By Donald Keyhoe
New York
Fawcett Publications, Inc., 1950
Copyright 1950 by Fawcett Publications, Inc.
All Rights Reserved, Including the Right to Reproduce This Book or Portions Thereof.
The Gold Medal seal on this book means that it is an original story. It has not been published before.
Printed in the United States of America
To Helen,
With love
Donald E. Keyhoe, who relates here his investigation of the flying saucers, writes with twenty-five years of experience in observing aeronautical developments.
He is a graduate of the U. S. Naval Academy at Annapolis. He flew in active service with the Marine Corps, managed the tour of the historic plane in which Bennett and Byrd made their North Pole flight, was an aide to Charles Lindbergh, after the famous Paris flight, and was chief of the information for the Aeronautics Branch, Department of Commerce.
Author’s Note
On April 27, 1949, the U.S. Air Force stated:
“The mere existence of some yet unidentified flying objects necessitates a constant vigilance on the part of Project ‘Saucer’ personnel, and on the part of the civilian population.
“Answers have been—and will be—drawn from such factors as a guided missile research activity, balloons, astronomical phenomena… But there are still question marks.
“Possibilities that the saucers are foreign aircraft have also been considered… But observations based on nuclear power plant research in this country label as ‘highly probable’ the existence on Earth of engines small enough to have powered the saucers.
“Intelligent life on Mars…is not impossible but is completely unproven. The possibility of intelligent life on the Planer Venus is not considered completely unreasonable by astronomers.
“The saucers are not jokes. Neither are they cause for alarm.”1
On December 27, 1949, the Air Force denied the existence of flying saucers. 2
On December 30, 1949, the Air Force revealed part of a secret Project “Saucer” report to members of the press at Washington. The official report stated:
“It will never be possible to say with certainty that any individual did not see a space ship, an enemy missile, or some other object.”
Discussing the motives of possible visitors from space, the report also stated:
“Such a civilization might observe that on Earth we now have atomic bombs and are fast developing rockets. In view of the past history of mankind, they should be
1 Project “Saucer” Preliminary Study of Flying Saucers.
2 Air Force Press Release 629-49
Alarmed. We should, therefore, expect at this time above all to behold such visitations.”
(In its April 27 report, Project “Saucer” stated that space travel outside the solar system is almost a certainty.)
On February 22, 1950, the Air Force again denied the existence of flying saucers. On this same date, two saucers reported above Key West Naval Air Station were tracked by radar; they were described as maneuvering at high speed fifty miles above the earth. The Air Force refused to comment.
On March 9, 1950, a large metallic disk was pursued by F-51 and jet fighters and observed by scores of Air Force officers at Wright Field, Ohio. On March 18, an Air Force spokesman again denied that saucers exist and specifically stated that they were not American guided missiles or space-exploration devices.
I have carefully examined all Air Force saucer reports made in the last three years. For the past year, I have taken part in a special investigation of the flying-saucer riddle.
I believe that the Air Force statements, contradictory as they appear, are part of an intricate program to prepare America—and the world—for the secret of the disks.