In January 1955, Kenneth Hansen wrote to the US Air Force. A high school student in Queens, New York, he was looking for help with a debate in class.
Hansen wasn’t looking for answers for himself. He wanted photos and pamphlets to help convince his classmates that flying saucers were real and came from other stars. If the Air Force had nothing to send, he asked it to write him a letter he could read aloud in class.
Three Students Against Most of the Class
For a public-speaking assignment, students had to give a persuasive speech. Hansen and two friends chose to talk about flying saucers. They thought it would be easy to convince the class, but found that at least three-quarters of their classmates didn’t believe them.
In his letter, Hansen said that two smart students in the class had already seen a UFO. Even so, the skeptics demanded proof they could see and examine. Hansen wrote that the students had shown photos of flying saucers taken by a man named George Adamski at the Palomar Observatory.
Hansen earned a 99 on his speech. His two friends also received high marks. But the grades didn’t convince the class, so Hansen turned to the Air Force for help.
He Even Asked for a Letter
Hansen asked for pamphlets available for purchase, as well as photographic slides to project onto a screen. He wanted to use them in class and asked for information about the many reports of people seeing flying saucers.
Then came the surprising request: if the Air Force had no information to send, it should write him a letter anyway. Hansen wanted to read it to his classmates and show them that the Air Force was interested in flying saucers. He hoped that receiving the letter itself would serve as evidence and help him win the debate.
What We Still Don’t Know
The record includes Hansen’s letter, but no reply from the Air Force. So it’s unknown whether he received the photos, pamphlets, or letter he requested. The letter also doesn’t prove that the photos or accounts showed a craft from another star.
His classmates were waiting for proof they could see. Hansen hoped a letter from the heavens—or at least from the Air Force—would do the trick.
