USAF: Fireball reports reassigned to lab
US Air Force intelligence executive Col. John M. Schweizer Jr. directed that fireball reports be excluded from standard investigations and transferred to Cambridge Research Laboratory. AFOIN denied Army requests for additional study facilities.
Background
Background
On September 1, 1949, Col. John M. Schweizer Jr., chief of staff to the Director of US Air Force Intelligence, issued an instruction to Maj. Gen. Millard Lewis. Reports of fireballs were in future no longer to be handled by HQ Air Materiel Command and the Directorate of Intelligence.
Measures
The Air Materiel Command transferred investigation of green fireballs to the USAF Cambridge Research Laboratory at Hanscom Air Force Base in Bedford, Massachusetts. The Air Force Office of Intelligence (AFOIN) rejected an army request for additional field stations for research.
Significance
The decision marked a specialisation in UAP investigation and reduced the Air Force's central involvement in fireball cases. It reflects growing frustration over unresolved sightings and redirected resources to a dedicated laboratory. Sources emphasise the administrative shift in how UAP were handled.