The Committee That Closed the Books

Dr. Edward Condon was a distinguished physicist at the University of Colorado who was appointed to lead the Air Force-sponsored scientific study of UFOs from 1966 to 1968. The Condon Committee's final report concluded that "further extensive study of UFOs probably cannot be justified in the expectation that science will be advanced thereby" — a finding that led to the closure of Project Blue Book in 1969.

The report and its conclusions were immediately controversial. Internal documents later released showed that Condon had prejudged the conclusion before the investigation was complete. Twelve scientists signed a critical response in Science magazine arguing the report was scientifically inadequate. Dr. James McDonald in particular dismantled the report's methodology case by case.

The Legacy of Closure

The Condon Report's conclusion effectively ended official U.S. scientific engagement with UAP for nearly fifty years. Whether Condon genuinely believed his own conclusion, or whether the committee's outcome was predetermined by its Air Force funding, remains debated. What is clear is that the report's influence was profound and, many researchers argue, profoundly damaging to genuine scientific inquiry.