Donald Edward Keyhoe was a retired U.S. Marine Corps major and aviation writer who became a leading civilian investigator of UFOs. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1919, served as a Marine aviator until injured in 1922, and returned to active duty during World War II before retiring as a major.
Keyhoe published the 1950 book The Flying Saucers Are Real after investigating Pentagon reports and pilot accounts. He charged that the Air Force tracked structured craft under intelligent control since 1947 yet withheld the extraterrestrial conclusion and censored sightings to avoid panic.
- Graduated U.S. Naval Academy 1919; commissioned second lieutenant USMC.
- Resigned active duty 1923 after 1922 Guam plane crash injury; recalled WWII, retired major 1945.
- Published The Flying Saucers Are Real article and book 1950 claiming Air Force cover-up of ET craft.
- Served as NICAP director 1957–1969, lobbying Congress for classified UFO file releases.
- Died November 29, 1988, in New Market, Virginia, at age 91.
- United States Marine CorpsMajor, retired
- United States Naval AcademyGraduate, Class of 1919
- National Investigations Committee on Aerial PhenomenaDirector 1957–1969
- United StatesBorn and lifelong resident
Background
Donald Edward Keyhoe was born June 20, 1897, in Ottumwa, Iowa. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1919 with a B.S. degree and received a commission as a second lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps. Keyhoe trained as a naval aviator, flying both airplanes and balloons during his early service years.
In 1922 Keyhoe suffered a permanent arm injury in an airplane crash in Guam. The injury forced his resignation from the Marine Corps in 1923. He then worked for the National Geodetic Survey and the U.S. Department of Commerce while beginning a writing career focused on aviation topics.
Keyhoe managed Charles Lindbergh’s 1927 coast-to-coast promotional tour after the solo transatlantic flight. This assignment led to his 1928 book Flying With Lindbergh. He built a successful freelance writing career with articles and fiction stories appearing in major publications throughout the 1920s and 1930s.
During World War II the Marine Corps recalled Keyhoe to active duty. He served in a Naval Aviation Training Division and rose to the rank of major before retiring again at the end of the war. His Pentagon contacts from this period later proved useful in his UFO research.
In 1949 True magazine assigned Keyhoe to investigate flying saucer reports. Interviews with pilots and military officers convinced him that the objects were real, intelligently controlled craft of extraterrestrial origin. The resulting January 1950 article and expanded book The Flying Saucers Are Real sold hundreds of thousands of copies and asserted that the Air Force knew this truth but suppressed it.
Keyhoe cofounded the National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena in 1956. He became its director in early 1957 after the original leadership stepped down. Under his direction NICAP collected reports, published a newsletter, and repeatedly petitioned Congress for open hearings on military UFO secrecy.
Throughout the 1950s and 1960s Keyhoe published additional books including Flying Saucers From Outer Space in 1953 and Flying Saucers: Top Secret in 1960. He cited specific radar-visual cases and Air Force regulations that he said required withholding UFO information from the public. NICAP membership reached about 15,000 at its peak.
In December 1969 NICAP’s board removed Keyhoe as director following disputes over finances and strategy. He remained on the board of governors briefly but largely withdrew from active leadership. His final UFO book, Aliens From Space, appeared in 1973 and shifted emphasis to alleged CIA involvement in the cover-up.
Keyhoe maintained contacts with military and scientific figures throughout his advocacy. He appeared on television programs including a 1958 Mike Wallace interview and testified before congressional committees on UFO matters. His work established the extraterrestrial hypothesis and government secrecy narrative as central themes in civilian UFO research.
Legacy
Donald Keyhoe died of pneumonia and cardiac arrest on November 29, 1988, at age 91 in New Market, Virginia. He is buried in Luray, Virginia.
Keyhoe’s books and NICAP leadership established the core claims of extraterrestrial origin and official cover-up that continue to shape public discussion of UFOs and UAP. Several of his works are now in the public domain.
Last updated 25 October 2026