PROJECT 1947

Secretary of Defense Harold Brown
The Pentagon
Washington, D. C.

Dear Mr. Secretary:

Recently a former Air Force man contacted me regarding a UFO incident that occurred in the late 1950s.  At the time of the occurrence he was an Air Defense Command airman on active duty in the continental United States.

The UFO incident involved radar contact and a jet scramble; subsequently all records of the incident were ordered destroyed.

It is public knowledge that the Air Force has made statements in or around 1969 to the effect that AF regulations which required secrecy of military personnel regarding UFO incidents are no longer in effect.

In view of the fact that knowledge of this incident would add to scientific evaluations currently being made by volunteer research organizations, the airman wishes to make public the facts of the sighting.  He wishes to know whether this information would still be regarded as secret.  Is it covered by any Air Force or government regulation that would require his continued silence?

An answer to this question at your very earliest convenience would be much appreciated.

Cordially yours,

Ms. Ann Druffel

California 91105

Dear Ms. Druffel:

This is in reply to your recent letter to the Secretary of Defense requesting current policy concerning a former airman's public release of details about an Unidentified Flying Object (UFO) sighting.

In 1976 all Air Force documentation regarding UFO phenomena was transferred to the National Archives and Records Service in Washington, D.C. to insure greatest public accessibility. However, the alleged sighting may have resulted in a Communication Instructions for Reporting Vital Intelligence Sightings (CIRVIS) report which is used to document various sightings of unexplained or unusual events.  CIRVIS messages report information of vital significance to the security of the United States and Canada and their forces, which, in the opinion of the observer, require very urgent defensive and/or investigative action by Armed Forces.

Blanket releasability of CIRVIS reports is not possible due to the wide range of defense topics covered by them.  Each report would have to be reviewed on an individual basis by appropriate Air Force officials to determine releasability.

If this sighting did not generate a CIRVIS report, we know of no reason the incident cannot be presented to interested organizations. If the former Air Force member has any further questions in this area, suggest you advise him to correspond directly with this office.  Thank you for calling this matter to our attention.

Sincerely