Henderson UFO briefing (1958)
From the UAP Encyclopedia, the open encyclopedia of UFO and UAP history · 🗓️ Event
Contents 8
| Date | 20 June 1958 |
|---|---|
| Topics | Congress & law (topic), Ocean & underwater (topic) |
| People | John E. Henderson |
| Testimony | Shellenberger testimony, p. 61 |
| Year | 1958 in UFO history |
| Timeline | 1958 on the UAP Timeline |
| Sources | 5 |
On 20 June 1958 U.S. Air Force officers briefed Representative John E. Henderson of Ohio and several of his colleagues in the Capitol on the Air Force's UFO program. A memorandum for the record noted their agreement that it would be unwise to give the subject undue publicity, especially through formal congressional hearings.[1][2]
Background
Members of Congress were receiving many letters from constituents about UFOs, particularly after the large wave of sightings in November 1957 and the publication of former Project Blue Book chief Edward Ruppelt's book The Report on Unidentified Flying Objects. Henderson had submitted questions they could not answer.[1]
The briefing
The briefing was given by Major Boland of the Air Force's legislative liaison office and Major Tacker of its information services, with technical help from Mr. Arcier and Major Byrne of Air Force intelligence. They described Project Blue Book as a continuous Air Force project, said 2,764 reports had been received since 1953, discussed radar and photographic evidence and the use of scientific experts, and handed out briefing kits with statistics, charts and case histories. The Air Force's position was that nearly all reports were misidentified aircraft, balloons, astronomical objects and hoaxes, and that the remaining unknowns showed no threat.[1]
Outcome
According to the memorandum, dated 23 June 1958, the members expressed confidence in the Air Force's handling of the program and agreed that public hearings would be unwise. It recommended drawing the Air Force's semi-annual UFO report to the attention of Senator Leverett Saltonstall and Henderson to counter what it saw as a campaign pressuring the Air Force.[1]
Context
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The briefing was one of several in 1958, including sessions for the McClellan and McCormack subcommittees, that the Air Force used to head off congressional hearings sought by NICAP. The documents show how the Air Force managed congressional interest in the late 1950s.[2][3]
People and topics
- U.S. Air Force — The U.S. military service that ran the official UFO projects from 1947 to 1969.
- Unidentified anomalous phenomena — The U.S. government's current term for unidentified objects in the air, in space and underwater.
- John E. Henderson — Ohio congressman briefed by the Air Force on UFOs in 1958.
- Unidentified flying object — An object in the sky that can't be identified; the older term for UAP.
On the Timeline
- McClellan subcommittee persuaded against hearings (1958) (28 February 1958) — An Air Force general says informal talks persuaded Senate investigators no UAP hearings were needed.
- McCormack subcommittee UFO briefing (1958) (13 August 1958) — The Air Force tells a House committee civilian UAP groups are its biggest UAP-related challenge.
See every 1958 event on the UAP Timeline →
References
- "1958 Congressman Henderson briefing", UFO Scans · ufoscans.com · archived copy
- Paul McCarthy, "Politicking and paradigm shifting", chapter 4, Project 1947 · project1947.com · archived copy
- "1958 McCormack congressional sub-committee", UFO Scans · ufoscans.com · archived copy
- 'Congress is being pressed for flying saucer probe' — CIA reading room · cia.gov · archived copy
- files.afu.se · files.afu.se · archived copy
Further reading
- U.S. congressional hearings on UFOs — Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org · 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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