With the release of the new 'X-Files' TV series last week, the CIA is also offering tips to UFO investigators on how they can find their own unidentified flying objects or similar things.
The agency has recently released a number of classified documents to coincide with the opening of the new season of the TV series. These tips, according to the agency, are based on the historical work of Project Blue Book, the activities of which were undertaken in the period between 1948 and 1969.
As their part in helping these people to start their own UFO investigations, the agency has released "10 Tips When Investigating a Flying Saucer."
According to the CIA, the information contained in these documents will appeal to the many 'Scullys and Mulders' of this world - people who want to confirm the existence of extraterrestrial entities and activities.
It is apparent that the agency would like the public to treat these tips with respect.
"With over 20 years of investigations, from the late 1940s until Project Blue Book's termination in 1968, the CIA and USAF have learned a thing or two about how to investigate a UFO sighting," the agency writes.
A majority of the documents where the agency's tips are based on comes from the accounts of Hector Quintanilla, Project Blue Book's last chief officer.
The 10 tips the CIA recommends in investigating UFOs are the following:
1. Establish a group to investigate and evaluate sightings
2. Determine the objectives of your investigation
3. Consult with experts
4. Create a reporting system to organize incoming cases
5. Eliminate false positives
6. Develop methodology to identify common aircraft and other aerial phenomena often mistaken for UFOs
7. Examine witness documentation
8. Conduct controlled experiments
9. Gather and test physical and forensic evidence
10. Discourage false reporting
The 10th tip seems to suggest one reason why the CIA has released these documents.
