*Includes pictures *Includes a bibliography for further reading When people think about unidentified flying objects (UFOs), they tend to think of flying discs piloted by gray beings with large heads and enormous eyes. They tend to think that these sightings only started relatively recently and that belief in UFOs is some sort of modern religion brought on, perhaps, by the very justifiable fears of a nuclear age. But a study of the phenomenon quickly reveals that humanity has been seeing UFOs since the beginning of recorded history and perhaps a lot longer than that. Modern Ufology focuses on mysterious lights on Ceres or tales of alien abduction, but this wasn't always the case, and looking at how the beliefs in the UFO phenomenon have changed or stayed the same can shed light on how culture and belief changes over time. One does not have to believe humans are actually being visited by aliens from another planet to recognize the importance of UFOs in human society. Any widespread belief that endures for centuries is worthy of study, and as always, cases exist that can't be explained away simple superstition. Most everyone in America is familiar with theories about UFOs, or "flying saucers" as they were often called then, but even this name dates back only to 1947. Before that time, they were called "ghost rockets" or "ghost airplanes" or "ghost airships." Before the age of flight, the flying objects were called various things such as "flying chariots." No matter what terminology is used, every generation has clearly had its own belief that mankind is not alone. Various flying saucer sightings got the attention of the governments of the United States and other nations. The world was gripped in a Cold War, and some officials wondered if the UFOs might be experimental craft from some hostile power, most likely the Soviet Union. The American government in particular wanted to investigate the phenomenon to find out if this might be the case, as well as to calm public fears over what was appearing in the skies. Another motivation was to quash all the calls flooding into Air Force bases and police stations. Communications were limited in the mid-20th century, and every wave of sightings clogged up communication lines that might have been needed to defend against more terrestrial security threats. The first large-scale, official investigation came during the UFO flap of 1947. On December 30, 1947, Major General L. C. Cragie, director of research and development for the United States Air Force, authorized the study of the flying saucer problem. His statement carried the line "by command of the chief of staff." The program was called Project Sign, and it would be the first of three known U.S. government studies of the UFO phenomenon. Project Sign was renamed Project Grudge in February 1949. This incarnation of the government's investigation of UFOs was the least productive at least in the sense of actually investigating UFOs. Minimal research time was given to each case, and the easiest answer was quickly ascribed to each one. A perfect example of this was the "radar kite" explanation trotted out for the Rogue River incident. The Air Force investigator thought this was a possible explanation and ignored the fact that the explanation didn't fit with the testimony of two experienced observers or even the easily available weather data. It was a good enough explanation, and therefore, it was the only explanation. Project Grudge was replaced in 1952 with the famous Project Blue Book, which took UFO sightings much more seriously and was actually given the funds to properly investigate some of the more promising sightings. Instead of following Project Grudge's recommendation that "the investigation and study of reports of unidentified flying objects be reduced in scope," this secret study amassed a huge amount of data.

The ultimate guide to Project Blue Book by one of the lead astronomers for the US Air Force program to investigate UFO sightings. Originally released in 1977, this new edition by the world's foremost authority on UFOs distills 12,000 sightings and 140,000 pages of Project Blue Book evidence into a coherent explanation. A US Air Force - sponsored UFO-basher for years, Hynek had completely changed his tune by the late 1960s. Whether you believe in little green men or an official government cover-up policy, The Hynek UFO Report is required reading. Have UFOs really been reported by every nation across the globe? Can all the eyewitness reports simply be fantasy? Are we victims of mass hallucination or just plain lies? Have close encounters actually occurred? Is the government concealing deep secrets at a hidden location? The Hynek UFO Report is rational, logical, and realistic. It is for anyone interested in UFOs, the possibility of extraterrestrial life, and the role of the US government in hiding the truth from the public.

Governments around the world have had to deal with the UFO phenomenon for a good part of a century. How and why they did so is the subject of UFOs and Government, a history that for the first time tells the story from the perspective of the governments themselves. It's a perspective that reveals a great deal about what we citizens have seen, and puzzled over, from the "outside" for so many years. The story, which is unmasked by the governments' own documents, explains much that is new, or at least not commonly known, about the seriousness with which the military and intelligence communities approached the UFO problem internally. Those approaches were not taken lightly. In fact, they were considered matters of national security. At the same time, the story reveals how a subject with such apparent depth of experience and interest became treated as if it were a triviality. And it explains why one government, the United States government, deemed it wise, and perhaps even necessary, to treat it so. Though the book focuses primarily on the U. S. government's response to the UFO phenomenon, also included is the treatment of the subject by the governments of Sweden, Australia, France, Spain, and other countries. This large-format, fully illustrated book is the result of a team effort that called itself "The UFO History Group," a collection of veteran UFO historians and researchers who spent more than four years researching, consulting, writing, and editing to present a work of historical scholarship on government response to the UFO phenomenon. Michael Swords was the primary author of the United States chapters. The work was coordinated and edited by Robert Powell. Clas Svahn, Vicente-Juan Ballester Olmos, Bill Chalker, and Robert Powell contributed country chapters. Jan Aldrich was the primary content consultant, with additional content consultation and writing coming from Barry Greenwood and Richard Thieme. Steve Purcell was the primary photo illustration editor. From the foreword by Jerome Clark: "While UFOs and Government revisits an often unhappy history, the reading of it is far from an unhappy experience. The authors, eloquent, intelligent, sophisticated, and conscientious, provide us with the first credible, comprehensive overview of official UFO history in many years... Most of the current volume deals with U.S. military and intelligence responses to the UFO phenomenon, but it also features richly informative chapters that expand the story across the international arena. If you're looking for an example of a nation that dealt productively with the UFO reports that came its official way, you will take heart in the chapter on the French projects... From here on, every responsible treatment of UFOs and government will have to cite UFOs and Government prominently among its sources... this is the real story as accurately as it can be reconstructed in the second decade of the new century. I expect to keep my copy close at hand and to return to it often. While it cannot be said of many books, UFO-themed or otherwise, this is among the essential ones. Stray from it at your peril."

An extraordinary 95 percent of all Americans have at least heard or read something about UFOs, and 57 percent believe they are real. In late 1993, after being pressured by UFOlogists for the release of information on UFOs, the CIA ordered a review of all Agency files. Using CIA records compiled from that review in 1994, this study traces CIA interest and involvement in the UFO controversy from the late 1940s to 1990. It chronologically examines the Agency's efforts to solve the mystery of UFOs, its programs that had an impact on UFO sightings, and its attempts to conceal CIA involvement in the entire UFO issue. What emerges from this examination is that, while Agency concern over UFOs was substantial until the early 1950s, CIA has since paid only limited and peripheral attention to the phenomena. (Illustrated)

The Report on Unidentified Flying Objects is a book by Edward J. Ruppelt which described the study of UFOs by United States Air Force from 1947 to 1955. Ruppelt was a United States Air Force officer best known for his involvement in Project Blue Book, a formal governmental study of unidentified flying objects. He is generally credited with coining the term "unidentified flying object." Because Ruppelt was the central axis of the government's investigation the book provides a unique insider look at how the government's efforts functioned.

Frank C. Feschino, Jr., the authority of the "Braxton County Monster" incident has returned with an Updated and Expanded version of his 2012 book. His ongoing and diligent 21-year investigation into this case reveals an invasion of gigantic aliens that occurred over America on September 12, 1952. Feschino meticulously reconstructed a timeline of events and recreated the scenario of that terrifying day, which includes the "Flatwoods Monster" and "Frametown Monster" incidents, a massive wave of UFO sightings and crashes and the cover-up of a USAF jet fighter that disappeared that night. This book contains new documentation about the "Braxton County Monster" case and startling UFO events of that day and includes additional witness information, newly discovered sightings, crashes, landings and more. It contains more than 225 visuals, including new articles, photos, maps, graphics and illustrations, which credit Feschino as the world's most thorough investigator of this UFO incident in history.