The CIA collects foreign intelligence through clandestine operations and open-source research. Its archives contain reports on sightings and research into unexplained aerial events.12345
Founding and Legal Authority
President Harry S. Truman signed the National Security Act on 26 July 1947, creating the CIA under the National Security Council to coordinate intelligence collection, analysis, and covert activity.6
Early Leadership and Key Figures
Rear Adm. Roscoe H. Hillenkoetter served as the first Director of Central Intelligence (DCI). He was followed by Gen. Walter Bedell Smith and Allen W. Dulles, who expanded clandestine capabilities worldwide. Subsequent DCIs Richard Helms, William Colby, and George Tenet guided the Agency through Vietnam, post-Watergate reforms, and the post-9/11 reorganization, respectively.7
Cold War Operations and Technical Programs
Cold War projects combined human sources with advanced technology. Highlights include Operation PBSUCCESS in Guatemala (1954), the Berlin Tunnel signals-collection project (1955-56), and the U-2 reconnaissance program that photographed Soviet strategic sites.89 These efforts shaped United States policy during the tense early decades of East-West rivalry.
Research into Unidentified Aerial Phenomena
In the summer of 1952, the Office of Scientific Intelligence assembled a study group on reports of unidentified flying objects. Rising incident counts prompted Assistant Director H. Marshall Chadwell to seek outside review. The Robertson Panel, convened 14–18 January 1953 under physicist Howard P. Robertson, judged that sightings posed no direct threat but urged improved training for radar and air-defence personnel and public education to avoid channel congestion during crises.10 The Agency continued periodic analysis, releasing nearly 2,800 pages of UAP material through the CREST database and subsequent 2022 digital uploads.11
Archival Transparency and Public Access
Declassified holdings in the CIA Freedom of Information Act Electronic Reading Room include Cold War histories, directorate studies, and the full UFO collection, allowing scholars to verify Agency assessments.24