Retired U.S. Marine Corps major and aviation writer. Authored 'The Flying Saucers Are Real' (1950) and led NICAP from 1957 to 1969. The most prominent press advocate for extraterrestrial-origin reporting during the 1950s-60s.
Maj. Donald Keyhoe was a retired United States Marine Corps naval aviator and one of the most influential early civilian UFO investigators. He authored several groundbreaking books in the 1950s arguing that flying saucers were of extraterrestrial origin and that the military was orchestrating a massive cover-up. Keyhoe's key contribution was his leadership of the National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena, where he aggressively pushed for congressional hearings and transparency. He routinely engaged in highly publicized media battles with the Air Force's Project Blue Book personnel over the reality of the phenomenon. His foundational advocacy set the structural template for the modern UAP disclosure movement.