FBI Document on Flying Saucers: Surveillance of UFO Organizations and the "Contactee" Movement in the United States, 1966

Source file: 65_hs1-834228961_62-hq-83894_serial_449.pdf Originating agency: FBI (Record Group 65) — Case File 62-HQ-83894 Date range: 1965–1966 (bulk of material from 1966) Page count: 18 (all read) High-significance pages: 1 (file cover), 2 (main FBI letter), 4–7 (the "Flying Saucers International" magazine), 8 (convention program), 10–11 (press clippings), 13–18 (additional press clippings)

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Official Blurb (from war.gov)

The FBI's 62-HQ-83894 case file includes investigative records, eyewitness testimonies, and public reports concerning Unidentified Flying Objects and flying discs documented between June 1947 and July 1968. The records include high-profile incident accounts, photographic evidence from sites like Oak Ridge, TN, and technical proposals regarding potential propulsion systems. Additional topics include convention programs, researcher accounts, and extensive media coverage from the period. This file is partially posted on FBI vault with more redactions and some pages missing. Included here is the complete case file with several newly declassified pages and only minor redactions.

Summary

Serial 449 in case file 62-HQ-83894 is a document created on October 3, 1966 by the Los Angeles field office and transmitted to the FBI Director. The subject is the magazine "Flying Saucers International," official organ of the Amalgamated Flying Saucer Clubs of America, Inc. (AFSCA). The inquiry opened after a citizen submitted the publication to an IRS official in Philadelphia, alleging that an article in Issue 24 (July 1966) propagated the Communist Party line. The document is accompanied by the full issue of the magazine, convention announcements for AFSCA's Third National Convention, and an extensive collection of press clippings from 1965–1966 on UFO phenomena across the United States and Canada.

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Research Article

Introduction

On October 3, 1966, an FBI agent from the Los Angeles field office submitted a classified letter to the Bureau Director in Washington. The subject: the magazine "Flying Saucers International," classified as an "IS - MISCELLANEOUS" investigation. The letter, signed under the handle "JST:gcw," represents one of the rare documents in which the FBI led a direct investigation of an American UFO organization — not out of concern about national security in relation to the phenomenon itself, but out of suspicion that behind the "flying saucer" cover lurked Communist propaganda.

Background: The FBI and UFO Organizations in the 1960s

The 1960s were a decade of confusion. On one side, the United States was under the pressure of the Cold War; on the other, a wave of reports on unidentified flying objects was sweeping the country. FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover had instructed field officers to report on any organization that might serve as a propaganda front. AFSCA, operating from 2004 North Hoover Street, Los Angeles, California, was precisely the kind of organization that attracted such attention.

The Investigation: The Article "BRIGHT WORLD IN HANDS OF SAUCER MOVEMENT"

The heart of the document is an article published in Issue 24 of "Flying Saucers International" (July 1966), on pages 2–3. According to the FBI's official letter, the article was written by "Master KALEN-LI RETAN, Head of the planet KORENDOR," and received on May 4, 1966 "via special directional short-wave radio by BOB RENAUD" — a young electronics technician who claimed radio contact with extraterrestrial entities.

The article itself, included in full in the file, is a radical anti-war document. "Master Kalen-Li Retan" opens: "Kalo (Hello), friends. We will get directly to the point of our message to you. Frankly, we are appalled at the state of Earth at present." The article proceeds to attack what it calls the "Military-Industrial complex," mentions John Kennedy as one "who paid the supreme penalty for his efforts on behalf of humanity," and accuses the U.S. government of being a puppet of the weapons complex. The article also asserts that "WAR IS PROFITABLE" and that "THE UNITED STATES ECONOMY WOULD SUFFER A MASSIVE DEPRESSION" if wars were to cease.

A citizen named JARVIS H. COOPER — an IRS official at 401 North Broad Street, Philadelphia — had subscribed to the magazine because his son had shown an interest in flying saucers and outer space. When he read the article, he submitted the issue to the local FBI agent in Philadelphia, who forwarded it to Los Angeles on September 22, 1966. The Los Angeles office searched its files for BOB RENAUD but found no identifying information. No investigation was opened against the organization, and Los Angeles announced it did not intend to take any further action.

The Organization: AFSCA and Gabriel Green

The magazine reveals a rich picture of the "contactee" world in mid-1960s America. AFSCA, led by Gabriel Green, operated more than 46 chapters across the United States. Green — who had also run for the U.S. presidency — framed himself as the leader of a movement for spiritual, economic, and physical liberation.

AFSCA's Third National Convention was held at the Centennial Coliseum in Reno, Nevada, on July 8, 9, and 10, 1966, with daily registration at $2. Among the twenty-one listed speakers were Wayne S. Aho, Orfeo Angelucci, Howard Menger, Sidney Padrick, Dr. Daniel W. Fry, Dr. Frank E. Stranges, George W. Van Tassel, and Hal Wilcox. Topics included "a four-day trip to Mars, Venus, Clarion, and Orion" (Chief Standing Horse), "a 1965 saucer ride" (Sidney Padrick), and "the exposure of flying saucers as landing at Edwards Air Force Base" (George Van Tassel).

The Press Clippings: The 1965–1966 Sighting Wave

A substantial portion of the document consists of press clippings gathered by AFSCA from mid-1965 through April 1966, which appear to have served as the organization's internal documentation. These include:

Oakland Tribune, March 25, 1966 — Headline: "Flying Saucers Are Poppin' Up All Over." Reports dozens of sightings across Michigan, Canada, and beyond. Dr. J. Allen Hynek, scientific consultant to the U.S. Air Force, traveled to Michigan to investigate. A municipal sign in Brewer, Maine, declared: "BREWER WELCOMES UFO — LANDING SITES AVAILABLE."

London Free Press, March 29, 1966 — "Tracked by Radar / UFOs Sighted Over Wide Section of District." A Frontier Airlines passenger aircraft diverted from its course to pursue a UFO. Residents reported red, white, and blue objects capable of motion that could not be explained.

Denver Post, April 8, 1966 — "Six Teens Tell of 'Chase' by Buzzing, Lighted UFOs." Six young people from the Denver area saw two illuminated objects above Daniels Park. "It looked like a football — the blue lights on each side were steady, and the red light was at the bottom. It didn't move up and down, but did cut across real fast," one of the teenagers is quoted.

The Houston Post, May 15, 1966 — A lengthy interview with Gabriel Green, who claims to have seen 85 to 100 spacecraft. "He said he has met the Alpha Centaurian several times — once in person."

Oakland Tribune, March 22, 1966 — "Civil Defense Director Watches 'Flying Saucer'." The Civil Defense Director of Wright County, Minnesota, personally witnessed a UFO. "I was real skeptical at first," said MacIver, "but I'm convinced they saw something."

The Herald-News — "It'll be Long Before 'Saucer' Is Forgotten" — a detailed description of a strange object over Wanaque Reservoir, New Jersey. "The bright white disk that streaked across three counties dominated the North Jersey skies this week." Numerous police officers and civilians reported the object.

Wall Street Journal, December 13, 1965 — "New 'Fireball' Raises An Old Question: Do Flying Saucers Exist?" — a rare analytical piece in a financial newspaper, marshaling scientific experts and military officials.

New York Times Service — "World Flying Saucer Believers Convene" — a report on the AFSCA convention in Los Angeles. "Nearly 300 delegates were assembled in a cavernous establishment called the Blarney Castle."

South African press — Two South African police officers reported seeing a glowing object hovering 30 feet above a main road near Pretoria. "Scientists investigated the sighting."

Key Findings: What the FBI Learned

The document reveals three layers of inquiry:

First, the FBI was tracking AFSCA not because of UFOs but because of political suspicion. The specific concern was that the "message from Korendor" article promoted "the Communist Party line." The Bureau attempted to determine whether BOB RENAUD was known to them, and found nothing.

Second, the FBI took no further action. The document concludes with the explicit statement: "No further action is contemplated in this matter by the Los Angeles Office, UACB."

Third, the wave of press coverage assembled in the file shows that 1966 was a peak year for UFO sightings. Dr. Hynek himself — who had served as the Air Force's public spokesman — was by this point privately expressing doubt about the official explanations. Three years later, in 1969, he would found the Center for UFO Studies (CUFOS), academic UFO research's most prestigious institutional home.

The Convention World: The Contactee Universe

The AFSCA Third National Convention program reveals an entire subculture. Mel Noel, claiming to be a former Air Force pilot who investigated UFOs, was lecturing at colleges across the country. Sidney Padrick described "two hours spent aboard an extraterrestrial spaceship." Howard Menger presented on "the free energy of tomorrow." Daniel W. Fry exhibited photographs allegedly taken at White Sands, Oregon, and Joshua Tree Desert.

The magazine also reveals that the organization was large, connected, and active. Gabriel Green and his wife Helen produced 13,000 flyers for a Teen-Age Fair at the Hollywood Palladium, worked twelve-hour days giving talks, made radio and television appearances, and pursued what they viewed as the "physical, spiritual and economic emancipation of man."

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Key People

Name	Role	Details
Gabriel Green	AFSCA Chairman	2004 N. Hoover St., LA; editor of "Flying Saucers International"; presidential candidate
Bob Renaud	Electronics technician	Claims radio contact with Korendor; not found in FBI files
Kalen-Li Retan	"Head of Planet Korendor"	Name given to the purported extraterrestrial author of the disputed article
Jarvis H. Cooper	U.S. citizen / IRS official	Submitted the magazine to the Philadelphia FBI agent on September 19, 1966
Mel Noel	Lecturer / former pilot	Self-described Air Force UFO investigator; claimed to lecture at 57 colleges
Sidney Padrick	"Contactee"	Claims a two-hour spaceship voyage; based in Watsonville, California
Howard Menger	"Contactee"	Sebastian, Florida; known since 1956; lectures on "free energy"
George Van Tassel	Event organizer	Yucca Valley, California; organizer of desert "space conventions"
Dr. Frank E. Stranges	Lecturer	International Evangelism Crusades, Venice, CA
Dr. Daniel W. Fry	Lecturer / Understanding Inc.	Merlin, Oregon; photographed alleged UFOs
Dr. J. Allen Hynek	USAF scientific advisor	Visited Michigan during the 1966 sighting wave; privately skeptical of official explanations

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Locations

Location	Connection
2004 N. Hoover St., Los Angeles, CA	AFSCA headquarters and "Flying Saucers International" editorial office
Centennial Coliseum, Reno, Nevada	Site of AFSCA Third National Convention, July 1966
Philadelphia, PA (401 N. Broad St.)	IRS office from which the complaint about the magazine was filed
Planet Korendor	Fictional planet cited as the "source" of the message; allegedly 400 light-years from Earth
Hillsdale, MI / Dexter, MI	Center of the Michigan sighting wave, March 1966; Hynek investigation
Wanaque Reservoir, NJ	Major sighting, January 1966; Civil Defense Director and police witnesses
Daniels Park, Douglas County, CO	Sighting by six Denver teenagers, April 1966
Merlin, Oregon / Joshua Tree, CA	Alleged UFO photography sites of Dr. Fry
Reno, Nevada	AFSCA Third National Convention site

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Key Incidents

Incident	Date	Location	Pages
Michigan sighting wave; Hynek investigation	March 1966	Hillsdale / Dexter, MI	10–11
UFO pursued by police officers for 85 miles	April 1966	Freedom, Pennsylvania	17
Six teenagers and UFO chase	April 1966	Daniels Park, Denver, CO	11
UFO over Wanaque Reservoir	January 1966	New Jersey	17
Two South African police officers report sighting	September 1965	Pretoria, South Africa	17
Civil Defense Director witnesses UFO	March 1966	Wright County, Minnesota	16
AFSCA Third National Convention	July 1966	Reno, Nevada	6–8
"Message from Korendor" attacking the U.S. establishment	May 4, 1966	Radio transmission; Los Angeles	4
UFO observed above Mt. Wilson	April 1966	Los Angeles	13
Gallup Poll: 5 million Americans report UAP sightings	1966	United States	16

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Notable Quotes

"The Philadelphia Division by letter dated 9/22/66, furnished the Los Angeles Division with Issue No. 24 dated July, 1966, entitled 'FLYING SAUCERS INTERNATIONAL'... Mr. COOPER stated he subscribed to the magazine because his son had exhibited an interest in flying saucers and outer space. He said that on pages 2 and 3 of Issue No. 24 was an article which he believed expounded the Communist Party (CP) line." — page 2

"No further action is contemplated in this matter by the Los Angeles Office, UACB. The foregoing is furnished to the Bureau for information." — page 2

"Your government is a military puppet, a mere parrot of the monstrosity that is the Military-Industrial complex. Your senators, except for a few, are robots, speaking what they are told to say." — page 4 (AFSCA magazine)

"Make no mistake. Your government is not in the White House or the Congress. IT IS IN THE PENTAGON, AND IN THE HEADQUARTERS OF THE VAST 'DEFENSE'-ORIENTED INDUSTRIES." — page 4 (AFSCA magazine)

"I was real skeptical at first... but I'm convinced they saw something." — Police Chief John C. MacIver, page 16

"I've never seen anything like this in my life." — One of the six Denver teenagers, page 11

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Significance

This FBI document is unusual in three respects. First, it reveals that a portion of U.S. surveillance of UFO organizations was driven by ideological concern rather than any national security concern genuinely related to the phenomenon itself. Second, it documents in considerable detail the public landscape of the "contactee" movement at its height. Third — and perhaps most importantly — the FBI assembled dozens of press clippings on credible UFO sightings reported by police officers, civil defense directors, military personnel, and civilians from across the United States, Canada, South Africa, and Britain, and placed them all in a single file.

A Gallup Poll cited in the press clippings found that at least five million Americans reported having seen a UFO. Dr. Hynek, who had been the official Air Force spokesman on the subject, was already by this point quietly questioning the official explanations. Three years later, in 1969, he would found CUFOS, academic UFO research's senior research center.

The message of "Master Kalen-Li Retan" may read today as science fiction, but the FBI's fear of a "Communist line" in flying saucers reveals something real: in the 1960s, the UFO was not merely an object in the sky — it was a screen for deep questions about power, war, governmental truth, and humanity's place in the universe.