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