A new exhibit at the National Archives building is likely to attract UFO enthusiasts based in Washington, D.C. with a collection comprising some of Project Blue Book’s documents dating back to 50 years ago.
The Project Blue Book was a systematic research of UFOs carried out by the United States Air Force, starting from 1952.
The study ended in December 1969 after almost two decades and thousands of UFO reports and analyses led the researchers to conclude that there was no indication of a threat to the country’s national security. This week marks the 50th anniversary of the termination of Project Blue Book.
“The National Archives has received numerous inquiries concerning documents identified as ‘MJ12’ and ‘Briefing Document: Operation Majestic 12.’ We have made extensive searches among the records in our custody of the U.S. Air Force and the Joint Chiefs of Staff to identify these documents,” the National Archives said on its website.
The items will be displayed in the East Rotunda Gallery of the National Archives. Among the displayed pieces are photographs of UFO sightings, charts showing media coverage of the sightings and various other documents.
History Channel produced a series that came out in January 2019 focusing on the story of the project under the same name.
The project collected more than 12,000 reports on UFO sightings. Most of them were determined to have explanations such as misidentifications of natural occurings or aircraft. However, a small percentage of UFO reports were classified as unexplained despite thorough analysis.
The UFO reports can be accessed via the Freedom of Information Act, with redaction of witness information.