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Flying Saucers from Outer Space
Keyhoe's article "Flying Saucers Are Real" published December 26, 1949, caused a sensation. Although such figures are difficult to verify, USAF Captain Edward J. Ruppelt, first head of Project Blue Book, reported: "It is rumored among magazine publishers that Don Keyhoe's article in True was one of the most widely read and widely discussed magazine articles in history." Capitalizing on the interest, he expanded the article into a book, The Flying Saucers Are Real (1950). It sold more than 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 and had likely been surveilling the earth for over 200 years; although 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 (1953) is perhaps the most impressive, being based on interviews and 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" and 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.
Keyhoe wrote several more books about UFOs. Flying Saucers from Outer Space (1953) is perhaps the most impressive, being based on interviews and 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" and 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.
- GenresNonfiction
270 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1953
2 people are currently reading
87 people want to read
About the author
Donald E. Keyhoe
56 books14 followersDonald Edward Keyhoe (June 20, 1897 – November 29, 1988) was an American Marine Corps naval aviator and writer of aviation articles and stories. In the 1950s, Keyhoe became a UFO researcher and writer, arguing that the U.S. government should conduct research into UFO matters, and should publicly release all its UFO files. [Wikipedia]
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
June 23, 2021
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.
April 8, 2010
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.
February 8, 2019
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.
October 30, 2025
HIS 2ND BOOK, ALLEGING A U.S. AIR FORCE ‘ADMISSION’ THAT SAUCERS WERE INTERPLANETARY
Donald Edward Keyhoe (1897-1988) was a Marine Corps Major, manager of the promotional tours of aviation pioneers (such as Charles Lindbergh), and author of UFO books.
He wrote in the Foreword to this 1953 book, “Three years ago, in a book entitled ‘The Flying Saucers are Real,’ I reported the results of my first investigation into this world-wide mystery. At that time I stated my belief that the U.S. Air Force knew the answer and was hiding it from the public. Since July, 1952, I have been privileged to cooperate with the Air Force… I have been given information unknown to most Americans. Scores of impressive sighting reports by service pilots have been cleared for me, with the conclusions of Air Technical Intelligence---some so incredible they would have been ridiculed two or three years ago. As a result of this close association, this book reveals, I believe, all that the Air Force has learned about the flying saucers. It also explains the contradictions that have come, from time to time, from various Defense officials, as well as the reasons for official silence. It is my hope that this book will help to prepare all Americans, whether skeptics or believers, for the final act of the saucer drama---an act that will have an impact on the lives of all of us.”
He notes, “I’d been told what most Air Force officers thought of [Donald] Menzel’s theories… I’d put some pointed questions to Project Bluebook. This was the ATIC [Air Technical Intelligence Center] answer: ‘These explanations were known to the Project, and carefully considered, long before Menzel published his theories. They explain only a small percentage of the sightings… At the request of the ATIC, prominent scientists analyzed Menzel’s claims. None of them accepted his answers… Dr. Menzel was invited by Project Bluebook to apply his theories to any or all of the unexplained sightings, using Project records cleared for this purpose. He has not availed himself of this offer…’” (Pg. 5) Later, he adds, “In view of this… I was a trifle baffled by Dr. Menzel’s complaint about Air Force cooperation: ‘Scientists who might have easily provided the key that would unlock the secrets of the saucers did not receive detailed information necessary for a serious study of the whole problem.’” (Pg. 14)
He observes, “It was plain now that air bases, cities, key industries---every vital phase of our national life---were under close observation. At least three parts of UFOs had been seen, one with colored, revolving lights, another with lights that blinked at intervals. It was possible the lights were some kind of signal, an attempt to communicate with the earth. But the radio silence made it seem unlikely. Intelligent beings who had mastered space travel would certainly be able to duplicate our radio transmission system. But no strange codes, or unfamiliar word-sounds, had been heard by our monitors.” (Pg. 59)
He recounts a news conference with General Samford: “‘General, how do you explain this case?... The Senior Controller said whenever one of the unidentified blips appeared anywhere near Pierman’s plane he would call Pierman and say, ‘You have traffic at two o’clock about three miles,’ and Pierman would look and say, ‘I see the light.’ This was done not one but three times. And then this past Saturday night Barnes vectored at least a half a dozen airline pilots in to these things… ‘I can’t explain that,’ said Samford. The reporter looked amazed; he had obviously been expecting another evasion… ‘I can’t explain it at all,’ admitted the general. But a moment later, after a comment [about] mesmerism and mind reading, he compared it with spiritualism. ‘For many years, the field of spiritualism had these same things in which completely competent creditable observers reported incredible things. I don’t mean to say that this is that sort of thing, but it’s an explanation of our inability to explain.’ … Perhaps Samford’s guard was down; it had been a trying 80 minutes, and he looked tired. ‘We’re trying to say as much as we can on that today and admit the barrier of our understanding on all of this is not one that we break.” (Pg. 85-86)
He records, “Warrant Officer Delbert C. Newhouse… knew these things weren’t planes. They were round, unlike anything he had ever seen, and obviously moving at supersonic speed… Newhouse put on a telephoto lens and shot 40 feet of film. In the last few moments he trained the camera on one disc which had reversed its course, leaving the formation. By the time he turned back, the others had disappeared. After developing the film, he sent it to Project Bluebook for evaluations. Then, for three months, the pictures were studied by experts … ‘Frand was completely ruled out,’ said Chop. ‘They tried every trick method to duplicate the film, but it couldn’t be done. They blew up separate frames, and made all kinds of tests…’ … ‘Al,’ I said, ‘this is it. You’ve finally got proof the saucers are interplanetary.’ ‘The Air Force isn’t admitting that. Remember, the film’s still secret. We’re waiting for the Navy report…’” (Pg. 153)
He speculates about encountering Martians: “Even if normally peaceful, the Martians might be terrified by our space ships… they could… resist any attempt at landing… Our explorers, of course, might find the Martians a dangerously hostile race… They could try to avert interplanetary war by displaying our advanced space weapons, and the same time offering peaceful cooperation.” (Pg. 182)
He includes a letter sent to him by “a Defense official who knew I was writing a book… he asked me not to blast the entire Air Force. Then he added an acid comment: ‘There are some human ostriches in the Air Force, and outside as well, who stick their heads in the sand and refuse to accept the most positive evidence. It is no accident that these people haven’t correlated the saucer sightings---they obviously fear it will prove facts they don’t want to face. But there IS a definite pattern, with clues which eventually will give us the final answer.’ The tone of his letter didn’t surprise me. After the licking the ‘A’ group had taken, they were bound to be bitter. What their defeat would do to the clearance policy. I could only guess… But I didn’t need any more sighting reports---the evidence I had was enough to prove the main points. Only one thing was missing---an Air Force report that the saucers came from space… it seemed almost certain that there must be such a report. But the chance of finding out now was about one in a thousand.” (Pg. 245-246)
A source called ‘Chop’ told him, “This is what I was going to send you. It’s our official answer to a letter from your book publishers… They wanted an official OK, addressed to them. They got it, also a statement that the Air Force regarded Major Keyhoe as a responsible, accurate reporter---but here, read it yourself.’ I picked up from where he’d left off: ‘His long association and cooperation with the Air Force, in our study of unidentified flying objects, qualifies him as a leading authority on this investigation. The Air Force and its investigative agency, Project Bluebook, are aware of Major Keyhoe’s conclusion that the flying saucers are from another planet. The Air Force has never denied that this possibility exists. Some of the personnel believe that there may be some strange natural phenomena completely unknown to us, but that if the apparently controlled maneuvers reported by many competent observers are correct, then the only remaining explanation is the interplanetary answer.’ For a second, I just stood there, stating at the last sentence. It was an official Air Force admission that the saucers came from space!” (Pg. 247-248)
He concludes, “there is at least an even chance that the space race means us no harm---they may be waiting only for proof that landing here is safe. All of us… should be told the truth and made ready for saucer landings… We must be ready to match the friendliness of any strangers from space. Those first meetings with beings from another world could be the greatest adventure of all time. But we must guard against fear, panic, and violence by our own people, so that no tragic blunder will change peaceful visitors from space into deadly enemies. For those first dramatic moments may decide the fate of our world.” (Pg. 250-251)
This book will be “must reading” for those studying the historical development of ufology.
Donald Edward Keyhoe (1897-1988) was a Marine Corps Major, manager of the promotional tours of aviation pioneers (such as Charles Lindbergh), and author of UFO books.
He wrote in the Foreword to this 1953 book, “Three years ago, in a book entitled ‘The Flying Saucers are Real,’ I reported the results of my first investigation into this world-wide mystery. At that time I stated my belief that the U.S. Air Force knew the answer and was hiding it from the public. Since July, 1952, I have been privileged to cooperate with the Air Force… I have been given information unknown to most Americans. Scores of impressive sighting reports by service pilots have been cleared for me, with the conclusions of Air Technical Intelligence---some so incredible they would have been ridiculed two or three years ago. As a result of this close association, this book reveals, I believe, all that the Air Force has learned about the flying saucers. It also explains the contradictions that have come, from time to time, from various Defense officials, as well as the reasons for official silence. It is my hope that this book will help to prepare all Americans, whether skeptics or believers, for the final act of the saucer drama---an act that will have an impact on the lives of all of us.”
He notes, “I’d been told what most Air Force officers thought of [Donald] Menzel’s theories… I’d put some pointed questions to Project Bluebook. This was the ATIC [Air Technical Intelligence Center] answer: ‘These explanations were known to the Project, and carefully considered, long before Menzel published his theories. They explain only a small percentage of the sightings… At the request of the ATIC, prominent scientists analyzed Menzel’s claims. None of them accepted his answers… Dr. Menzel was invited by Project Bluebook to apply his theories to any or all of the unexplained sightings, using Project records cleared for this purpose. He has not availed himself of this offer…’” (Pg. 5) Later, he adds, “In view of this… I was a trifle baffled by Dr. Menzel’s complaint about Air Force cooperation: ‘Scientists who might have easily provided the key that would unlock the secrets of the saucers did not receive detailed information necessary for a serious study of the whole problem.’” (Pg. 14)
He observes, “It was plain now that air bases, cities, key industries---every vital phase of our national life---were under close observation. At least three parts of UFOs had been seen, one with colored, revolving lights, another with lights that blinked at intervals. It was possible the lights were some kind of signal, an attempt to communicate with the earth. But the radio silence made it seem unlikely. Intelligent beings who had mastered space travel would certainly be able to duplicate our radio transmission system. But no strange codes, or unfamiliar word-sounds, had been heard by our monitors.” (Pg. 59)
He recounts a news conference with General Samford: “‘General, how do you explain this case?... The Senior Controller said whenever one of the unidentified blips appeared anywhere near Pierman’s plane he would call Pierman and say, ‘You have traffic at two o’clock about three miles,’ and Pierman would look and say, ‘I see the light.’ This was done not one but three times. And then this past Saturday night Barnes vectored at least a half a dozen airline pilots in to these things… ‘I can’t explain that,’ said Samford. The reporter looked amazed; he had obviously been expecting another evasion… ‘I can’t explain it at all,’ admitted the general. But a moment later, after a comment [about] mesmerism and mind reading, he compared it with spiritualism. ‘For many years, the field of spiritualism had these same things in which completely competent creditable observers reported incredible things. I don’t mean to say that this is that sort of thing, but it’s an explanation of our inability to explain.’ … Perhaps Samford’s guard was down; it had been a trying 80 minutes, and he looked tired. ‘We’re trying to say as much as we can on that today and admit the barrier of our understanding on all of this is not one that we break.” (Pg. 85-86)
He records, “Warrant Officer Delbert C. Newhouse… knew these things weren’t planes. They were round, unlike anything he had ever seen, and obviously moving at supersonic speed… Newhouse put on a telephoto lens and shot 40 feet of film. In the last few moments he trained the camera on one disc which had reversed its course, leaving the formation. By the time he turned back, the others had disappeared. After developing the film, he sent it to Project Bluebook for evaluations. Then, for three months, the pictures were studied by experts … ‘Frand was completely ruled out,’ said Chop. ‘They tried every trick method to duplicate the film, but it couldn’t be done. They blew up separate frames, and made all kinds of tests…’ … ‘Al,’ I said, ‘this is it. You’ve finally got proof the saucers are interplanetary.’ ‘The Air Force isn’t admitting that. Remember, the film’s still secret. We’re waiting for the Navy report…’” (Pg. 153)
He speculates about encountering Martians: “Even if normally peaceful, the Martians might be terrified by our space ships… they could… resist any attempt at landing… Our explorers, of course, might find the Martians a dangerously hostile race… They could try to avert interplanetary war by displaying our advanced space weapons, and the same time offering peaceful cooperation.” (Pg. 182)
He includes a letter sent to him by “a Defense official who knew I was writing a book… he asked me not to blast the entire Air Force. Then he added an acid comment: ‘There are some human ostriches in the Air Force, and outside as well, who stick their heads in the sand and refuse to accept the most positive evidence. It is no accident that these people haven’t correlated the saucer sightings---they obviously fear it will prove facts they don’t want to face. But there IS a definite pattern, with clues which eventually will give us the final answer.’ The tone of his letter didn’t surprise me. After the licking the ‘A’ group had taken, they were bound to be bitter. What their defeat would do to the clearance policy. I could only guess… But I didn’t need any more sighting reports---the evidence I had was enough to prove the main points. Only one thing was missing---an Air Force report that the saucers came from space… it seemed almost certain that there must be such a report. But the chance of finding out now was about one in a thousand.” (Pg. 245-246)
A source called ‘Chop’ told him, “This is what I was going to send you. It’s our official answer to a letter from your book publishers… They wanted an official OK, addressed to them. They got it, also a statement that the Air Force regarded Major Keyhoe as a responsible, accurate reporter---but here, read it yourself.’ I picked up from where he’d left off: ‘His long association and cooperation with the Air Force, in our study of unidentified flying objects, qualifies him as a leading authority on this investigation. The Air Force and its investigative agency, Project Bluebook, are aware of Major Keyhoe’s conclusion that the flying saucers are from another planet. The Air Force has never denied that this possibility exists. Some of the personnel believe that there may be some strange natural phenomena completely unknown to us, but that if the apparently controlled maneuvers reported by many competent observers are correct, then the only remaining explanation is the interplanetary answer.’ For a second, I just stood there, stating at the last sentence. It was an official Air Force admission that the saucers came from space!” (Pg. 247-248)
He concludes, “there is at least an even chance that the space race means us no harm---they may be waiting only for proof that landing here is safe. All of us… should be told the truth and made ready for saucer landings… We must be ready to match the friendliness of any strangers from space. Those first meetings with beings from another world could be the greatest adventure of all time. But we must guard against fear, panic, and violence by our own people, so that no tragic blunder will change peaceful visitors from space into deadly enemies. For those first dramatic moments may decide the fate of our world.” (Pg. 250-251)
This book will be “must reading” for those studying the historical development of ufology.
February 13, 2024
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.
Read
October 18, 2019This 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.
February 23, 2023
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.
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.
January 9, 2019
Easy reading. A lil spoopy. Mostly believable even.
Read
June 9, 2019I have two different english editions.
Want to read
April 3, 2022Found a Dutch copy from 1953 with the original questionaire in it. Seems very interesting.
March 6, 2024
Surprisingly believable. Some deep stretches and some genuinely puzzling ones. Fun if you go in with an open mind.
March 23, 2016
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.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews