Ciao, amici! Today science fiction/fact topic is Project Blue Book. I refer to it in my Astral Conspiracy series, and admittedly, I take great liberties with it as a precursor to AATIP, but it was, in fact, a real government project.
U.S. Air Force [Public domain]
In 1947 (a year UFOlogists know well), the United States Air Force created a secret study of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) called Project Sign. A second study was conducted in 1949 called Project Grudge. The third, and most well known of the three studies, began in 1952 and was called Project Blue Book. The order to terminate the study was given in December 1969, and in January 1970, the project shut down.
Of the three government projects, Blue Book was the most open-minded. Sign and Grudge workers approached the studies with high degrees of skepticism, and any reports indicating aliens were possible were met with derision.
Project Blue Book had two main goals:
- To determine if UFOs posed a threat to national security.
- To scientifically analyze UFO data.
By the time it ended, 12, 618 reports were collected. The conclusions?
- No UFO sighting investigated by the project posed a threat to national security.
- No evidence provided to or collected by the agents indicated any level of technological advancement beyond current scientific knowledge.
- No evidence of “sightings” classified as “unidentified” were conclusively proven to be of extraterrestrial origin.
Dr. J. Allen Hynek was the only person who was a member of all three studies. While he was initially skeptical, he later changed his views and decided UFOs deserved closer study. He said many USAF personnel involved with the projects were indifferent, incompetent, and conducted shoddy research.
Project Blue Book factored into different television shows over the years, including fictional programs Twin Peaks and Galactica 1980 and an NBC anthology show called Project U.F.O. Currently, the History Channel has a dramatic series called Project Blue Book that airs its second season this January. The show is fictional, but the end always shows information from the actual Project Blue Book files that the episode was based on.
Have you watched any of these shows? I love the History Channel’s Project Blue Book series and can’t wait for season two. I loved it so much, I incorporated bits and pieces of Project Blue Book into my series.
What are your thoughts on the government studies of UFOs? Let’s talk about it.
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I’m with Jacquie, not sure about UFOs, but I think there have been too many sightings to discredit them completely. I’m waiting for the Vulcans to stop by. Except I suppose we need to build a warp drive first 😀
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You have a much better chance of building one than I do. Get to work, lady! LOL
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Fascinating, Staci. I don’t know that much about the UFO research programme but I do recall the Roswell incident and that it sparked a lot of speculation.
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The Roswell incident plays a huge part in the backstory of my current series. It’s a fascinating story. I watch specials on it all the time.
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That sounds very intriguing, Staci. I look forward to this book. I have to read The Gate soon.
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Thanks. If you do, I look forward to your thoughts.
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I’m on the fence in regards to UFOs. There are too many unexplained instances of sightings to completely discredit them, but on the other hand naysayers believe fancy effects could have created a lot of it. I just hope if they’re real, they come in peace!
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I echo that statement! Thanks, Jacquie.
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Sci-Fi Thursday… so cool. And I did a Sci-Fi review without knowing. Lol
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We must be in sync, Kevin!
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I know, right? Lol 😀
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I’ve never watched Blue Book but loved Twin Peaks. Even if the government KNOWS there are extraterrestrials, I don’t think they’d tell us. They’d say it was to “protect” us and keep us from panicking.
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Isn’t is so nice to have perfect strangers protecting us from things they know we could never handle? I feel so much better. 😉
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I have not seen Project Blue Book but may want to check it out. Thanks, Staci.
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I really enjoy it, John. It’s kind of a mix of fact and drama, but the real life info at the end is the truly compelling part.
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I used to love this stuff when I was a kid.Maybe it is time to go back there.
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I haven’t heard of the new show, but it sounds like it has possibilities. I think any official investigation gives that basis I’m always looking for when I ask readers to take that leap of faith with me. There are a lot of great fiction opportunities here.
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I thought so, too, Craig. I’m a huge fan of investigative shows about historical things, which is why Landon Thorne came to me so easily.
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I didn’t know about this show, but it sounds like something I could get into. If I start watching, it will probably be canceled.
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My enjoyment of something is usually the kiss of death for it, so I know what you mean. But this one got a season two, so I’m optimistic!
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I had no idea the History channel had a fictionalized show on Project Blue Book. I’ve got to check that out. I followed the link and it looks like the new season starts some time this winter. Hopefully, I can catch up with season 1 in the meantime.
I watched Twin Peaks back in the day and loved it. I remember giving Galactica 1980 a try, but they destroyed the cast. I was a fan of the original Battlestar Galactica. Tt might have been cheesy, but it was also fun and had some excellent character relationships.
When it comes to the government and UFOs, I’m convinced we’ll never get the full story.
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I hope you can stream the first season. There’s some shady relationships (I’m assuming those are purely fictional and for entertainment’s sake) but I just ignore those parts. It’s the UFO stuff that really interests me, and the way the investigators come up with real-life alternatives to feed the public. Then, at the end, we get the Cliff’s Notes version of what really happened. Taking the good with the bad, this show is still head and shoulders above crappy reality TV.
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I alays think they aren’t going to tell us if they did find anything strange!
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I don’t think we’ll ever find out the truth. If aliens exist and have been here, the government will try to keep that under wraps. And they have the power to do it. Short of a spaceship landing on the 50 yard line during the Super Bowl, we’ll probably always take “sightings” with a grain of salt and never know the full story.
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I haven’t watched Blue Book. I was a big fan of Twin Peaks back in the day.
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Project Blue Book has me hooked. When I was in college, I had to watch Blue Velvet for one of my lit classes, and from that moment on, Kyle MacLachlan freaked me out. I never watched Twin Peaks because of it. I know people loved it, though.
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Haven’t seen that either. As I recall he was in the movie with Val Kilmer about Jim Morrison. Can’t remember the name of the film but as I recall he played one of the Doors.
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Hmm. I never saw that. But I don’t often watch music bios. I’m usually disappointed by them.
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This one was a little bizarre. But then again so was Jim Morrison.
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I was okay with Project Blue Book’s three conclusions until I read that Dr. Hynek said many of the USAF personnel working on the project were indifferent, incompetent, and did shoddy research. Well then, that makes me wonder if they missed any actual evidence of aliens.
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His opinion certainly changed from the beginning of his tenure to the end. I think he came to believe aliens were here, and I’m pretty sure he was forced to offer conclusions that went against his beliefs. I pretty much take it all with a grain of salt, but I do wonder what we haven’t been told.
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I haven’t watched Blue Book but did get into things like Twin Peaks and The X Files. Great post, Staci 🙂
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Thanks, Harmony. 🙂
Do you even get our History Channel programming in the UK?
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Not quite the same, I don’t think, but we get something like it via Sky TV
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I was a big x files fan, and a bit of a twin peaks fan, but Project Blue Book didn’t do it for me. I wanted more answers than they were willing to give and got frustrated. Same happened with x files and twin peaks, but I was younger and more patient in those days. Now I’m an angry old grump 😏
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Oh, I go into all those shows knowing we’ll never get answers. It makes it all easier to digest.
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Good philosophy 👍
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This will always hold my interest. I haven’t watched Blue Book, but I watched the other two.
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I’ll always be interested, too. The topic fascinates me.
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