23857122-0457-180273-0406

13 December 1948 AT -1009 3ricadier General Putt Inited States Air Force irector of Research and Development Cfice, Deputy Chief of Staff, Materiel Nashineton 25, D.C, Dear General Putt: Please refer to your letter of 18 November 1948 relative to the "flying object” problem and to Mr. Collbohm's reply dated 24 November 1948. In paragraph (b) of the reply, ir. Collbohm pronised (among other things) to send a discussion of the "special design and performance characteristics that are belleved to distinzuish space ships ; ihnis present ietter gives, in very general terms, a description o* the likelihood of a visit from ather worlds as an engineering problem and some points retarding the use of space vehicles as compared with descriptions of the flying objects. ‘Mr. Collbohm will deliver copies to Colonel McCoy at Wright-Patterson Air Base durins the RAND briefing there within the next few days. A good beginning is to discuss some possible places’ of origin of neaiceent S ia -e@ ships. Astronomers are largely in arpreement that only one member of the Solar system (besides Barth) dan supnort eee forms of life. It is the planet Mars. Even Mars appears cauite desolate and inhospitable so that Rn race would be more occupied with survival than we are on Eerth. Reference 1 sives adequate descriptions of conditions on the varicus planets and satellites A quotation from Ref. 1 (p. 229) can well be included is ere, "Whether intelligent beings exist to appreciate the splendors of the Martian lands Cape is pure Dee ia ce. If we have correctly reconstructed the histor ry of Mars, there is little reason to believe that the life processes may not have followei a ccurse similar to terrestrial evolution. With this assumption, three general possi- bilities emerge. Intelligent beings may have haa hh themselves against the excessively slow loss of atmos phere, oxygen and water, by constructing homes and cities with the physical conditions scientifically con- 28 larg trey might be v wiaigie Perhaps under rou where EES oS Bh érit pressure wou 1 b§ creater anc where Bee RA Te extremes would be reduced. Declassification Authority: NND 57565