"Another expert, Dr. Menzel, famous for his "temperature inversion" theory..."
--The Orbit, C.R.I.F.O. (Civilian Research, Interplanetary Flying Objects) Newsletter, April 7, 1954 (1:1), pg. 1.
This was especially fascinating due to the building awareness that so many of the "explanations" proffered by the Air Force in Project Blue Book seemed to have come from the same mind. A reoccurring sentence, phrase, or similar common aspects were curious. Then, as files contained galley proofs of Menzel's second book on UFO's, it was clear, entire sections had been lifted for the purposes of explaining files and communicating the same to witnesses and those who questioned the event(s).
He was a consultant in the shadows, his name popping up only rarely but enough to indicate he was involved but not with a high profile, Toward the of the program he is sending Project Blue Book leader Quintanilla his "suggestions" that the project should shed Hynek because he was too positive and too willing to actually listen to witnesses. See the article elsewhere this blog for more on that subject.
About the time he was writing his first book on UFO's (1952-53) some sources indicate he was already working for the government as a disinformation or debunker catalyst. Some suggest that he was hired by the presidentially created Psychological Strategy group to function as a debunker. If so, this certainly goes a long way to understanding his role, the negative comments, and the attitude expressed in numerous settings.
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