Harold E. Watson

Major General Harold E. Watson (d. 1982) was an American Air Force officer who served as the first commander of the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base from 1949 to 1951. In this role, ATIC analyzed UFO reports received by the military during the early Cold War era. Watson shaped ATIC's transition to an independent intelligence unit and championed Air Force intelligence integration. In late 1950, as Director of Intelligence at Wright Field, he granted an exclusive interview to columnist Bob Considine, dismissing UFOs as a 'hoax' and a waste of Pentagon funds, leading to the Cosmopolitan article 'The Disgraceful Flying Saucer Hoax' in January 1951. Later, he commanded ABC from 1954-1958 and managed ATIC's incorporation into Air Force Systems Command in 1960-1962. No notable pro-UAP publications or testimony from Watson are recorded; his stance opposed UFO enthusiasm.