J. Allen Hynek
American astronomer (1910–1986) who advised the Air Force's UFO projects for two decades, then became the leading scientific advocate of serious UFO study.
1972 CE · 42.06, -87.68 · status: account
The account
Hynek was scientific consultant to Projects Sign, Grudge and Blue Book (1948–1969), starting as a sceptic who called the subject 'utterly ridiculous'. His 1966 'swamp gas' suggestion for the Michigan sightings was ridiculed, and by 1968 he told Congress that Blue Book's efforts were inadequate. As chair of astronomy at Northwestern he wrote 'The UFO Experience' (1972), which introduced the 'close encounter' classification, founded the Center for UFO Studies (1973), co-wrote with Jacques Vallée, advised Spielberg on 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind' (with a cameo), and addressed the UN in 1978.
The sceptical view
Philip Klass argued CUFOS never produced evidence of a real mystery, Robert Sheaffer called Hynek gullible, and he endorsed the 1967 Jaroslaw photos, later confessed as a hoax.
Connections in the atlas
- Joe Simonton's space pancakes
- The Robertson Panel report
- The UFO Experience
- J. Allen Hynek
- Hynek, Vallée and Poher at the United Nations
- J. Allen Hynek, Air Force consultant turned investigator
- Gerald Ford calls for UFO hearings
- Coral and Jim Lorenzen (APRO)
- Allan Hendry
- House Science and Astronautics UFO symposium
- Vallée's control-system hypothesis
- Project Grudge