What is Project BLUE BOOK?

In the new discovery+ series, UFO Witness, paranormal investigator Ben Hansen reopens case files of some of the most astounding UFO encounters in history in cooperation with former federal agent and Project BLUE BOOK investigator Jennie Zeidman.

But what is Project BLUE BOOK? Or, rather, what was it? Besides a historical drama series that was on History. (Which is sadly not among the shows on discovery+.)

Was it a real thing or is it a conspiracy theory? And what does it have to do with the Roswell Incident? Here’s a quick look at it in a nutshell.

Project BLUE BOOK History

Project BLUE BOOK was an actual United States Air Force program that operated from 1947 until 1970. It was headquartered at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, and its objective was twofold:

1. To determine if unidentified flying objects (UFOs) were a threat to national security, and
2. To scientifically analyze UFO-related data.

Although the dates of its lifespan are a little misleading since they include that of its predecessors, Projects SIGN (1947) and GRUDGE (1949). However, Project BLUE BOOK spent considerably more time investigating UFO sightings so it’s all lumped into that.

The Investigation’s Sightings and Stats

How many reports of sightings did they get from 1947 to 1969? An astounding 12,618!

Well, that might sound low to some people, but it sounded high to me.

Even more interesting, however, is that of those 12,000+ sightings, 701 were never figured out and remain “Unidentified.”

What did the two projects before it do?

Project SIGN was started in response to the multitude of UFO sightings in the summer of 1947 after the alleged crash of a UFO in Roswell, New Mexico.

Projected GRUDGE seemingly debunked all UFO sightings, determining they were either misinterpretations or naturally occurring phenomena.

Why was Project BLUE BOOK terminated?

After evaluating “Scientific Study of Unidentified Flying Objects,” a report prepared by the University of Colorado, three things were determined:

1. No UFO that was ever reported to, or investigated and evaluated by, the Air Force ever indicated a threat to the nation’s security.
2. None of the evidence ever examined by the Air Force showed “technological developments or principles” beyond existing scientific knowledge.
3. No evidence indicated that sightings categorized as “unidentified” involved extraterrestrial vehicles.

Because the project was costly to maintain and costs needed to be cut, and with this report’s determinations as sufficient justification, the Secretary of the Air Force terminated the project on December 17, 1969. All activity officially related to it ended on January 19, 1970.

For More Info

You can read more about Project BLUE BOOK in the Military Records on the National Archive. Visit https://www.archives.gov/research/military/air-force/ufos.

Check-In

Did you think the number of UFO sightings the Air Force investigated from 1947-1969 was a lot or not as high as you’d think?