Pentagon: Hynek suggests NAS UFO panel
On August 30, 1965, J. Allen Hynek urged the Air Force to collaborate with the National Academy of Sciences on a panel of scientists to investigate UFOs. This proposal aimed to bring expert analysis to the phenomenon.
Background
Event
On August 30, 1965, J. Allen Hynek sent a letter to Lt. Col. John Spaulding at the office of the Secretary of the Air Force. He recommended that the Pentagon work with the National Academy of Sciences to create a panel of physicists and social scientists to study the UFO phenomenon.
Participants
Hynek, a well-known UFO researcher, was a consultant to the Air Force. Spaulding was the recipient at the department. Sources such as CUFOS correspondence and secondary literature (Swords, Clark) document this.
Significance
The proposal marked an attempt to bring scientific method into official UFO investigation amid increasing sightings. It points to the pressure on the authorities to take the subject seriously rather than leave it to military control alone.