Yankee Blue - The Hazing Ritual Responsible for Some Military Belief in UFOs?

[Hwy666]

From 1955 onwards, the CIA's highly classified U-2 aircraft flew at altitudes far above ordinary commercial air traffic.

Pilots and observers reported unusual objects, particularly when sunlight illuminated the aircraft at dawn or dusk.

Air Force Project Blue Book investigators could sometimes identify the objects as U-2 aircraft through classified channels.

Rather than reveal the secret aircraft, investigators sometimes supplied alternative explanations involving atmospheric effects.

That's where the contradiction lies.

After the Roswell PR debacle, Blue Book's doctrine was to use literally anything but flying saucers to explain away or run interference for classified aircraft like the U2 and generic UFO sightings.

Even an explanation as dubious as marsh gas was better than saying it was a flying saucer.

Until that evidence is available, the claim remains an unverified allegation, not an established historical fact. You're criticising the logic of an operation whose existence hasn't yet been independently demonstrated. Unless I stated in my opening I have your point

It's both the lack of evidence and methodology that makes me question Yankee Blue. With Roswell in the rearview mirror, I have a really hard time believing anyone in the military especially would use something as inflammatory as alien flying saucers as a cover story for anything.

It reminds me of a quote from a pretty good movie:

"Martin, it's all psychological. You yell barracuda, everybody says, 'Huh? What?' You yell shark, we've got a panic on our hands on the Fourth of July."
Mayor Larry Vaughn, Jaws.

 

[John J.]

...I have a really hard time believing anyone in the military especially would use something as inflammatory as alien flying saucers as a cover story for anything.

"Yankee Blue" was unofficial, unapproved. Probably Just some old hands having a laugh at the newcomer's expense.
I guess it's possible (conjecture) there were similar pranks that were not part of an organised or coordinated "campaign" of any sort, e.g. maybe not all used the phrase Yankee Blue. People, including generally responsible people, sometimes do silly things. Others sometimes believe tall tales that most don't fall for.

Whether the subject of flying saucers/ UFOs is inflammatory is perhaps subjective; if they exist as (e.g.) alien spacecraft might be a matter of debate for some, but there are many real-world subjects of undoubted seriousness that might have served as the basis for irresponsible pranking of military/ defense staff- perhaps more believable narratives with potentially more serious consequences if believed. If those perpetrating a Yankee Blue-type prank didn't take UFOs seriously themselves, they might not have considered it inflammatory. Maybe they half-expected that the newcomer wouldn't really take it seriously, or would be put right by their colleagues in short order, just like most guys sent to get the tartan paint know it's a gag (and maybe their boss knows that they know, but the mark has to go along with it).