Curtis LeMay
General Curtis Emerson LeMay (1906–1990) was a highly decorated U.S. Air Force general who served as Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force from 1961 to 1965. LeMay is a central figure in UFO secrecy history, known both for creating the Strategic Air Command Elite Guard — a blue-bereted security unit — and for denying Senator Barry Goldwater access to classified UFO materials at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
| Role | General, US Air Force |
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Strategic Air Command Elite Guard (1956)
In 1956, General LeMay created the Strategic Air Command (SAC) Elite Guard, an Air Force police unit that wore distinctive blue fatigues and blue berets. The SAC Elite Guard provided base security for Strategic Air Command headquarters and installations from 1956 to 1966, a timeframe that includes the 1965 Kecksburg UFO Crash.
Witnesses at Kecksburg specifically described Air Force personnel in blue fatigues and blue berets arriving at the crash site within 15 minutes of civilian first responders — despite the nearest known military base being 45 miles away. The rapid deployment and presence of blue-bereted personnel has led researchers to question whether the SAC Elite Guard or a related covert unit was involved in UAP crash retrievals.
LeMay's creation of this specialized security force occurred during the same period when alleged UAP crash retrieval operations were being documented by researcher Leonard Stringfield, who described a rapid-reaction unit known as the Blue Berets tasked with securing crashed UFOs.
Denial of Access to the "Blue Room"
LeMay is infamous in UFO research circles for denying Senator Barry Goldwater access to a classified facility at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base known as the "Blue Room," where retrieved UFO materials were allegedly stored. Goldwater, a close personal friend of LeMay and a brigadier general in the Air Force Reserve, later recounted that LeMay became angry when Goldwater asked for access and told him, "Not only can't you get into it, but don't you ever mention it to me again."
This denial is significant because Goldwater held high-level security clearances and had served in military and intelligence capacities. LeMay's refusal suggests the materials in question were protected under compartmentalized programs beyond standard Top Secret classifications.
Air Force Chief of Staff During Key UAP Period
LeMay served as Air Force Chief of Staff from 1961 to 1965, a period that included:
- The height of Project Blue Book's operations
- Multiple alleged UAP crash retrievals documented by researchers
- The 1965 Kecksburg UFO Crash
LeMay was succeeded by General John P. McConnell in February 1965. Notably, McConnell attended President Lyndon B. Johnson's meetings at his Texas residence on December 10, 1965 — the day after the Kecksburg crash — alongside the full Joint Chiefs of Staff, Defense Secretary, NASA Director, and other senior officials.
Connection to UAP Secrecy
General LeMay's role in creating the blue-bereted SAC Elite Guard, his denial of Blue Room access, and his tenure as Air Force Chief of Staff during critical UAP incidents position him as a central figure in the institutional management of UFO secrecy. His actions suggest he wielded significant authority over access to retrieved materials and was directly involved in compartmentalizing UAP-related information even from senior Congressional and military figures.
James Conley Air Force Base Incident
The July 1999 MUFON UFO Journal cites an incident in which LeMay was present at James Conley Air Force Base during a close encounter between an F-89J Scorpion aircraft and a 30-foot UFO with four blue-white lights. After a near collision, the object departed vertically and disappeared at 990,000 feet altitude. LeMay's presence at the scene of a documented UFO encounter further reinforces his connection to the institutional management of these incidents.