THE MEN IN CHARGE: PROJECT "SAUCER" LEADERSHIP

As a lump term all officially investigated events related to unknown aerial phenomena were once publicly filed under a catch-all term "PROJECT SAUCER."  The official project designations were seldom made public and when - post 1947 - there was a need to refer to whoever it was that was looking into things in government military circles, the name stuck. Donald Keyhoe uses it in his True magazine article and subsequent book.

Apparently, before the alleged Roswell event, there may have been an informal or perhaps ad hoc group looking into the numerous events being reported even before Kenneth Arnold's story broke in late June. Official documents do indicate there had been reports from at least as early as May 1947. Air Force intelligence and the FBI were aware of reports springing up across the country before 9 July 1947 when the Air Force said the disc found in New Mexico was a balloon. 

This quickly, apparently, began to coalesce into what would be labeled Project SIGN in 1948. Its file included a report from pre-1947 and it is unknown how many others might have once been filed there as well. Most of these were labeled as "Incident Case # _".   There are a few gaps and no visible organization to the assignment of case numbers as they do not easily fit into a chronology. In many instances it seems a stack was placed on a desk and numbered as someone worked through the stack.

In February 1949, Project SIGN became Project GRUDGE and operated on paper until December 1949 but in reality, it functioned at some level until March of 1952 when Project BLUE BOOK was established.

Project BLUE BOOK was often defined as a scientific investigation into u
nidentified flying objects but in reality, it seldom played that role. It was recognized as public relations project behind which some control of top-secret projects and experiments might be concealed while presenting a front of ongoing and serious effort by the government to discover the truth behind thousands of reports of things seen in the air and on the ground by the American people. There were some honest attempts to achieve the stated objectives of the project but too often agencies and influences appear to have compromised that effort and the goal to bring the truth to the people.

SIGN and GRUDGE do not have names associated with them as to who was in charge. It is assumed they functioned out the office of intelligence division. They apparently did partner with the Office of Special Investigations (or Office of Scientific Investigations) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation based on the records of the Air Force and the FBI.  Often, since the FBI was tasked with background checks for those doing top secret government contracts, they were already in place to question witnesses and validate information and the same went for the OSI. Early files in PBB indicate reports from both agencies in some investigations of objects sighted.

The first head of Project BLUE BOOK was Edward J. Ruppelt (March 52-February 53). Ruppelt left for a time, and it is believed one or more officers stepped into the breach. When he returned his staff and funds had been cut. He was there the great Washington D.C. "Flap" and for some of the Robertson Panel committee meetings in 1952. 

Nov. 1953 Capt. Charles Hardin was placed in position to oversee a project that held no interest to him, according to Ruppelt. Hardin left in April 1956 after he had set in place a policy to minimize all reports.

Capt. George T. Gregory came next in April 1956 and in his tenure the Air Force 200-2 policy was revised to require that all UFO reports be reduced to a minimum. He left in October 1958.

Lt. Col. Robert J. Friend stepped into place in October 1958 under Jan. 1963 and during his time there was a massive congressional hearing in 1960 when NICAP and others charged the Air Force was not being honest with its methods, policies, and investigations. He stepped on board just in time for the widespread events of 1958 and 1962.

Next came, in either January or August 1963 (documents differ), Hector Quintanilla Jr. He too dealt with a Congressional hearing in 1966, major efforts to close down the Project, the Condon Report, and the actually shutting down of Project BLUE BOOK in Dec. 1969.