"UFOs and the Intelligence Community Blind Spot to Surprise or Deceptive Data"
Summary
This report from the NSA discusses the challenges faced by the US Intelligence Community in addressing UFO reports. It argues that analysts often dismiss or over-explain anomalous observations, which undermines the quality of data. The report recommends new procedures for evaluating low-prior, high-impact reports to improve analysis.
Key highlights
The document discusses a psychological flaw in the intelligence community.p.1
“the human incapacity to objectively process a serious weakness”
Dr. Jacques Vallee studied human responses to unusual phenomena.p.1
“the human response to such observation is predictable”
The report suggests that shock can lead to a collapse of psychological structure.p.2
“the mind will reach down into its deepest place”
It recommends forming a special team to analyze surprising material.p.3
“Select a group of analysts and train them in processing surprise material”
Historical examples illustrate blindness to surprising phenomena.p.4
“the Aztecs could not conceive of the Spanish as human enemies”
Outliers
The document includes a chart depicting the pattern of observation responses.p.6
“The Pattern of Objective end Speculative Material During Observations”
Source
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