Lt. Colonel Hector Quintanilla (USAF) was a significant figure in the history of UFO investigations in the United States, particularly known for his role as the last Director of Project Blue Book, the U.S. Air Force’s official program for investigating UFO sightings. 

KNOWN FOR:

  • Director: Project Blue Book 1963 – 1969
  • Condon Committee (University of Colorado UFO Project) 1966 – 1968

Hector Quintanilla Jr. was an officer in the United States Air Force. His career in the Air Force spanned various roles, but he is most famously associated with Project Blue Book.

Role in Project Blue Book

Quintanilla became the director of Project Blue Book in 1963, taking over from Major Robert Friend. He was the last director of the project, overseeing it until its termination in 1969.

Approach and Philosophy

Quintanilla’s approach to UFO investigations was often characterized as skeptical. He emphasized scientific analysis and aimed to explain sightings through known phenomena or misidentifications. Under his leadership, the project worked to dispel public fears and address the growing number of UFO reports with rigorous scientific scrutiny.

Achievements and Controversies

  1. Explanation of Cases: Quintanilla and his team investigated thousands of UFO reports. They concluded that the majority of sightings could be attributed to natural phenomena, misidentified aircraft, or hoaxes.
  2. The Condon Report: Quintanilla played a role in supporting the work of the Condon Committee, led by physicist Edward Condon. The committee’s final report, published in 1968, concluded that further extensive study of UFOs was unlikely to yield significant scientific discoveries. This report influenced the decision to terminate Project Blue Book.
  3. Criticism: Quintanilla’s tenure was not without criticism. Some UFO researchers and enthusiasts accused him of being overly dismissive of credible sightings and of having a predetermined agenda to debunk UFO reports rather than investigate them impartially.

Legacy

Hector Quintanilla’s leadership marked the end of the U.S. Air Force’s official UFO investigations. After Project Blue Book was closed in 1969, the Air Force declared that no UFO reported, investigated, and evaluated by the Air Force was ever an indication of threat to national security or evidence of extraterrestrial vehicles.

Despite the controversies, Quintanilla’s work remains a significant part of UFO history. His efforts contributed to the formal conclusion of the U.S. government’s direct involvement in UFO investigations for many years.

Hector Quintanilla (sitting) and the Project Blue Book Staff 1963

Project Blue Book: The Top Secret UFO Files That Revealed the Government Cover-Up Audible Logo Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Project Blue Book: The Top Secret UFO Files That Revealed the Government Cover-Up Audible Logo Audible Audiobook – Unabridged


Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, while publicly dismissing the existence of UFOs, the United States Air Force (USAF) was engaged in a secret program for evaluating every report of unidentified flying objects. Under the code name Project Blue Book, the Air Force analyzed over 13,000 incidents.