Department of War PURSUE File
CIA-UAP-007, Current Status Of Unidentified Flying Objects (UFO) Project.
December, 1953
Editorial summary
This December 17, 1953 CIA memorandum, from the chief of the Physics and Electronics Division to the Assistant Director for Scientific Intelligence, gives a status update on the unidentified flying objects project. It states the division's role was limited to tracking other agencies' activities, notably the Air Force, and maintaining files. It notes the Air Force continued its interest with decreasing emphasis through ATIC's Project Blue Book (10073), that about ten percent of reported sightings remained unsolved, and that the project was being transferred to Air Defense Command.
Editorial summary written by govweird from the declassified document text. The official government description follows below.
Government description
This December 1953 memorandum provides a status update on the Air Force's UFO project activities, including ongoing intelligence operations, equipment procurement for photographing UFOs, and Canada’s establishment of a "laboratory" for recording observable phenomena. A more redacted version of this memorandum has been available on CIA's public website.
Caption issued by the U.S. Department of War on war.gov/ufo. Verbatim, unedited.
Originating agency
Central Intelligence Agency
Record type
Incident date
December, 1953
Incident location
Unspecified
Release tranche
Release 03 (May 8, 2026)
Distribution
Cleared for public release