The fact that the earth had been observed by beings from another planet would be fully presented. Some readers, of course, would reject even the fact that the saucers existed. Others would cling to the idea that they were of earthly origin. But the mass of evidence would make most readers think. At the very least, it would plant one strong suggestion: _that we, men and women of the earth, are not the only intelligent species in the universe_. When the article was finished, it was tried out on True’s staff, then on a picked group that had not known about the investigation. One editor summed up the average opinion: “It will cause a lot of discussion, but the way it’s written, it shouldn’t start any panic.” The January issue, in which the story ran, was due on the stands shortly after Christmas. With my family, I had gone to Ottumwa, Iowa, to spend the holidays with my mother and sister. While I was there, the story broke unexpectedly on radio networks. Frank Edwards, Mutual network newscaster, led off the radio comment. He was followed by Walter Winchell, Lowell Thomas, Morgan Beatty, and most of the other radio commentators. The wire services quickly picked it up; some papers ran front-page stories. The publicity was far more than I had expected. I phoned a reporter in Washington whose beat includes the Pentagon. “The Air Force is running around in circles,” he told me. “They knew your story was due, but nobody thought it would raise such a fuss. I think they’re scared of hysteria. They’re getting a barrage of wires and telephone calls.” That night, as I was packing to rush back east, he called with the latest news. “They’re going to deny the whole thing,” he said. “But’ I heard one Press Branch guy say it might not be enough —they’re trying to figure some way to knock it down fast.” Next day, while changing trains at Chicago, I saw the Air Force statement. The press release was dated December 27, 1949. Without mentioning _True_, the Air Force flatly denied having any evidence that flying saucers exist. After examining 375 reports, the release said, Project “Saucer” had found that they were caused by: 1. Misinterpretation of various conventional objects. 2. A mild form of mass hysteria or “war nerves.” 3. Individuals who fabricate such reports to perpetrate a hoax or to seek publicity. Evaluation of the reports of unidentified flying objects, said the Air Force, demonstrates that they constitute no direct threat to the national security of the United States. Then came the clincher: Project “Saucer,” said the Air Force, had been discontinued, now that all the reports had been explained. It was plain that the release had been hastily prepared. It completely contradicted the detailed Project “Saucer” report, issued eight months before, that had called for constant vigilance, after admitting that most important cases were unsolved. Anyone familiar with the situation would see the discrepancy at once.