Pentagon: Tacker publishes anti-UFO book

Event Details On December 5, 1960, Lt. Col. Lawrence J. Tacker, the Pentagon's designated UFO spokesman, published Flying Saucers and the U.S. Air Force through Van Nostrand. The book aggressively defends Project Blue Book, portraying its detractors as opportunistic charlatans, gullible enthusiasts, and self-promoters seeking personal gain.

Key Content and Reception Tacker's work dismisses UFO believers en masse, framing official Air Force investigations as thorough and conclusive. Contemporary sources like an APRO Bulletin editorial (November 1960) highlighted its combative tone. A later UFO Investigator article (October 1961) reported the Air Force explicitly disavowing the book as non-official. References in works by Clark (p. 922) and Powell on Keyhoe (pp. 290, 300) underscore its role in the era's UFO discourse.

Significance This publication exemplifies official military pushback against civilian UFO research amid escalating public interest. Despite its 'anti-UFO' stance, it remains a vital primary source on Air Force perspectives and internal tensions, influencing debates on transparency and skepticism.