Petition to the United Nations (1977)
In 1977, a group of prominent scientists and researchers in the field of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) and extraterrestrial life signed a petition to the United Nations, calling for the establishment of an international research program to investigate the UFO phenomenon. The petition was organized by Dr. J. Allen Hynek, a respected astronomer and UFO researcher who had previously worked as a scientific advisor to the US Air Force’s Project Blue Book.
The petition, known as the “Declaration of Support Concerning Unidentified Flying Objects,” was sent to the United Nations General Assembly’s Third Committee on November 29, 1978. The signatories included over 70 individuals from various countries, including astronomers, physicists, engineers, and other professionals who were interested in the study of UFOs and extraterrestrial life.
While the full list of names has not been made publicly available, some of the more notable signatories included:
- Dr. Jacques Vallee, a computer scientist and ufologist
- Dr. Claude Poher, a French aerospace engineer
- Professor Peter A. Sturrock, a physicist at Stanford University
- Dr. James E. McDonald, a physicist at the University of Arizona who had previously investigated UFO sightings for the US government
- Dr. James Harder, a civil engineering professor at the University of California, Berkeley, who had investigated UFO sightings for several years
- Dr. David Saunders, an astronomer at the University of Arizona who had conducted research on UFO sightings
- Dr. Thornton Page, a physicist and former director of the National Weather Satellite Center who had investigated UFO sightings for the US government
- Dr. Josef Allen Hynek, a physicist and UFO researcher who had previously worked for the US Air Force
- Dr. Willis Harman, a psychologist at Stanford University who was interested in parapsychology and other unconventional fields of research
- Dr. Robert Jahn, a physicist at Princeton University who was interested in the study of consciousness and paranormal phenomena.
The petition called for the establishment of a formal international research program to collect and analyze data on UFO sightings and related phenomena in a scientific and objective manner. The signatories argued that such research was necessary due to the global nature of the UFO phenomenon and the difficulty in explaining many sightings. They believed that the study of UFOs had implications for understanding the origins and nature of life in the universe, and was therefore of scientific and philosophical significance.
Some experts in the field of UFO research and related fields have expressed support for the establishment of an international research program to study the UFO phenomenon. They argue that there is a need for a more systematic and rigorous approach to investigating UFO sightings and related phenomena, and that such research could have important implications for our understanding of the universe and the nature of life within it.
There are a number of books and other publications that have discussed the issue of UFOs and the petition to the United Nations. Some of these books argue in favor of more research on the UFO phenomenon, while others are more skeptical. For example, historian Richard Dolan’s book “UFOs and the National Security State” argues that the US government has actively worked to suppress evidence of UFO sightings.
