Donald Keyhoe
From the UAP Encyclopedia, the open encyclopedia of UFO and UAP history · 👤 Person
Contents 6
| Type | Person |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Keyhoe, Maj. Donald Keyhoe |
| On the Timeline | 8 events, 1951–1962 |
Donald Edward Keyhoe (20 June 1897 – 29 November 1988) was a U.S. Marine Corps aviator, writer and UFO researcher who, more than anyone else in the 1950s and 1960s, popularised the idea that flying saucers were extraterrestrial and that the Air Force was hiding the truth. He led NICAP, the largest civilian UFO organisation of its time, from 1957 to 1969.[1][2]
Early life and aviation
Keyhoe was born in Ottumwa, Iowa. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1919 and was commissioned in the Marine Corps. A 1922 aircraft crash on Guam injured his arm, and he left the Marines in 1923, working for the National Geodetic Survey and the Department of Commerce. In 1927 he managed Charles Lindbergh's national tour after the transatlantic flight, and his book Flying With Lindbergh (1928) launched his writing career. He wrote pulp fiction for magazines such as Weird Tales, creating aviator heroes including Captain Philip Strange. He returned to active duty in World War II in naval aviation training and retired as a major.[1]
"The Flying Saucers Are Real"
After the 1947 flying saucer wave, True magazine editor Ken Purdy asked Keyhoe to investigate. His article "Flying Saucers Are Real", in the January 1950 issue, argued that the saucers were alien spacecraft and that the Air Force was concealing this to avoid panic. It became one of the most-read magazine articles of the era, and the expanded book, The Flying Saucers Are Real (1950), sold more than half a million copies. He followed it with Flying Saucers from Outer Space (1953), The Flying Saucer Conspiracy (1955), Flying Saucers: Top Secret (1960) and Aliens from Space (1973).[1][3]
NICAP
In 1956 Keyhoe co-founded the National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena (NICAP), and in 1957 he became its director, replacing founder Thomas Townsend Brown. Under him NICAP grew to around 14,000 members, collected and investigated reports, and pressed Congress to hold open hearings and the Air Force to release its files.[1][4]
On 22 January 1958, during a live CBS broadcast of Armstrong Circle Theatre, Keyhoe departed from his approved script to say that there was evidence UFOs were real; the network cut his microphone. He blamed Air Force pressure for the censorship, and the episode became a famous example of official secrecy. Weeks later he appeared on The Mike Wallace Interview.[1][5] CIA records released later show that the agency corresponded with Keyhoe and tracked his inquiries.[1]
Later years
NICAP's money and membership declined in the late 1960s, especially after the Condon Report. In December 1969 its board forced Keyhoe to retire. He joined the board of MUFON in 1981, though his health limited his role. He died in 1988 at age 91.[1][2]
On the UAP Timeline
- Dewey Fournet's motion study and Navy inquiry (1951) — A Blue Book officer reportedly runs a private, Navy-assisted inquiry into undersea and aerial UAP.
- Albert Chop and the Tremonton film release (9 February 1953) — Air Force spokesman Albert Chop claims the CIA killed a press release and ordered a debunking campaign.
- JANAP 146(C) (10 March 1954) — Directive JANAP 146(C) covers UAP reports and bars civilian pilots from discussing them.
- Navy FLYOBRPT reporting instruction (1954) (23 July 1954) — A new Navy directive orders UAP sighting reports sent to several intelligence commands.
- Navy pilots' shoot-down orders claim (1956) (5 July 1956) — Unnamed Navy pilots claim standing orders to shoot down hostile UAP over the Pacific.
- NICAP fed a fake crash story (1957) (May 1957) — Civilian group NICAP is fed a fake UAP crash story by a source with NSA ties.
- McCormack subcommittee UFO briefing (1958) (13 August 1958) — The Air Force tells a House committee civilian UAP groups are its biggest UAP-related challenge.
- Arthur Sylvester's "right to lie" remarks (29 October 1962) — A Pentagon spokesman defends withholding information when it's in the public interest.
References
- Donald Keyhoe — Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org · archived copy
- "Donald E. Keyhoe, 91, Exponent of UFO's", The New York Times (3 Dec 1988) · nytimes.com · archived copy
- Edward J. Ruppelt, The Report on Unidentified Flying Objects — NICAP edition · nicap.org · archived copy
- National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena — Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org · archived copy
- "Author Digresses on TV; Sound Is Cut", The New York Times (23 Jan 1958) · nytimes.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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