KEYHOE PRESSES THE AIR FORCE
In the 1950s the Air Force’s most forceful critic, retired Marine Corps Maj. Donald E. Keyhoe, caused Pentagon UFO debunkers no end of consternation. A respected aviation journalist, Keyhoe wrote an explosive article, “The Flying Saucers Are Real,” for the widely read men’s magazine True (January 1950 issue). Not only did intelligent beings from elsewhere have the Earth under scrutiny, Keyhoe claimed, but the Air Force knew it and was conspiring to cover up the truth. From his Washington contacts Keyhoe gathered leaked information about encounters between military interceptor aircraft and fast-moving discs as well as documents suggesting concern about these events.
In 1957, after writing three best-selling books on the UFO cover-up, Keyhoe became director of the National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena (NICAP). Though Keyhoe had powerful allies, including former CIA chief R. H. Hillenkoetter, the Air Force had him outgunned. Keyhoe retired from the fray in 1969. When he died 19 years later, the battle against official secrecy had passed to other, younger hands. His pioneering efforts are still remembered.