RELEASE 04 / CIA-UAP-D021

CIA-UAP-D021, Analysis of Unconventional Aircraft Sightings, 1955

File ID: CIA-UAP-D021
Agency: CIA
Release: Release 04, 10 Jul 2026
Event date: 1955 (read as 1955; precision: year)
Location: Not given
Type: PDF
Redactions: Yes, parts of the official copy are blacked out
Paired files: CIA-UAP-D020

The official record

Official summary, as published

Sections 1 and 2 of this memorandum document a 1955 analysis of reports of “flying saucers” or “unconventional aircraft,” referencing the incident described in observer debriefings contained within CIA-UAP-D020. The memo summarizes the incident as consisting of two lights rising vertically, then passing above the observers. The memo contains caveating language that suggests the author concluded that the reports, as described, did not indicate the presence of an “unconventional aircraft.” Section 3 cites a previous finding by Dr. [Howard] Robertson (of the 1953 Robertson Panel) that “almost all the sightings […] represented no threat to the U.S.” Section 4 discusses the state of then-current research into “saucer-like aircraft” under Project “Y,” a contemporary joint U.S.-Canadian aerospace development program.

Named in this file

2 names

People, programs and institutions from The Legacy Program research board whose names appear in this file, found by exact spelling against a hand-checked list. A match says only that the file names them, not what part they play. People and programs lists every file that names each one.

Tier A Robertson Panel program
Named in the official summary.
CIA Office of Scientific Intelligence advisory panel, January 1953
Tier A Central Intelligence Agency institution
Named in the title, the official summary and page 1.
Independent civilian foreign intelligence service; convener of the Robertson Panel

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