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---
title: "The Danger and Implications"
date: 2026-10-09
status: published
summary: "In late 1952 MIT's provost offered the CIA a flying saucer study group at the Institute, steered the review toward Project Lincoln and Caltech, and asked to be kept informed."
entities:
- "[[Julius A. Stratton]]"
- "[[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]]"
- "[[H. Marshall Chadwell]]"
- "[[Philip G. Strong]]"
- "[[Max Millikan]]"
- "[[Center for International Studies]]"
- "[[Office of Scientific Intelligence]]"
- "[[Robertson Panel]]"
- "[[Lloyd Berkner]]"
- "[[Jerrold Zacharias]]"
tags:
- UAP
- CIA
- MIT
- RobertsonPanel
---
# The Danger and Implications
On October 2, 1952 [[H. Marshall Chadwell]], Assistant Director for Scientific Intelligence, sent the Director of Central Intelligence a memorandum titled "Flying Saucers." It reported that consultants had recommended a study group to analyze the problem and determine which fields of fundamental science should be investigated, and it continued: "Dr. Julius A. Stratton, Vice President of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has indicated to CIA that such a group could be constituted at that Institute. Similarly, Project Lincoln, the Air Force's air defense project at MIT, could be charged with some of these responsibilities."[^1]
At eleven in the morning on December 2, [[Philip G. Strong]] of the [[Office of Scientific Intelligence]] met [[Julius A. Stratton]], Executive Vice President and Provost of the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]], and [[Max Millikan]], director of the [[Center for International Studies]], the Institute's CIA-funded research center. Strong briefed them on the Limestone Base sightings, a Florida scoutmaster's case and the Utah motion pictures, and brought Stratton up to date "since our previous discussion of the subject in August." His memorandum of the next day records: "Dr. Stratton reiterated his earlier position that this is a subject which must be investigated and he said that probably the best means of getting a thoroughly competent review of the problem would be through Project LINCOLN." Stratton said that "Alfred Hill would be the best man to head the group." [[Albert G. Hill]], who had succeeded Stratton at the Research Laboratory of Electronics, was then director of the Lincoln Laboratory. Should Lincoln prove impractical, Stratton "felt very strongly that Cal Tech would be the better" choice, "in view of the presence there of Robertson, Lauritson, Spitzer (on temporary duty from Princeton), Millikan's brother and others." He "asked particularly that we keep him informed of the progress that we make in having this problem investigated as he is personally very interested as well as fully aware of the potential danger and implications of the situation."[^2]
Strong lunched the same day at the faculty club with [[Lloyd Berkner]] and [[Jerrold Zacharias]]. Berkner "felt strongly that the saucer problem should be thoroughly investigated from a scientific point of view." Zacharias proposed Shirley Quimby of [[Columbia University]], "probably the most expert man in the country on magic and general chicanery." Strong concluded that "it will probably be necessary to secure the full backing of DCI in order that a scientific review of this problem may be laid on."[^2]
The panel met under the Office of Scientific Intelligence from January 14 to 18, 1953. It was chaired by H. P. Robertson of the [[California Institute of Technology]], and Berkner sat on it. Its report of January 17 is signed by Robertson, [[Luis W. Alvarez]], Berkner, [[Samuel Goudsmit]] and [[Thornton Page]].[^3] On January 27 Chadwell wrote to "Dr. Julius A. Stratton, Provost": "Remembering your request to be kept informed of any progress in the problem of 'unidentified flying objects,' this letter will bring you up to date." He enclosed the report, the list of personnel and the evidence presented, and wrote: "Since the problems related to this subject appear to be operational rather than intelligence in nature, we will be concerned only indirectly in the future. However, if there are any developments in which we believe you might be interested, we shall inform you. Incidentally, knowledge of any interest of CIA in the subject of 'flying saucers' has been carefully restricted, in view of probable misunderstanding if it were publicly known."[^4]
[^1]: H. Marshall Chadwell, memorandum for the Director of Central Intelligence, "Flying Saucers," October 2, 1952, Tab A, paragraph 5, CIA reading room document 0005515933. https://archive.org/details/cia-readingroom-document-0005515933
[^2]: Philip G. Strong, memorandum for the record, "Flying Saucers," December 3, 1952, CIA-RDP81R00560R000100020007-3 (reading room 0005515940). https://archive.org/details/cia-readingroom-document-0005515940 ; for Hill, "Albert G. Hill Dies at 86," MIT News, October 25, 1996, https://news.mit.edu/1996/hill
[^3]: "Report of the Scientific Panel on Unidentified Flying Objects," January 17, 1953, CIA-RDP80B01676R004000110022-4; "Report of Meetings of Scientific Advisory Panel on Unidentified Flying Objects Convened by Office of Scientific Intelligence, CIA, January 14 to 18, 1953," CIA-RDP81R00560R000100030027-0. https://archive.org/details/cia-readingroom-document-cia-rdp80b01676r004000110022-4
[^4]: H. Marshall Chadwell to Julius A. Stratton, January 27, 1953, CIA reading room document 0005515714. https://archive.org/details/cia-readingroom-document-0005515714