Pentagon: Clearance for 41 UFO cases to Keyhoe
Pentagon press officer Albert M. Chop confirmed to Maj. Donald E. Keyhoe that Air Force cleared 41 investigated UFO cases for his book release. Late February, Gen. Benjamin Chidlaw revealed stacks of serious saucer reports and losses of men and planes.
Background
Confirmation of the Clearance
On February 25, 1953, Albert M. Chop, press officer at the Pentagon, wrote a letter to Maj. Donald E. Keyhoe. In it he verified that files on 41 cases investigated by the Air Force had been cleared by ATIC for Keyhoe's forthcoming book Flying Saucers from Outer Space. This points to official acknowledgement of unidentified phenomena.
Statement by Chidlaw
At the end of February 1953, ADC commander Benjamin Chidlaw told the later UFO researcher Robert C. Gardner at Ent AFB near Colorado Springs, Colorado, that he held numerous reports of flying saucers. He stressed how seriously they were taken, as several servicemen and aircraft had been lost in interception attempts. Chidlaw was speaking at the base on the site where the US Olympic Training Center was later established.
Witnesses and Evidence
Key witnesses: Albert M. Chop, Donald E. Keyhoe, Benjamin Chidlaw, Robert C. Gardner. The evidence comprises Chop's letter (February 25, 1953), pages 253–259 of Keyhoe's book, and the NICAP document "The Chop Clearance List". Chidlaw's words come from Stringfield's works.
Significance
These events show military openness alongside internal concern about UAP. The clearance of 41 cases and the reports of losses indicate serious investigation, which influenced both the public and researchers.