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Churchill asks what flying saucers amount to

When: 28 Jul 1952
Where: London, England
Sources: 2 public sources

Prime Minister Winston Churchill in 1952, the year he asked what the flying saucer stories amounted to Unknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Prime Minister Winston Churchill sent a minute to the Secretary of State for Air asking what the flying saucer stories amounted to. The Air Ministry replied on August 9, 1952, citing a 1951 intelligence study that found conventional explanations for the reports.

Sources

OfficialPrime Minister's request to the Secretary of State for Air for an explanation of stories about flying saucers, 28 July 1952, and subsequent correspondence (PREM 11/855) (opens in a new tab)The National Archives (UK) / 1952
OtherHow UFOs KBO (Joe Oliver, Churchill Bulletin #202) (opens in a new tab)International Churchill Society / 2025-03-01

How sources are chosen and tiered

How the story came out

Happened 28 Jul 1952. First made public 58 years later (18 Feb 2010).

28 Jul 1952It happened (this event)
18 Feb 2010National Archives releases MoD UFO files for 1994-2000 - first made public

See it on the timeline: happened vs became public

Where it fits

Earlier in GovernmentAir Force Letter 200-5 sets UFO reporting rules29 Apr 1952 Later in GovernmentCIA's Ralph Clark memo on 'Recent Sightings of Unexplained Objects'29 Jul 1952

See it on the timeline More in Government