Dr. J. Allen Hynek consultant for the Air Force on Projects SIGN and BLUE BOOK, divided the UFO reports into categories. These categories are known as Close Encounters.

Close Encounters Poll

Would you tell everyone you had had a close encounter? Yes No Way There is no such thing as a close encounter Results

Sightings at a Distance of More than 500 ft.

Nocturnal Lights- Well defined lights that cannot be explained in terms of concentional light sources.

Daylight Disks- Oval or saucerlike metallic-appearing objects.

Radar Visuals- Unidentified blips on radar screens that confirm simultaneous visual sightings.

Sightings at a Distance Less than 500 ft.

Close Encounters of the First Kind- No interaction between the UFO and the environment

Close Encounters of the Second Kind- Some interaction with the environment; interfaces with car ignition systems, burns on the ground and physical effects upon humans or animals.

Close Encounters of the Third Kind- UFO occupants from outer space are reportedly seen.

Close Encounters: A Brief History

In 1948 Air Force General Nathan Twining head of Air Tech Service... established project SIGN (initially project SAUCER). Project SIGN was designed to keep all branches of the military informed and worked under the assumption that UFOs are real and a national security concern.

Techinal Intelligence Division of Air Material Comm. ( AMC ) at Wright Field (later Wright-Patterson Air Force Base) Dayton, Ohio concluded all reports stemmed from

1) Mass hysteria
2) Hoax
3) Misinterpetation of Normal

However, the committee did recommend continued military control and did not rule out the exsistence of extraterrestrials.

In the late 1940's project GRUDGE was designed to elminate public fear. The project explained away all sightings.The government recommended that the project should be toned down. They believed that Air Force involvement only added to "war hysteria".

Dec. 27, 1949- Air Force announces project termination.

1952- USAF Director of Intelligence Major General Charles P. Cabell orders a new UFO project.

1950-60- Project BLUE BOOK once again designed to persuade the public that UFOs were not ETs. note: The CIA closely monitored the Air Force's efforts... concerned with national security. Critics claim that project BLUE BOOK was just a coverup sighting lack of scientific personnel as the reason. However the project was called a success and investigated for 18 years. The numbers differ here but by some estimates in 12,600 cases all but 701 were explained.

In 1966 the Air Force sponsored an independent investigation. A team of scientists from the University of Colorado under Dr. Edward Condon. The team selected 59 cases for serious examination 23 of these cases still remain unexplained. However, the team concluded that further study was not warranted and that no intelligent extraterrestrial life would visit within the next 10,000 years. (no one is sure why the panel said 10,000 years).

In 1998 the Sturrok panel concluded that it would be valueable to carefully evaluate UFO reports.

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