In 1947 the US government launched what would become the present rise of the security state. The beginnings of the NDAA enactments were underway and for the first time in American history the Bill of Rights was intruded upon by the intelligence apparatus. What triggered this sudden turn of events? Why had the federal government and military been alarmed enough that they felt a near police state situation was necessary? Former USMC Major, Donald Keyhoe, had inside whistleblowers at the Pentagon who had informed him that the US Air Force high command was indeed concerned over extraterrestrial incursions over the continental US as well as aspects of their air superiority.

Evidence of early concerns

So if the CIA was devoted to international espionage operations and foreign threats what were they doing investigating UFO sightings? What was so sinister about supposed “Flying Saucers?” Shouldn’t they have been more concerned about Soviet atomic weapon development or the Communist infiltration into the western hemisphere? According to author, John A. Keel, apparently they were already concerned over the propulsion system of UAP’s in a memorandum he obtained a handwritten question of electromagnetic power being explored in a 1947 memo. We already know that Director J. Edgar Hoover had received word of the crashed disk at Roswell Army Airfield from Dallas FBI Office and was infuriated that he’d been left out of the loop. Did the CIA get priority over the FBI’s access to this data? According the Black Vault, a dump of historic FBI history of involvement of the bureau in everything from the Roswell crash to cattle mutilations in New Mexico, Director Hoover was angry over his resources being used for UFO investigations by the US Army and Navy, but being denied access to sensitive material.

What incidents would have drawn consternation among officials over the following incidents?

Let us examine events, incidents, losses of aircraft and personnel and the chronological order of these occurrences that could have triggered a necessity of CIA participation into the UFO mystery.

• June 21, 1947 Maury Island Washington State. Fishermen Harold Dahl and Fred Crissman report seeing an explosion of an unknown aerial object surrounded by other objects that revolve around it. The man’s son is burned by molten metal slag dropped from a UFO and the family dog is killed by it. Two USAF intelligence officers are ordered to the scene to investigate. Upon return in a B-25 Mitchell bomber back to Mc Chord Air base the aircraft crashes killing the 2 officers on its approach to the air field. In the plane was the substance handed over from the two fishermen for examination.
• July 7, 1947 the 509^th Bomb Group recovers a disk that has crashed 75 miles from the Roswell Army Air Field. The event is announced to the world. Press release authorized by base commander, Colonel Butch Blanchard.
• January 8, 1948 Captain Thomas Mantell in his F-51 Mustang is requested by Air Traffic Controllers at Godman Air Field in Kentucky to intercept an unidentified aerial light. While in pursuit the aviator ends up in a fatal crash allegedly due to a 30,000 foot uncontrolled dive as he reports a huge metallic object in his sights, but supposedly blacks out due to exceeding the altitude limiting his unpressurized cockpit to a max ceiling of 20,000 feet.
• June of 1952 the infamous UFO flap that creates hysteria all over the US according to Captain Edward Ruppelt of Project Blue Book and the resources of the US Air Force are overwhelmed with phone calls and frantic reports to police switchboards throughout the country, but the worst part is the Washington national sightings where on several nights UFO’s were chased over Washington DC air space, but outclassed. When 2 F-94 C’s are scrambled out of New Castle Air Base in pursuit of the UFO’s pilot William Patterson finds himself surrounded by the unknown aerial objects who are moving in on him and his plane. When calling into the Washington National radar room asking for instructions there was silence according to Albert Chop, USAF spokesman. Luckily the UFO’s who had out distanced the interceptors all night then suddenly seemed aggressive, backed off. Stealth characteristics were displayed as many times USAF jets roared in the UAP radar blips simply disappeared off the screen.
• November 23, 1953 a, F-89 scorpion all weather interceptor jet crew are scrambled from Kinross AFB in pursuit of a UFO over Soo Locks in the Great Lakes under stormy conditions. Lieutenant Felix Moncla and Backseat “Wizzo” Robert Wilson’s jet merged with an unknown object on the radar screens and disappeared forever, presumed dead.
• July 1, 1954 Grifiss AFB tracks a UFO and scrambles an F-94C aircrew to intercept the unknown intruder. The air combat jet rapidly climbs upward to meet with its rendezvous with the unknown as the backseat weapons officer tracks the object from his onboard radar. As the crew makes visual contact once report says they had to take evasive action to keep from colliding with the UAP, but whatever happened both pilots experience a burning like heat inside the cockpit and parachute out of the Starfire jet. To their horror the F-94C plunges into the town of Walesville, NY killing a family of 4 when the flaming wreckage hits their car and house. Reported by the New York Times.
• December 20, 1954 General Benjamin Chidlaw of Strategic Air Command admits that there have been 3,000 attempts over the continental United States to intercept UFO’s that the reports are taken seriously, and that many men and aircraft have been lost in those pursuits!
• 1973 during the Nixon Administration on between 10 and 13 occasions the US military is ordered into high alert as UFO’s may be Soviet aircraft violating US air space in the narrow corridors of heavily patrolled Northern Pacific and Alaskan air space. According to Donald Keyhoe, Henry Kissinger interjects provisions for reports of UFO’s between the two super powers of Russia and the US as part of the SALT I and SALT II Treaties in order to avoid accidental hostilities.

Conclusion

From the above history of tragic UFO encounters, demonstrations of technical superiority by some intelligent source, and the unknown factor despite billions spent on US Air defenses, would it seem that the CIA, in fact, did have reason to be involved in investigations especially sharing data with the ATIC (Air Technical Intelligence Center) and Patterson Wright Air Base for further review of the serious cases? There was apparently apprehension over possible counter intelligence value for the Soviets if confusion and delays could be caused by public UFO fascination if a first strike were planned against the US. So, perhaps the CIA was justified in getting involved.