J. Allen Hynek
From the UAP Encyclopedia, the open encyclopedia of UFO and UAP history · 👤 Person
Contents 7
| Type | Person |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Hynek, Allen Hynek |
| On the Timeline | 20 events, 1950–1994 |
Josef Allen Hynek (1 May 1910 – 27 April 1986) was an American astronomer who served for more than two decades as the U.S. Air Force's scientific consultant on UFOs, and later became the most prominent scientist to argue that the subject deserved serious study. He created the "close encounter" classification and founded the Center for UFO Studies.[1]
Early life and astronomy career
Hynek was born in Chicago to Czech parents. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Chicago in 1931 and a PhD in astrophysics from the university's Yerkes Observatory in 1935, and joined the physics and astronomy department of Ohio State University in 1936. During World War II he worked at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory on the Navy's radio proximity fuze.[1] In 1956 he joined the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory to direct the tracking of artificial satellites for the International Geophysical Year, including the volunteer Operation Moonwatch. From 1960 until 1978 he chaired the astronomy department at Northwestern University.[1]
Air Force consultant
Hynek was hired as a consultant to Project Sign in 1948 and stayed on through Project Grudge and Project Blue Book until 1969. He began as a skeptic, reportedly describing the subject as "utterly ridiculous", and explained many reports as astronomical objects. In 1953 he was an associate member of the CIA's Robertson Panel, whose debunking recommendations he later said had damaged the field.[1]
Over time the quality of some witnesses, including military pilots, and the Air Force's rigid attitude changed his mind. In March 1966 he suggested that some sightings in Michigan might be explained by "swamp gas", a remark that was widely ridiculed and drew national attention; he said it was meant to apply to only some of the reports.[1][2] In 1968 he told a congressional symposium that the Air Force's efforts were "totally inadequate".[1][3]
The UFO Experience and close encounters
In The UFO Experience: A Scientific Inquiry (1972), Hynek set out a classification of sightings. Distant reports were divided into nocturnal lights, daylight discs and radar-visual cases; close-range reports became "close encounters" of the first kind (a close sighting), second kind (physical effects) and third kind (sightings of beings).[1] The scheme became widely known through Steven Spielberg's 1977 film Close Encounters of the Third Kind, on which Hynek was a consultant and in which he made a brief appearance.[1]
Center for UFO Studies
In 1973 Hynek founded the Center for UFO Studies (CUFOS) to encourage scientific research. He became increasingly doubtful of the extraterrestrial explanation and, at a 1973 MUFON symposium and later, discussed alternatives, including the idea that UFOs might be extradimensional. In 1978 he, Jacques Vallée and French engineer Claude Poher addressed a United Nations committee, calling for an international body to study UFOs.[1] His books included The Edge of Reality (1975, with Vallée), The Hynek UFO Report (1977) and Night Siege (1987, with Philip Imbrogno and Bob Pratt), about the Hudson Valley sightings.[1]
Controversy and legacy
Skeptics such as Philip Klass and Robert Sheaffer criticised his judgement, and he initially endorsed photographs from a 1967 case that later proved to be a hoax. Historian John Franch has argued that Hynek's early skepticism was partly a public stance and that he had long been interested in unconventional ideas.[1][4] Hynek died of a brain tumour in Scottsdale, Arizona, on 27 April 1986. His papers are held at Northwestern University, and the History Channel drama Project Blue Book (2019–2020) was loosely based on his work. His son Joel Hynek became an Academy Award-winning visual effects supervisor.[1][5]
On the UAP Timeline
- Proposal to collect UFO home movies (1950) (6 July 1950) — An Air Force officer wants to quietly collect UAP home movies from the public with FBI help.
- Blue Book Special Report No. 14 (5 May 1955) — Blue Book Special Report No. 14 analyzes 3,200 sightings and finds no proof of advanced craft.
- French scientist Mr. L at Wright-Patterson (1959) — A French scientist claims he was asked to work at Wright-Patterson on recovered material.
- Ekuk, Alaska sighting (1960) (19 May 1960) — Alaska residents report a silver object hovering and dragging trash cans; the Air Force investigates.
- Air Force proposals to improve UFO work (1961) (17 March 1961) — Asked how to improve UAP work, the Air Force suggests a raise for adviser J. Allen Hynek and a new camera.
- Martin Marietta engineer's papers (1965) (17 May 1965) — Jacques Vallée says a Martin Marietta engineer was upset when his papers were seen.
- China Lake surveyors' sighting (1966) (18 January 1966) — Two surveyors at China Lake see a UAP pass low overhead and maneuver.
- Gerald Ford's call for UFO hearings (3 April 1966) — Rep. Gerald Ford is told an upcoming UAP study won't be tied to the Air Force.
- House Armed Services Committee UFO hearing (1966) (5 April 1966) — The Blue Book chief tells Congress there are no unexplained radar cases, contradicted by records.
- Request for Vallée's best cases (1966) (23 July 1966) — Vallée receives a request from engineers to send their best cases to unnamed Wright Field scientists.
- Condon Report (15 November 1968) — The Air Force-funded Condon Report concludes that UAP study has added nothing to science.
- Hynek's The UFO Experience (May 1972) — Blue Book adviser J. Allen Hynek writes that Blue Book was a cover-up and the problem was glossed over.
- Pascagoula abduction (11 October 1973) — Charles Hickson and Calvin Parker say they were taken aboard a craft near Pascagoula, Mississippi.
- Transfer of the Blue Book files (1975) (April 1975) — Blue Book files are withdrawn from public access; some papers are allegedly destroyed or redacted.
- 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.
- United Nations decision 33/426 (8 December 1978) — A UN draft resolution to create a UAP study body fails; Hynek and Vallée speak at the UN.
- Hynek on the Robertson Panel's legacy (1979) — Hynek says the Robertson Panel set an unwritten Air Force rule to play UAP down.
- Hudson Valley sightings (28 June 1984) — Hudson Valley residents report a boomerang-shaped craft flying at treetop level.
- Osedacz thesis on fastwalkers (1989) (June 1989) — An Air Force captain writes that a database of UAP in near-Earth orbit has long existed.
- Hynek autopsy rumor (1994) (26 February 1994) — Vallée and a filmmaker discuss a rumor about Hynek and autopsies, calling it disinformation.
References
- J. Allen Hynek — Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org · archived copy
- Greg Daugherty, "J. Allen Hynek and Project Blue Book", History.com (2018) · history.com · archived copy
- Statement of J. Allen Hynek, House Committee on Science and Astronautics, Symposium on UFOs (1968) · files.ncas.org · archived copy
- John Franch, "The Secret Life of J. Allen Hynek", Skeptical Inquirer (2013) · skepticalinquirer.org · archived copy
- J. Allen Hynek Papers, Northwestern University Library · findingaids.library.northwestern.edu · 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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