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NICAP

Ufology

Civilian UFO research group 1956–1980 that investigated sightings, published data, and pressured Congress for disclosure

The National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena began life in October 1956 when Navy engineer Thomas Townsend Brown incorporated a nonprofit fact-finding body in the District of Columbia.

Within months retired Marine aviator Major Donald E. Keyhoe — already noted for his best-selling writings on UFOs—assumed the directorship. Keyhoe recruited eminent supporters including Rear Admiral Delmer S. Fahrney, USA guided-missile pioneer, and former CIA Director Vice Admiral Roscoe H. Hillenkoetter.

Their stature lent immediate credibility and national press coverage to the fledgling committee, whose stated mission was rigorous civilian investigation of "unidentified flying objects" and advocacy for open Congressional hearings.1

  Structure and Membership

By mid-1957 NICAP operated from offices on Connecticut Avenue with a small paid staff headed by Keyhoe and secretary-researcher Richard H. Hall.

The backbone, however, was a nationwide network.

Structure ElementDescription
Regional SubcommitteesStaffed by engineers, pilots, physicians, teachers, and police officers trained to carry out field investigations.
Panel of Special AdvisersOffered expertise in astronomy, physics, radar, photography, and aeronautics.

At its mid-1960s peak, the organization claimed about fourteen thousand dues-paying members and more than twenty active Subcommittees.

  Major Projects

Project/InitiativeDescription
The UFO InvestigatorBi-monthly bulletin mailed to members from 1957 onward, reporting new cases, providing investigative guidelines, and publicizing legislative initiatives. Journalists used the bulletin for leads; Air Force Project Blue Book files contain clippings sourced directly to NICAP.2
The UFO Evidence200-page dossier compiled mainly by Richard H. Hall and published in July 1964, analyzing 746 unexplained incidents from 1945–1963. Copies were hand-delivered to every member of Congress and major newsrooms, prompting front-page stories and editorials that questioned Air Force secrecy.3
Congressional OutreachNICAP briefings persuaded House Minority Leader Gerald R. Ford to call for public hearings after the 1966 Michigan sighting wave. Science and Astronautics Committee hearings in July 1968 featured testimony from scientists James E. McDonald, J. Allen Hynek, and others, with statements drawing heavily on NICAP files.4
Scientific OversightWhen the Air Force funded the University of Colorado study ("Condon Committee") in 1966, NICAP cooperated by supplying hundreds of case files and establishing an early-warning network for investigators. Relations soured after leaked memoranda revealed a predisposition to debunk; Keyhoe and Hall ultimately denounced the project as methodologically biased.5

  Internal Turbulence and Decline

Persistent financial strain, leadership disputes, and declining public interest after the Condon Report (1969) eroded NICAP's capacity. Keyhoe retired late that year; subsequent presidents John L. Acuff and retired CIA officer Alan N. Hall shifted the focus toward newsletter fundraising while investigative activity atrophied.

In 1980, the Center for UFO Studies (CUFOS) purchased NICAP's unmatched archive — ninety linear feet of case files, correspondence, and clippings—preserving its legacy for scholarship.6

  Historical Significance

Historical ContributionDescription
Disciplined field methodology and standardized report formsNICAP introduced investigative standards and forms later adopted by successor groups.
Comprehensive civilian UFO databaseMaintained the most complete civilian UFO case archive prior to the digital era.
Forced high-level governmental acknowledgment of scientific merit in unexplained casesPressured government to admit that unexplained aerial reports deserved scientific attention and investigation.

NICAP's story illustrates how determined citizens, leveraging professional skills and strategic media engagement, can influence national policy debates even when confronting entrenched secrecy.

  References

  1. Press release, National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena, 3 Nov 1956; Gerald K. Haines, "CIA's Role in the Study of UFOs, 1947–90," Studies in Intelligence 1 (1997). ↩

  2. "Chop Clearance Letters," NICAP file reproduced at NICAP. ↩

  3. Richard H. Hall (ed.), The UFO Evidence (Washington DC: NICAP, 1964). ↩

  4. Symposium on Unidentified Flying Objects, House Committee on Science and Astronautics, 29 Jul 1968. ↩

  5. John Fuller, "Flying Saucer Fiasco," LOOK magazine, 14 May 1968. ↩

  6. Center for UFO Studies, "NICAP Transition to CUFOS, 1980–1982," archival documents at CUFOS. ↩

Published on October 1, 1956

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