1962
An audio excerpt from a 1962 Walter Cronkite interview in which Mercury astronaut Gordon Cooper speaks candidly about UFOs — notably framing the phenomenon as credible based on the caliber of witnesses, not fringe speculation. Coming just months after his own orbital mission, Cooper's willingness to entertain the existence of extraterrestrial life on the record, in a mainstream broadcast context, makes this a rare early data point in the public credibility arc of the UFO conversation.
In November 1962, journalist Walter Cronkite interviewed astronaut Gordon Cooper. In this excerpt from that interview, Cronkite asks Cooper about his views regarding the nature of unidentified flying objects, having previously expressed an interest in the subject. Cooper opines that “a large number of exceptionally well-qualified people have seen objects” without a “logical explanation” and speculates on the existence of other planets with “a livable atmosphere” and that maybe there are “some type of human life” out there. Interview was conducted in November 1962.