Transfer of the Blue Book files (1975)
From the UAP Encyclopedia, the open encyclopedia of UFO and UAP history · 🗓️ Event
Contents 9
| Date | April 1975 |
|---|---|
| Topics | Government programs (topic) |
| People | Brad Sparks, J. Allen Hynek |
| Testimony | Shellenberger testimony, p. 80 |
| Year | 1975 in UFO history |
| Timeline | 1975 on the UAP Timeline |
| Sources | 7 |
After Project Blue Book closed in December 1969, its files — about 12,600 case reports — were kept at the Air Force archives at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama. In the mid-1970s the Air Force transferred them to the National Archives, which opened them to the public in 1976 after witnesses' names had been removed.[1][2]
At Maxwell
While the files were at Maxwell, researchers had to request specific case files, and the archive held a master index listing each sighting's date, location, witnesses and Air Force conclusion. Researcher Kevin Randle recalled that access improved after he contacted an official in Washington.[2]
The transfer
According to Randle, the move to the National Archives was linked to help given to producer Jack Webb's NBC series Project UFO (1978–1979). The files were microfilmed — reportedly at Webb's expense — on 94 rolls; the J. Allen Hynek Center for UFO Studies also holds a complete set.[2]
Redactions
Before release, Air Force officers removed witnesses' names, but inconsistently: in the Kenneth Arnold file, initials were removed from an interview transcript while "Arnold sighting" remained on another page, and names removed from Air Force reports were left in attached newspaper clippings.[2]
Gaps
Researchers have long argued that some material was withheld or removed before the transfer, pointing to missing case files and pages and to documents referenced in other records that do not appear. Analyst Brad Sparks has documented gaps in the case list. Whether these reflect deliberate removal or ordinary disorganisation, which Blue Book consultant J. Allen Hynek often complained about, is still debated.[3][4]
Today
The National Archives has since digitised much of the collection, which is freely available online through the Archives and other websites.[4][5]
People and topics
- Project Blue Book — The Air Force's public UFO investigation from 1952 until its closure in December 1969.
- U.S. Air Force — The U.S. military service that ran the official UFO projects from 1947 to 1969.
- Brad Sparks — UFO analyst known for his catalogue of Blue Book unknowns and work on the CIA lawsuit.
- J. Allen Hynek — Astronomer and Air Force UFO consultant from 1948 to 1969 who later founded the Center for UFO Studies.
On the Timeline
- Goldwater letter to Shlomo Arnon (1975) (28 March 1975) — Goldwater writes that UAP information is classified above Top Secret.
- Rumsfeld's "no need to know" remark (13 April 1975) — Hynek says Donald Rumsfeld told him he had no need to know about any secret UAP study.
See every 1975 event on the UAP Timeline →
References
- Air Force fact sheet on UFOs and Project Blue Book (archived) · webarchive.library.unt.edu · archived copy
- Kevin Randle, "Project Blue Book exposed", A Different Perspective (Jul 2007) · kevinrandle.blogspot.com · archived copy
- Brad Sparks, Blue Book Unknowns catalogue (PDF), NICAP · nicap.org · archived copy
- Project Blue Book — Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org · archived copy
- "UFOs: Project Blue Book records", U.S. National Archives · archives.gov · archived copy
- Project Blue Book files — NOUFORS · noufors.com · archived copy
- nicap.org · nicap.org · archived copy
Further reading
- Project Blue Book — Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org · archived copy
- Project Blue Book records — National Archives · archives.gov · archived copy
- Project Blue Book files — The Black Vault · theblackvault.com · archived copy
This page was last edited on 29 October 2026. Articles are written in our own words from the sources listed under References; disputed claims are attributed to the people who made them.
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