Organisations

University of Colorado

An American university contracted by the United States Air Force from 1966 to conduct a scientific investigation into UFOs, whose findings were published as the Condon Report.

The University of Colorado’s involvement in UFO research grew out of a November 1965 meeting of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Air Force, which eventually led to what became known as the Condon investigation.¹ Several universities approached by the United States Department of Defense (DoD) turned down the assignment² before the University of Colorado accepted it. The resulting undertaking - known as the Condon Committee and also referred to as the 1966-1969 Condon Report study - was undertaken at the university from 1966, producing the Scientific Study of Unidentified Flying Objects, commonly known as the Condon Report.³

Physicist Edward U. Condon, a former Director of the National Bureau of Standards, served as scientific director of an 18-month study funded under a 325,000 US dollar United States Air Force (USAF) contract.⁴ Robert Low was the university’s business administrator at the project’s inception.⁵ From 1968, Raymond E. Fowler served the Condon Committee as its early warning coordinator.⁶ Robert Low wrote to his superiors that the study would be conducted almost exclusively by non-believers who could add an impressive body of evidence that there is no reality to the observations, while being described publicly as a totally objective study.⁷

At the outset of the project, Condon told a public meeting that his inclination was to recommend the government get out of the UFO business, that his attitude was there was nothing to it, but that he was not supposed to reach a conclusion for another year.⁸ Many of the scientists who participated in the study disagreed with Condon, especially after seeing the data, and some resigned in protest.⁹ According to The Invisible College, the committee’s eight-hundred-page report concluded that the study of UFOs could not be justified in the expectation that science would be advanced thereby.¹⁰ According to Imminent: Inside the Pentagon’s Hunt for UFOs, the Condon Committee inquiry - an Air Force-funded UAP study at the university chaired by Condon - declared the UAP topic devoid of scientific merit.¹¹

The study cost nearly half a million dollars.¹² Jacques Vallée said that the history of the Condon investigation convinced many scientists interested in UFOs that it was best to continue their investigations privately.¹³ Vallée also said that the committee’s files were locked up by the university after the report was completed, later transferred to a private home, and burned shortly afterwards.¹⁴

References (14)

A November 1965 meeting of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Air Force eventually led to the Condon investigation
“It eventually led to the Condon investigation.”
THE INVISIBLE COLLEGE: What a Group of Scientists Has Discovered About UFO Influences on the Human Race ch10:5562-5594
Several universities turned down the UFO study before the University of Colorado accepted
“Several universities were contacted by the Department of Defense but they turned down the assignment.”
THE INVISIBLE COLLEGE: What a Group of Scientists Has Discovered About UFO Influences on the Human Race ch10:16481-16571
In 1966 the Scientific Study of Unidentified Flying Objects, known as the Condon Report, was undertaken at the University of Colorado
“In 1966 a "Scientific Study of Unidentified Flying Objects" (the Condon Report) was undertaken at the University of Colorado.”
Communion ch14:21757-21873
Condon, a former Director of the National Bureau of Standards, directed the 18-month, $325,000 USAF-funded study
“Dr. Edward U. Condon, a physicist and former Director of the National Bureau of Standards, was the scientific director of an 18-month study on "flying saucers" funded under a $325,000 USAF contract to the University of Colorado.”
Report on the Historical Record of U.S. Government Involvement with Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP), Volume I char:48748-48967 View the source record →
Robert Low was the university's business administrator at the project's inception
“Robert Low, the business administrator of the University of Colorado at the time”
Communion ch14:22590-22666
In 1968, Raymond Fowler served the Condon Committee as early warning coordinator
“In 1968, they contracted the University of Colorado to perform a supplementary investigation of UFOs, and I served that particular project as early warning coordinator.”
Raymond Fowler on UFOs, Government Cover-Ups & the Andreasson Affair (Full Interview, 1987) 00:10:39.5-00:10:49.0
Low's memo describing the study as staffed by non-believers while presented publicly as objective
“Our study would be conducted almost exclusively by non-believers who, although they couldn't possibly prove a negative result, could and probably would add an impressive body of evidence that there is no reality to the observations. The trick would be, I think, to describe the project so that, to the public, it would appear a totally-objective study, but to the scientific community, would present a group of non-believers trying their best to be objective but having an almost zero expectation of finding a saucer.”
Communion ch14:22715-23225
Condon's public remark that his inclination was to recommend the government get out of the UFO business
“It is my inclination right now to recommend that the government get out of this business. My attitude right now is that there is nothing to it. But I'm not supposed to reach a conclusion for another year.”
Communion ch14:23295-23494
Scientists on the study disagreed with Condon and some resigned in protest
“Many of the scientists who participated in the study disagreed with London, especially after they saw the data. Some resigned in protest.”
Communion ch14:23630-23759
The eight-hundred-page report concluded UFO study could not be justified in the expectation science would be advanced
“the eight-hundred-page post-mortem had clearly stated that the study of UFOs "cannot be justified in the expectation that science will be advanced thereby."”
THE INVISIBLE COLLEGE: What a Group of Scientists Has Discovered About UFO Influences on the Human Race ch9:1454-1601
The Condon Committee inquiry declared the UAP topic devoid of scientific merit
“A subsequent Air Force–funded UAP study at the University of Colorado went further, declaring the topic devoid of scientific merit. Chaired by physicist Edward Condon...”
Imminent: Inside the Pentagon's Hunt for UFOs ch6:3383-3543 View the source record →
The study cost nearly half a million dollars
“The burial had been performed by the University of Colorado at the cost of nearly half a million dollars”
THE INVISIBLE COLLEGE: What a Group of Scientists Has Discovered About UFO Influences on the Human Race ch9:1344-1441
Vallée said the Condon investigation convinced scientists to pursue UFO research privately
“The history of the Condon investigation at the University of Colorado convinced many of us of this fact.”
THE INVISIBLE COLLEGE: What a Group of Scientists Has Discovered About UFO Influences on the Human Race ch10:15419-15518
Vallée said the committee's files were locked up, later moved to a private home, and burned
“When the project wrote its report the files were locked up by the university. I am told that they were later transferred to a private home, and were burned shortly thereafter.”
THE INVISIBLE COLLEGE: What a Group of Scientists Has Discovered About UFO Influences on the Human Race ch10:22615-22779

University of Colorado

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