Cheyenne Mountain: Condon NORAD briefing
Edward Condon and Robert Low received a classified briefing at NORAD's Cheyenne Mountain complex from military analysts on radar systems, shortly after another session in Boulder. This was part of efforts to limit the Condon Committee's access to NORAD UFO data.
Background
Event Details
On January 13, 1967, Edward Condon and Robert Low visited NORAD's underground Space Defense Center at Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado. They were briefed on the radar network in a classified session by 1st Lt. Henry B. Eckert Jr. and Capt. Dick A. Cable of the 9th Aerospace Defense Division, specifically the 1st Aerospace Control Squadron. This came hours after another classified session for Condon and his team in Boulder had concluded.
Participants and Context
Condon, head of the University of Colorado UFO Project, and his coordinator Low were seeking military insight. The analysts Eckert and Cable explained the orbital surveillance systems. The visit fell in a period when the project was experiencing controversy, as Condon's later statements showed.
Significance
This briefing marked the start of a strategy to discourage Condon, J. Allen Hynek, and James E. McDonald from using NORAD as a source for UFO investigation or equipment. It points to tensions between scientists and the military over the release of UFO data, during the ongoing Condon Committee project (1966–1968). Cheyenne Mountain had recently become operational.