Air Force Scrubbed Medical and Financial Data in 22-Year UFO Probe
By June Hargrove ·
Witnesses to unidentified flying objects had their medical and financial histories gathered by the Air Force during a 22-year investigation that scrubbed such private data from public files.
The catalogue entry for the "Sanitized Version of Project Blue Book Case Files on Sightings of Unidentified Flying Objects" provides a map for the Air Force's investigation into sightings between June 1947 and December 1969. According to the description, the series is organized so that each case file relates to a single sighting or a cluster of closely related sightings. The records are a mix of observer reports, correspondence, and clippings from newspapers and magazines, alongside analysis of physical evidence and photographs.
For the Air Force, the intake process was standardized. The catalog notes that most sighting reports arrived via an Air Force questionnaire. These forms captured the basic telemetry of a witness: name, address, date, hour, and a description of the object. Each of these files was then paired with a control sheet. This sheet served as the internal summary of the report and, crucially, recorded the Air Force's final "explanation and conclusions for the sighting."
Medical and Financial Data
The "sanitized" nature of this specific series means the Department of the Air Force removed identifying information to protect the privacy of the witnesses. While the removal of names and addresses is standard for privacy, the catalogue entry specifies a deeper level of redaction. The Air Force deleted portions of investigative reports that contained "information of a personal and private nature," which the entry explicitly identifies as "chiefly medical and financial data" gathered about the observers.
Public records establish that Project Blue Book's goals were to determine if UFOs posed a national security threat and to analyze the data scientifically. However, the archival description reveals that the investigative process extended beyond the sighting itself and into the personal histories of the people reporting them. The record does not explain why a witness's financial standing or medical history was relevant to the analysis of an unidentified object in the sky, only that such data was gathered and subsequently scrubbed from the sanitized files.
The Air Force Questionnaire
The archival description lists a wide array of supporting evidence beyond the questionnaires. These include sound recordings and motion pictures, as well as "artifacts" submitted with reports. The files contain cross-reference sheets that point the researcher toward other series in the National Archives, specifically those containing the actual photographs and recordings.
This suggests a fragmented archival trail. The case files act as the narrative hub, but the sensory evidence—the tapes, the film, the physical debris—resides in separate series. The catalog indicates that these related records include a dedicated series for sound recordings and another for the photographs of sightings.
1948 and the Technical Intelligence Division
The administrative history of the project reflects a shifting chain of command during the early Cold War. The catalogue entry notes that administrative responsibility for Project Blue Book and its predecessors, Project Sign and Project Grudge, was initially assigned to the Air Material Command in 1947. By 1948, this responsibility was delegated to the Technical Intelligence Division.
The scope of the Air Force's interest in these sightings also extended across borders. Related series in the National Archives catalog include records relating to military matters in Canada, where the subject of "unidentified flying object" appears alongside files on the North American Air Defense Command (NORAD) and Canadian defense policy. Other related files include the case files of the 4602D Air Intelligence Service Squadron, indicating that the intelligence apparatus was engaged in these sightings through multiple channels.
While the sanitized version is the most accessible, the catalogue entry notes that unredacted copies of the series exist under National Archives Identifier 595466. These unredacted files would contain the names, addresses, and the specific medical and financial details that the Air Force deemed too private for the sanitized release.