USA: Navy launches independent UFO probe
Navy Secretary Dan Kimball, frustrated with Air Force handling of his UFO sighting, initiated a separate Navy investigation into UFOs led by Lt. Commander Fred Lowell Thomas. The effort operated through 1952 under the Office of Naval Research.
Background
Background
In April 1952, Dan Kimball, then Secretary of the Navy, responded to his own UFO observation of March that year with dissatisfaction toward the Air Force. It had handled his report inadequately, which prompted him to take an initiative of his own.
The Investigation
Kimball charged Lt. Commander Fred Lowell Thomas of the Office of Naval Research with leading an independent Navy inquiry into UFO phenomena. The project aimed to analyse Navy-internal sightings and data separately, independently of Air Force programmes such as Project Blue Book. It collected reports and assessed incidents on its own.
Duration and Outcome
The initiative lasted at least through the whole of 1952, possibly no longer, as it ended with Kimball's term of office. Later sources suggest a limited continuation until 1955, but the main phase was short-lived and produced no public results.
Significance
This step points to internal tensions between US military branches over UFO investigation and shows early efforts at parallel research approaches. It underlines the frustration of senior officers with centralised Air Force structures.