Jan Aldrich

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Jan Aldrich

Illustration of official papers and files — Illustration: official papers and files. An artist's impression drawn for this site, not a photograph of the event.

Type	Person
On the Timeline	1 event, 1954

Jan Aldrich is an American UFO researcher and retired U.S. Army officer who founded Project 1947 in the 1990s.

Project 1947

Kenneth Arnold: 1947 June 26 Chicago Sun article "Supersonic Flying Saucers Sighted by Idaho Pilot". Perhaps first-use of term "flying saucer" in headline from… — Kenneth Arnold: 1947 June 26 Chicago Sun article "Supersonic Flying Saucers Sighted by Idaho Pilot". Perhaps first-use of term "flying saucer" in headline from… Photo: UPI · Public domain · via Wikimedia Commons

The project set out to find and document original records of the 1947 flying saucer wave and other early UFO history, including newspaper reports from across the United States and the world, military documents and archives. Aldrich and volunteers collected thousands of newspaper clippings showing how widespread the 1947 reports were before and after Kenneth Arnold's sighting. He has also researched early government documents, including the "SOM1-01" manual, which he and others concluded was not genuine. His work helps correct errors that crept into UFO history through later retelling.

On the UAP Timeline

Phobto of colonel john b alexander , work of a U.S. Army employee, taken or made as part of that person's official duties. As a work of the U.S… — Phobto of colonel john b alexander , work of a U.S. Army employee, taken or made as part of that person's official duties. As a work of the U.S… Photo: Unknown author · Public domain · via Wikimedia Commons

SOM1-01 Special Operations Manual (1954) — Engineer Bob Wood reportedly suspects the 'SOM1-01' manual was created as Cold War disinformation.

Connected articles

References

Majestic 12 (includes the SOM1-01 manual) — Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org · archived copy
Jan Aldrich's analysis of the SOM1-01 manual (PDF) · ufohastings.com · archived copy
Update on Majestic 12 documents — The Black Vault · theblackvault.com · archived copy
Crash Retrieval Conference 2003 proceedings, incl. 'Authenticating the Special Operations Manual' (PDF) · archive.org · archived copy

Categories: Disinformation | Mj-12 | Person | Robert m wood | Unidentified flying object

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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