | | Even the influential Disney Corporation was |
| Some of the more famous scientists on the | | | | involved in the debunking effort. From this point |
| board were Luis Alvarez, who won the Nobel | | | | forward UFology has been seen in disrepute |
| Prize for physics in 1968; and Samuel A. | | | | among scholarly circles, and UFOs have become a |
| Goudsmit, who was a head of one division of the | | | | subject of the fringe communities. |
| Manhattan Project and jointly proposed the | | | | Finally, due to the suggestions of the committee, |
| theory of the electronic spin. Other members | | | | groups studying UFOs were monitored by |
| were Frederick C. Durant, missile expert; | | | | government agents and spies in order to keep |
| Thornton Page, astrophysicist; Lloyd Berkner, | | | | them from influencing mass thinking. As late as |
| physicist; and Allen Hynek, astronomer. | | | | 1976 a CIA memo was discovered telling how the |
| From the beginning, the panel was biased against | | | | agency was still having to report on the activities |
| the idea of UFOs. In their first briefing, Robertson | | | | of UFO groups. |
| explained that their purpose was to "debunk" | | | | In the years following the Robertson Panel at |
| UFOs. At least one committee member, Thornton | | | | least two members expressed disappointment |
| Page, was reprimanded for his "excessive levity." | | | | with its proceedings. Because of the panel's |
| There has also been some criticism that, while the | | | | conclusions, the attention needed to acquire the |
| scientists on the panel were leaders in their | | | | data to even decide the nature of the UFO |
| respective fields, these scientists specialized in | | | | phenomenon has not been given the subject. |
| outer space. No scientists were consulted who | | | | Thornton Page and J. Allen Hynek both lamented |
| had expertise in atmospheric conditions-which is | | | | that the subject had not been treated with more |
| where UFOs are seen. | | | | seriousness. While Page expressed passing |
| The panel met in secret for four consecutive | | | | interest, Hynek went on to become a scientifically |
| days. During this time they viewed two amateur | | | | respected voice in UFology. |
| motion pictures: The 1950 Montana and the 1952 | | | | There can be no doubt that the Robertson Panel |
| Utah UFO Films, which had already undergone | | | | opened the era of government cover-up |
| 1,000 man hours of detailed analysis by Navy | | | | regarding the UFO phenomenon. And yet, stripped |
| officers who had concluded that the depicted | | | | of credibility and respect, there are still those who |
| objects were not any known aircraft, creature, or | | | | insist on sharing their experiences. For no matter |
| weather phenomenon. Air Force Captain Edward J. | | | | the cost, there are still those who look up into the |
| Ruppelt and Major Dewey J. Fournet then | | | | sky with curiosity. |
| addressed the panel, summarizing the extensive | | | | |