A fragmentary yet revealing letter from Philip Strong to physicist Thornton Page suggests that, despite the public winding down of military UFO studies, interest continued behind the scenes.
This document, titled only "Untitled," is short-barely a paragraph-but it opens a window into the quiet persistence of government involvement in unidentified aerial phenomena.
"The Air Force has asked that…"
- The letter ends mid-thought, but speaks volumes in context.
š¬ Who Wrote It, and Why It Matters
The letter is a direct communication between:
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Philip Strong, a low-profile but clearly well-connected figure in internal military-scientific dialogue.
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Thornton Page, astrophysicist and CIA-affiliated member of the infamous 1953 Robertson Panel-tasked with steering public discourse on UFOs.
The significance of Pageās involvement signals this wasnāt just administrative chatter. These were professionals with high-level access.
š The Air Forceās Unfinished Sentence
The single legible line from the letter reads:
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"The Air Force has asked that-"
While the statement is cut short or possibly redacted, it unmistakably implies:
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The Air Force was still issuing internal guidance on UFO-related matters
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Civilian scientists like Page were still receiving communication on the topic
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The issue was not entirely shelved after the end of Project Blue Book
š§ Implications Behind the Silence
This document may appear small, but its implications include:
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š Continued intelligence coordination after public programs were shut down
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š” Scientific consultation on unexplained aerial phenomena continued privately
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š§© UFO analysis was likely folded into broader defense initiatives, possibly classified ones
"The value here isnāt whatās said-itās whoās saying it, and when."
š Context Clues
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The tone suggests bureaucratic coordination, not open research.
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Pageās history with government-sponsored debunking efforts raises the question: was this another attempt to manage perception?
Either way, the fact that an Air Force directive regarding UAPs was being routed through scientists long after public interest waned is telling.
This is one of those breadcrumbs that-while easy to miss-adds to the historical evidence that UAP interest never truly went away.
It just got quiet.