UFO History: December 24, 1958 - USAF Regulation AFR-200-2

Having traveled to North Carolina yesterday for Christmas Eve festivities at some relatives house, I was delayed in making my daily trip into UFO History. That’s just a minor setback though. Although, it doesn’t appear I missed much, this date has to be one of the quietest days yet. 

In my search, I did find this interesting document, the official US Air Force regulation from 1958. AFR-200-2 on Intelligence - Unidentified Flying Objects (UFO).

While everyone knows the history of Project Blue Book, the regulation sat outside of that. The regulation points out that the Air Force's concern with these sightings is threefold: First of all, is the object a threat to the defense of the U.S.  Secondly, does it contribute to technical or scientific knowledge? And then there’s the inherent USAF responsibility to explain to the American people through public-information media what is going on in their skies.

 The phenomena or actual objects comprising UFO's will tend to increase, with the public more aware of goings on in space but still inclined to some apprehension. Technical and defense considerations will continue to exist in this era.

This one outlines who the official representative from the Air Force should be and his responsibilities within that role. It is interesting, as the Provost Marshall or Information Officer within the intelligence or operations departments would take control. 

They should also have experience in investigative techniques and (if possible) have a scientific or technical background. He should also be equipped with binoculars, camera, Geiger counter, magnifying glass and have a source of containers in which to store samples.

And as most already know, every UFO sighting will be investigated and reported to the Air Technical Intelligence Center at Wright-Patterson AFB and that explanation to the public be realistic and knowledgeable. Normally that explanation will be made only by the OSAF Information Office. 

All in all, this regulation is interesting and one that provides some insight into what was being done decades ago. If interested, I provided the link to the USAF Archives to read the entire document.