karl 12
Noble
"You must remember that I was privy to the project files. These contained hundreds of official reports of UFO encounters made by military personnel from all branches of the service. They were all classified with a high degree of security classification. Almost all of these made pretty scary reading from the verbatim descriptions of the pilots concerned"
Albert M. Chop, Air Force UFO Public Information Officer at the Pentagon
Albert M. Chop is a pretty interesting character in the history of UFO research and served as chief of the press section for the Air Force at the Pentagon in the early 1950's -it states at the links below that he was initially skeptical about the subject of UFOs but gradually came around to accepting their existence based upon his "ringside seat ability to review highly intriguing military reports about strange flying objects with apparent intelligence behind their control".
The Chop Clearance list below details some really interesting Air Technical Intelligence UFO reports and was secured by Chop whilst on the Air Force Press Desk for Major Donald Keyhoe of the NICAP organisation -there's also a pretty fascinating interview where he discusses specific UFO cases and his interactions with people such as Bluebook's Captain Ruppelt and Dewey Fournet who was in the branch of intelligence that was involved with UFOs at the Pentagon.
NB: he was also the voice of mission control during NASA space launches and the pic below shows him during a Gemini-Titan 4 simulation on 30th May, 1965.
Chop's opinion about UFOs at the time was: "this whole saucer business is pure, unadulterated bunk." He was as confirmed a skeptic as there could be.
However, after his promotion to Chief of the Press Section at A.M.C., he began to change his mind. Chop talked with top government personnel who were certain UFOs existed. He learned the government was, indeed, vitally concerned about UFOs.
When he was transferred to the Pentagon's Press Section, by request of Colonel Richard Searles, Chop - much to his surprise - was assigned directly to UFO investigation. It was here that he met Maj. Dewey Fournet of the Current Intelligence Branch. Chop worked closely with Fournet (UFO Project Monitor) and Capt. Ruppelt, head of Project Bluebook. Throughout the months he served with the official project, Chop cautiously began to accept the reality of UFOs.
link
List:
This is a list of Air Technical Intelligence UFO sightings and other information secured and cleared for Major Donald E. Keyhoe by Mr. Albert M. Chop, Air Force Press Desk.
Chop Clearance List
PDF File:
[url=http://sohp.us/sign_oral_history_project/transcripts/chop/chop.pdf]Full Interview[/url]