Another guy worth looking into is Wilbert Smith, who directed the early efforts of the Canadian government to look into this subject under the designation 'Project Magnet'(which I believe later continued under a deeper layer of classification). Smith's personal and related government documents are some of the most telling in existence, in one report back to the Canadian government he wrote that while in Washington, DC, he made inquiries through the Canadian Embassy staff who were able to inform him that:
"the matter of UFOs was the most highly classified subject in the US, rating higher than the H-bomb. UFOs exist, their modus operandi is unknown, but concentrated effort to study it is being made by a small group headed by Dr. Vannevar Bush."
Those were the early years. There are trails of professionals and military personnel/dignitaries/scientists talking about this stuff all the way back to the 1930s. Another one comes from the daughter or Congressman Hull, whose brother was Secretary of State Hull, who wrote a public statement and gave it to MUFON("mutual UFO network", a big US based UFO research and release group).
here it is:
I want to share some knowledge that has been, by request, kept secret in our family since sometime in World War II. This concerns something my father was shown by Cordell Hull, who was Secretary of State under Franklin Roosevelt. Sumner Wells was his Under-Secretary of State. Hull was a cousin to my father. My father was on some kind of advising committee, and made several trips to Washington, D.C. in that capacity.
"My father, who was young, brilliant, and sound of mind, tells [sic] this story to us because he didn't want the information to be lost. One day when my father was in D.C. with Cordell, Cordell swore him to secrecy and took him to a sub-basement in the U.S. Capitol building, and showed him an amazing sight: (1) Four large glass jars holding 4 creatures unknown to my father or Cordell [and], (2) A wrecked round craft of some kind nearby."
"My father wanted my sister and I to make this information known long after he and Cordell were dead, because he felt it was a very important bit of information. We have researched your group and feel it is the most reliable group in the country. We hope that you will research and search this information."
"What I have written is true. The jars with creatures in formaldehyde and the wrecked craft are somewhere."
"Cordell said they were afraid they would start a panic if the public found out about it."
Another example is called The Twining Memo - an exchange between General Nathan Twining and Gen. George Schulgen:
SUBJECT: AMC Opinion Concerning "Flying Discs"
TO: Commanding General
This letter was sent out from Air Material Commands (AMC) in response to a request from Brig General Schulgen. As a result of the opinions expressed by Twining, Gen Schulgen issued his now famous Collection Memorandum.
Gen. Twining requested that investigations be conducted that might shed some light on the recent rash of Flying Saucer sightings. In response to the Schugen Collection Memorandum, The Walker Memo was sent to see what field offices could find.
Some proponents view this letter as proof that the Air Force knows that extraterrestrial UFOs exist. The closest the the letter comes to considering alien origin is the opinion that [there is] "The possibility that some foreign nation has a form of propulsion possibly nuclear, which is outside of our domestic knowledge." However, the proponents tend to ignore, or dismiss as an "obvious lie" dictated by the Super Secret Roswell Conspiracy, the instruction that his commanders should consider: "The lack of physical evidence in the shape of crash recovered exhibits which would undeniably prove the existence of these subjects." Army Air Force
Washington 25, D.C.
ATTENTION: Brig. General George Schulgen
AC/AS-2
As requested by AC/AS-2 there is presented below the considered opinion of this command concerning the so-called "Flying Discs." This opinion is based on interrogation report data furnished by AC/AS-2 and preliminary studies by personnel of T-2 and Aircraft Laboratory, Engineering Division T-3. This opinion was arrived at in a conference between personnel from the Air Institute of Technology, Intelligence T-2, Office, Chief of Engineering Division, and the Aircraft, Power Plant and Propeller Laboratories of Engineering Division T-3.
It is the opinion that:
a. The phenomenon is something real and not visionary or fictitious. b. There are objects probably approximating the shape of a disc, of such appreciable size as to appear to be as large as man-made aircraft. c. There is a possibility that some of the incidents may be caused by natural phenomena, such as meteors. d. The reported operating characteristics such as extreme rates of climb, maneuverability (particularly in roll), and motion which must be considered evasive when sighted or contacted by friendly aircraft and radar, lend belief to the possibility that some of the objects are controlled either manually, automatically or remotely. e. The apparent common description is as follows:-
(1) Metallic or light reflecting surface. (2) Absence of trail, except in a few instances where the object apparently was operating under high performance conditions. (3) Circular or elliptical in shape, flat on bottom and domed on top. (4) Several reports of well kept formation flights varying from three to nine objects. (5) Normally no associated sound, except in three instances a substantial rumbling roar was noted. (6) Level flight speeds normally above 300 knots are estimated.
f. It is possible within the present U.S. knowledge -- provided extensive detailed development is undertaken -- to construct a piloted aircraft which has the general description of the object in sub- paragraph (e) above which would be capable of an approximate range of 7000 miles at subsonic speeds.
g. Any development in this country along the lines indicated would be extremely expensive, time consuming and at the considerable expense of current projects and therefore, if directed, should be set up independently of existing projects.
h. Due consideration must be given the following:-
(1) The possibility that these objects are of domestic origin - the product of some high security project not known to AC/AS-2 or this Command.
(2) The lack of physical evidence in the shape of crash recovered exhibits which would undeniably prove the existence of these subjects.
(3) The possibility that some foreign nation has a form of propulsion possibly nuclear, which is outside of our domestic knowledge.
- It is recommended that:-
a. Headquarters, Army Air Forces issue a directive assigning a priority, security classification and Code name for a detailed study of this matter to include the preparation of complete sets of all available and pertinent data which will then be made available to the Army, Navy, Atomic Energy Commission, JRDB, the Air Force Scientific Advisory Group, NACA, and the RAND and NEPA projects for comments and recommendations, with a preliminary report to be forwarded within 15 days of receipt of the data and a detailed report thereafter every 30 days as the investigation develops. A complete interchange of data should be affected.
- Awaiting a specific directive AMC will continue the investigation within its current resources in order to more closely define the nature of the phenomenon. Detailed Essential Elements of Information will be formulated immediately for transmittal thru channels.