Brian O’Brien

Brian O'Brien (January 2, 1898 – July 1, 1992) was an American optical physicist and founder of the Air Force Studies Board, serving as its chairman for 12 years. He chaired an ad hoc committee of the USAF Science Advisory Board (AFSAB) circa 1966 to review Project Blue Book, concluding UFOs posed no national security threat and showed no extraterrestrial technological advances. The panel, including Carl Sagan, recommended intensive academic study, paving the way for the Condon Committee at the University of Colorado, which led to Blue Book's termination in 1969. O'Brien influenced NAS projects and early UFO evaluations amid rising sightings.