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public arena. In 1960, he issued a statement, as reported in the New York Times. "It is time for the truth to be brought out in open Congressional hearings," he said. "Behind the scenes, high-ranking Air Force officers are soberly concerned about the UFOs. But through official secrecy and ridicule, many citizens are led to believe the unknown flying objects are nonsense. To hide the facts, the Air Force has silenced its personnel." The opening of the article, distributed through United Press International, reads as follows: The Air Force has sent its commands a warning to treat sightings of unidentified flying objects as "serious business" directly related to the nation's defense, it was learned today. An Air Force spokesman confirmed issuance of the directive after portions of it were made public by a private "flying saucer" group. The new regulations were issued by the Air Force inspector general Dec. 24. The regulations, revising similar ones issued in the past, outlined procedures and said that "investigations and analysis of UFOs are directly related to the Air Force's responsibility for the defense of the United States." [5] Later that year, Congressman Leonard G. Wolf entered an "urgent warning" from Vice Admiral Hillenkoetter into the Congressional Record, stating that "certain dangers are linked with unidentified flying objects," particularly since UFOs could cause accidental war if mistaken for Soviet weapons. He pointed out that General L. M. Chassin, NATO coordinator of Allied Air Services, warned that a global tragedy might occur. "If we persist in refusing to recognize the existence of the UFOs, we will end up, one fine day, by mistaking them for the guided missiles of an enemy—and the worst will be upon us," he said. Based on a three-year study by the well-known National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena (NICAP) with which Hillenkoetter was associated, Rep. Wolf stated that all defense personnel "should be told that the UFOs are real and should be trained distinguish trained to distinguish them—by their characteristic speeds and maneuvers—from conventional planes and missiles... The American people must be convinced, by documented facts, that the UFOs could not be Soviet machines." [6] their characteristic ic speeds and The American and to Later, a different type of national security concern was registered that didn't involve the Russians, but concerned the safety of our own military bases. Just two years before the Air Force told the public that UFOs were not a national security threat, an event occurred which some former military officers believe dramatically contradicts that conclusion, even though any intent —purposeful or directed action—on the part of the UFO remains impossible to determine. ae + RA AAT oe! mo. re On the morning of March 24,1967, Air Force First Lieutenant Robert Salas, a missile launch officer, received a call from a frightened security guard reporting a glowing red, oval-shaped object hovering directly over the Oscar Flight Launch Control Center at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana. With an "above Top Secret" clearance, Salas was