Flying Saucers from Outer Space.

by Donald Edward Keyhoe

Keyhoe's article "Flying Saucers Are Real" published 12/26/49 caused a sensation. Tho such figures are difficult to verify, USAF Captain Edward J. Ruppelt, 1st head of Project Blue Book, "It is rumored among magazine publishers that Don Keyhoe's article in True was one of the most widely read & widely discussed magazine articles in history." Capitalizing on the interest, he expanded the article into a book, The Flying Saucers Are Real ('50). It sold over half a million copies in paper. He argued the Air Force knew that flying saucers were extraterrestrial, but downplayed reports to avoid public panic. In his view, the aliens—whatever their origins or intentions—didn't seem hostile & had likely been surveilling the earth for over 200 years, tho he wrote that their "observation suddenly increased in 1947, following the series of A-bomb explosions in 1945." Dr. Michael D. Swords characterized the book as "a rather sensational but accurate account of the matter." Keyhoe wrote several more books about UFOs. Flying Saucers from Outer Space ('53) is perhaps the most impressive, being based on interviews & official reports vetted by the USAF. It included a blurb by Albert M. Chop, Air Force Pentagon press secretary, who characterized him as a "responsible, accurate reporter" & further expressed guarded approval for his arguments in favor of the extraterrestrial hypothesis. Such endorsements only cemented beliefs that the Air Force's mixed messages about UFOs were due to a cover up.

Genres: Nonfiction

Paperback

First published January 1, 1953

Reviews

[Kenneth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Last month (May 2021) I read an earlier book by this author ("The Flying Saucers Are Real"), being motivated by reports in the media that the Pentagon was going to release a report on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena ("UAPs"), i.e. UFOs. So far as I know, they haven't so far. This little volume is basically a continuation of his prior book, which recounts further UFO sightings, how the Air force dealt with them back then, etc. He wrote in a conversational style, easy to read, about his conversations with various Air force and Pentagon officers and other personnel. There seems to have been a lot of dissension among the top Air Force brass about whether and how much they should reveal to the general public. Keyhoe was a believer, at least back then, (he died in 1988) that UFOs were from other planets and so the questions were: were they friendly? were they preparing to invade and take over? or were they just exploring other worlds in order to find out where other races were. Well, here we are, 70 years later and no invasion has happened; none of our world leaders has been contacted (as far as we know). In our explorations of the moon and Mars, we have not run into any ETs or found any ruins of prior civilizations (although you can find interesting allegations on social media of such - for instance check out the Gaia website on Facebook). There have been a number of books written on UFOs over the years and this is probably one of the best of the early ones and can be recommended for that reason.

[Erik Graff · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book at the Park Ridge Public Library during the period of my fascination with UFOs, an interest which led me to read everything the library had until my interest faded with the beginning of high school. Of the books written in the late forties and early fifties, this may be the best. Keyhoe, a retired Marine officer himself, based most of it on official military reports and on interviews.

[Joey Madia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent early documentation from an insider who worked with the Air Force during the late 1940s and early 1950s to explore the increasing sightings of saucers and other UFOs. The unfolding of Air Force policy and the different points of view about whether or not to share findings and concerns with the public, including a color film shot in Utah by a military officer, is fascinating reading. Great insights into Project Bluebook and detailed reports of sightings. The style of the book is conversational and compelling.

[Dan Zarfati · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is really interesting to understand the first reactions of the American public and the UFO phenomena, it also give you an idea on the military and what they were really thinking behind the scenes, it also provides a good counter point to the Ruppelt report, it is the other side of it, just great work. It will not give you any new theory as it is a historic piece, very well written. If you do research the subject I think this one is an essential one, very read, does not bring anything new to the table, but makes you understand the first impressions of the phenomena and the reasons of the cover up.

[Cheryl Beseler]

This was a fascinating insight into UFO sightings and theories of UFO visitation prior to the U.S. space program. What is most enlightening about the UFO sightings in this book is that they were all from credible sources. Military and commercial airline pilots and documented radar captures with names, dates and locations were recounted in detail. After reading this book, the reader is left wondering how it is that UFOs have been moved to the "paranormal" category where it is today and how it is that perceptions of these events have changed over decades, and why.

[Rhonda Cupp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written by the highly-respected founder of NICAP, this book gives a thorough history of UFOs up until the 1950s. It's an interesting read, especially now since it's 70 years old, because it tells us a lot about what they were thinking back then and also what they thought might happen in the future.

The only drawback is the conversations seem a bit contrived unless the author had a tape recorder on each and every time he discussed this topic, which is fairly unlikely if it was as secret as he claims.

[Vincent Konrad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy reading. A lil spoopy. Mostly believable even.

[Marko]

I have two different english editions.

[Eline]

Found a Dutch copy from 1953 with the original questionaire in it. Seems very interesting.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Surprisingly believable. Some deep stretches and some genuinely puzzling ones. Fun if you go in with an open mind.

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this when I was about 9 or 10. It was written in a rather technical fashion (considering my age) that lead the reader to believe there was a true story here. Cannot say it totally convenienced the young boy UFOs were real but opened a life time of curiousity and a love for research to find answers and to always believe there is much beyond our understanding that can be real. The unknown is just something that has to be researched then it won't be the unknow.