Government1960

Former CIA director Hillenkoetter urges congressional UFO hearings

When: 28 Feb 1960
Where: Washington, D.C.
Sources: 2 public sources

Roscoe Hillenkoetter, first CIA director and NICAP board member, who urged open UFO hearings U.S. Gov., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

NICAP made public a December 1959 Air Force Inspector General directive telling commands to treat UFO reports as serious defense business. NICAP board member Roscoe Hillenkoetter, the first CIA director, said a copy went to Congress and called for open congressional hearings.

Sources

FirsthandThe Quest for the Truth About UFOs: A Personal Perspective on the Role of NICAP (Richard H. Hall) (opens in a new tab)International UFO Reporter / MUFON 1994 Symposium Proceedings (copy hosted by RR0) / 1994
PressAir Force Says Unidentified Flying Objects Are 'Serious' (UPI, Alvin Spivak), CIA-RDP68-00046R000200090030-6 (opens in a new tab)United Press International (clipping in the CIA FOIA Electronic Reading Room) / 1960-02-28

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Where it fits

Earlier in GovernmentJ. Allen Hynek becomes chair of Northwestern's astronomy department1960 Later in GovernmentFrank Drake's Project Ozma, first radio search for extraterrestrial signalsApr 1960

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