James E. McDonald

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James E. McDonald

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
Also known as	James McDonald
On the Timeline	3 events, 1951–1968

James E. McDonald (1920–1971) was an American atmospheric physicist and senior physicist at the University of Arizona's Institute of Atmospheric Physics, respected for research on cloud physics.

UFO research

Illustration of a government hearing — Illustration: a government hearing. An artist's impression drawn for this site, not a photograph of the event.

From the mid-1960s McDonald became one of the most prominent scientists calling for serious UFO research. He personally interviewed hundreds of witnesses, studied radar cases, and argued that the extraterrestrial explanation deserved attention. He sharply criticised Project Blue Book and the Condon Committee, and spoke at a congressional symposium on UFOs in July 1968.

Later life

Illustration of an open book about flying saucers — Illustration: an open book about flying saucers. An artist's impression drawn for this site, not a photograph of the event.

In 1971 McDonald testified to Congress against the supersonic transport, warning about ozone damage, and was mocked for his UFO views. He died that year, an apparent suicide.

On the UAP Timeline

Office of Naval Research (ONR) — Office of Naval Research (ONR) Photo: ajay_suresh · CC BY 2.0 · via Wikimedia Commons

Urner Liddel's Skyhook balloon explanation (27 February 1951) — A Navy physicist publicly says all UAP reports are mirages or balloons.
Lyndon Johnson's informal UFO study (1968) — A study for President Johnson reportedly says UAP are real and under intelligent control.
Condon Report (15 November 1968) — The Air Force-funded Condon Report concludes that UAP study has added nothing to science.

Connected articles

References

James E. McDonald — Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org · archived copy

Categories: Person | Unidentified anomalous phenomena | Unidentified flying object | Urner liddel | Us navy

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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