PROJECT BLUE BOOK

COL TACKER INTERVIEW December 1960
K243,6012-33
20 Dec 1960 7-3745 - 373
X 1003858
RETURN TO
USAF Historical Archives ASI(ASHAF-A)
Maxwell AFB, Ala 36112
(

people and - that we
happen to be in.
Baucer
that they've talked to people on LEC leotures saying
these ople? Are I you
going to use the term "erackpot" to desoribe them?
COLONEL TACKER: Oh, I t think there are oraokpots involved, Sid, as
interesting faot
about these groups. about these gro They're strongly They're strongly y divided between the so-called "contactees", between the sOmcalled ntactees",
the people that actually rush off and visit Venus and Mars at the drop of a
hat, and the so-called "euphologists", the people who say that they've had no -
contact to date but they're sure that there are space shipa from other plansts
looking us over. These groupa even fight amongst
euphology group, the groups that investigate flying call the
contactees crackpots. It's real interesting.
CORRICK: Colonel Taoker, just exaotly what is the objeotive of these
groups,
COLONEL TACKER: Well, that's hard to say. They say that there's
been a great deal of seorecy Govermment; they absolutely overlook the need
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Government is doing everything it ean and as an instance let me oite the vast
scientific
industrial laboratories. instantaneous comunioations world-wide; anywhere
trast, really. A And the Goverment does go out and investigate these thinge in
believes in space ships and we We do want t to
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take The air
10
the Air Defense Cormand and the Aero Space Technioal Intelligence Center,
where it will be run dowm eventually by their investigators.
that
COLONEL individual sight-
it.
like that dowm? A
matter of minutes - hours, daye? Weeks?
COLONFL TACKER: Well, I' the initial preliminary investigation
a matter of minutes. H
sibly some our training mission and could be
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diverted very quickly to the areag we could probably pin this down in a mat-
ter of minutes.
CORRICK: Is there any particular time of year, Colonel Tacker,
when these sightings are more frequent?
COLONEL TACKER: Well, yes, Ann; in the gold spring and surmertime
when people are outside and are looking up. re-
days because most
people have been inside next to their fires.
CORRICK: Is there any the country that you get
greater numbers of reports...?
COLONEL TACKER COLONEL TACKER: No, it seems to be rather evenly spread throughout
the country.
Cleveland, Ohio; and it ems ring
saucers in Cleveland. saucers Cleveland.
COL.ONEL TACKER: I don't think Cleveland is more guilty than any of COLONEL
the other eities.
there which are probably stressing again and again, and again, tho fact that -
But I don't think we could
- ported
more UFO's than anybody else.
the moon? Does that have any effeot on
reports of UFO's?
COLONEL TACKER: Not notioeably, Sid. This has been looked into
DAVIS: Is that right?
COLONEL T TACKER: Yes, Sir.
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•
DAVIS: You've examined the effect of --
COLONEL TACKER: Yes Sir. When I say the Aero Space Teohnical
intelligence and technical
services across the board. And this
a thing like this.
CORRICK: Colonel Tacker, you're checked out as a pilot; you're
checked out in jets;
COLONLL TACKER: I'm a master navigator.
CORRICK: Are you...
COLONH.L TACKER: Yes, MA'ame
COLONEL TACKER: I'm
engine jets, yes ma'an.
CORRICK: Well do you honestly believe that we ever will put a man
on the moon, a man into space?
COLONLL TACKER: I'm Sure of it, Amm. I'm sure we'll put a man
COIONEL TACkER: I believe there's a strong possibility that there's
think
CORRICK: How did you get interested in this project of UFo's?
COLONEL TACKER: Well, it waSn't a ma interested in it,
Am; when I was that was given to
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DAVIS: the air-
lines pilots do a lot of flying. and competent people;
COLONEL TACKER: Absolutely!
g that might
a refraction of any a refraction of any balloon. on Now how Now how ansver
these questions?
COLONEL TACKER: Well I'm convinced that they saw something, Sidy
Some fatigue, vertigo -- that type of thingo
a moment later they were identified as a light on the ground.
upo Thank you for providing a Washington viewpoint about flying g sausers.
Our guest on Washington Viewpoint tonight has been Colonel Lawrence J. Tacker,
Chief of the Magazine and Book Branch of the United States Air Force Office of
Information. Taoker's office in
the Pentagon. This is Aan Corrick with Sid Davis.
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FOR RELEASE: 9 PM. EST. Tuesday, December 20, 1960 neme
SMC
Dizector
" WASHINGTON VIEWPOINT 78 Maxwell AFB, Alabama ATTN: Archives Branch Aerospace Studies Inst RETUR
PRODUCED EY
The Washington News Bureau
of
adcasting Coes Ino.
GUEST: GUEST: Lt. Col. Lt. Col. Lewrenos J. Taoker Lewrenos J. Tacker
Chief of the Magazine & Bock Branch of Book Branch of the
Air Force Office of Information. Air Force Office of Information.
INTERVIEWED BY: Ann Corrick BY: Ann Corrick
Assistant Assistant Chief, Washington News Bureau
Sid Davie
Washington dent
Tueaday, Dece 196o, over radio staticn WWDC
1626 K Street, N. W.
Room #206
Washington 6, D. C.
STerling 3-0907
1003858

Tacker eurrently is Chief of the Magazine and Book Franch of the Air Force
office of information.
or unidentified flying objecta as they're called, led him to publish a book
cers. 1
whether they are real or imagined.
visit from outer apace could happen. What we say is that to date it has not
happened. o
people claim that they actual seen what must be a spaoe ship from some
other planeto 2

for a time. I In most instances when they reported these sightings to the Air
Force we have been able to identify the object or
viewed and in most instances are led with our
interpretation.
CORRICK: Sid Davis.
DAVIS: Colonel, in your book you say are just not any manned
space ships yet." How are you so sure?
COLONEL TACKER: B COLKNIL IACRER! Because Debause to dace, Sid, Chere Is no evidence Co aun date, Sid, there is no evidence to sub-
stantiate such a fantastic claim. such a fantastie claim.
this is the way you list this is the way you list them them book. What about unexplained blained ones, ones,
the unknown ones?
COLONEL TACKER: -
been gathered initially at the soene sigh these could have
been explained.
However, we can't go along with the theory of the UFO groups and many
with a definite answer in the
existence of space ships.
CORRICK: Well Colonel Tacker, what do most of these sightings S turn
out to be?
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who are mystified by what they see initially and they make their reports to
vated, as I said, patriotically -- try to help us. You must remember that
the UFO Program, or th e Flying Saucer Progre - m, as some people prefer to call
By law the U.S.
Air Force is defense ted when we get
then that look as though they are sotual objeots in the sky; we might seramble
an aircraft. P -
that's on fighter alert and it goes up to investigate.
In all instances they oome back either with a known identification
they found nothing.
with an answer for what oaused the sighting: either the observer on the
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the reports from our cwn Aero-Space Technical Intelligence Center, I would
lia, New Zealand, England and the South American or Span ing coumntries.
DAVIS: What about Russia?
question. We have received on
occasion through our own sourees over there, people stationed within Russia
at UFO's or flying saucers
have been seen there, but naturally receive no direet result from Russian
authorities on this subject.
investigations of these things? Do they anything about
Russia that you know of?
COLONEL TACKER: N Not that I know of, Sid; no.
these sightings have these increased decreased?
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tremendous rash Sputnik I was
launched.
CORRICK; I see. Well, how many have you had, say this year, as
compared to last year?
COLONEL TACKER: Well --
CORRICK: A great decrease, a great inerease?
COLONLL TACKER: I'd acrease. believe to date we've
had under two hundred reports for
CORRICK: E Earlier you the unexplained sightings ranged
in the two per cent area...
five years. claim, re
groups in claiming that the Air For information on this subjeot.
They say that we giv E
been very careful to stress that that is in the last five years. Initially
E
in the 1940's.
real good example: the National Space Surveillance Center at Bedford, Massa-
chusetts which can tell you on the first orbit if Russia or the United States
has put something gup And certainly this unit at Bedford would be able to
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space ship that is pos ossible of coming to planet earth and of zooming around
here and then going baok? Isn't this in the realm of possibility?
COLONEL TACKER: It is absolutely possible, Sid, that life exists
on other planets; it's also possible that it could be of a higher order of
our atmosphere and zooming around and looking us over, I'd say again it's
- And let me
reiterate that t T
until have no
say we have been visited from other planets. planets.
established of people who really and honestly believe that there are these
space ships gooming around, as Sid says.
of them. Who are these people, who are the believera?
COLONEL TACKER: Well, Dr. Allen Heinick, c M cur civilian consultant
on this subject, and he happens to be the head of astrophysios at Northwestern
y there, he calls them "cosmic
I think it's a fasceinating sub-
ject myself; and as Dr.
and be able to annoumce it. And there again feel that if this did happen
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public domain almost immediately 4f event of this significance did take
place.
Lep I
was talking to Willy Lay, er, the day before yester-
up there whirling around. T They're not all satellites; some of them are
second-stage, third-atage pieces of rockets, but they're up there. And I
think the publie itself is his type of thing. That's
why I prophesized he book that flying sauger ern itself is coming to
an endo an endo
CORRICK: How do you mean that?
is similar to the great accent on spiritualism which took place at the turn of
to beoome imbued in and go on to it, rather than flying We're be-
reel soon and I this will really signify the and so-called saucer
era.
DAVIs: Can we get back to the flying saucer olubs, et cetera?
, S The people
mote the who constantly wri B letters?
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