Washington D.C.: UFO Symposium Hearings

Event Overview On July 29, 1968, the U.S. House Committee on Science and Astronautics conducted a Symposium on Unidentified Flying Objects. Rep. J. Edward Roush (D-Ind.) led most proceedings, with Rep. George P. Miller (D-Calif.) as committee chair. Rep. Donald Rumsfeld (R-Ill.) introduced J. Allen Hynek.

Key Testimonies Experts including Hynek, James E. McDonald, Carl Sagan, Robert L. Hall (University of Illinois at Chicago), James A. Harder (UC-Berkeley), and Robert M. L. Baker Jr. (UCLA) provided oral statements. McDonald submitted 30 pages of UFO cases, concluding they likely represent extraterrestrial surveillance after two years of study. Harder argued UFO reality proven by evidentiary standards used in courts. Prepared papers came from Donald Menzel, R. Leo Sprinkle, Garry C. Henderson, Stanton T. Friedman, Roger N. Shepard, and Frank B. Salisbury. NICAP members were excluded from testifying.

Notable Claims and Responses Some witnesses repeated NORAD claims about limited radar coverage, despite broader capabilities. Menzel dismissed UFOs as unworthy of study, likening them to folklore. The event yielded no legislative outcomes.