USAF: Gen. Samford secretly orders Blue Book to deemphasize anecdotal UFO reports

On July 28, 1952, USAF Maj. Gen. John A. Samford secretly ordered a deemphasis on, or elimination of, human anecdotal UFO reports. Instead, as worded in his briefing, the effort should be 'going on instruments', so that he could close down Blue Book. According to the entry, technological hurdles and budget limits greatly delayed the plan, but Blue Book transitioned into a propaganda debunking mission over the following six months. In a message to the CIA's Intelligence Advisory Committee, Samford stated that the 'flying saucer business' was 'still a complete enigma' and that 'credible observers are reporting the incredible'. The entry cites a memorandum from F. H. to William Park Armstrong, 'Flying Saucers', dated July 28, 1952, in the PURSUE release, and Clark's encyclopedia. The account follows the entry in George M. Eberhart's chronology UFOs and Intelligence (CUFOS) and the sources cited there; it is not an independent determination by From Beyond Space.