Edward J. Ruppelt

Edward J. Ruppelt (1923-1960), a decorated World War II Air Force bombardier, led pivotal U.S. investigations into unidentified flying objects. In 1951, he revitalized Project Grudge, renaming it Project Blue Book in 1952, serving as director until 1953. Credited with coining "UFO" to replace sensational terms like "flying saucer," Ruppelt oversaw rigorous probes of sightings, including reinvestigating the 1948 Mantell incident—initially blamed on Venus but concluded to involve a secret Skyhook balloon. His era marked Blue Book's "golden age," with open-minded analysis of radar tracks, pilot encounters, and atomic-site reports, avoiding forced explanations. Post-retirement, his 1956 book The Report on Unidentified Flying Objects detailed cases like Project Sign's suppressed extraterrestrial hypothesis, earning praise from astronomer J. Allen Hynek. A 1960 edition grew skeptical, deeming UFOs a "space age myth." Ruppelt's work shaped UFO disclosure history.