APRIL 29 - 63 YEARS AGO C.I.O.V.I. WAS BORN IN URUGUAY

 

 

 

It was a beautiful evening on April of 1958. Approximately 40 people met with the purpose to deal with the "flying saucers" issue in Uruguay.

Nobody dealt with it there, but throughout the world there were about 300 private organizations dedicated to the investigation and study, and of course, the most convincing argument that this was a serious matter and that it was worthwhile to dedicate to it, was the fact that the United Stats Air Force was involved in.

Therefore the agreement among all the present was to create an entity.

Obviously, no organization could really work if it has to deal with 40 people discussing the issue and having their own particular views. 

It was an intelligent step to create a Commission that along the time will become the Directive Council, in which every person will have the same responsibilities and will equally represent the Center.

This small group of seven people chose a name: C.I.O.V.I. meaning Unidentified Flying Objects Investigation Center. 

It was the will to contribute to the country and the Uruguayan society that inspired all of us in the Center. No rewards, no money, no fame, just service and a demanding work done with honesty and applying the scientific principles.

Through the years, C.I.O.V.I. was credited to be a serious organizations. We were able to sit around a table and deal with scientists at the same level, because we won that trust.

We also became known and respected abroad. American, Argentinian and Brazilian publications recognized us as hard and responsible workers in Ufology.

The Uruguayan Air Force lend us a hand and the support we needed to do our work, and we never failed. A copy of any case investigated went to the Air Force through their Second Division, Intelligence. The Force provided us with valuable information of civilian and military air traffic, and many times with ground transportation. Exceptionally we requested to be transported by air, when we have to go far away the capital city, Montevideo. 

C.I.O.V.I. dealt with hundreds of UFO reports. No one of them escaped to the meticulous scrutiny of the Center. Only two of them remained classified as UFO, until years later --having access to information we didn't have before in one case and reviewing another-- we came to plausible conclusions and they lost the character of unidentified. 

After 50 years of unprecedented and permanent work in the area, the Directive Council decided that there were no more reason neither new cases that justified the continuation of the Center, and it closed its doors. 

We received a lot of recognition and laudatory comments from many parts of the world, and of course, from the Uruguayan Air Force. 

The end of C.I.O.V.I. marked the beginning of the Unusual Aerial Phenomena Study Group, U.A.P.S.G., (which is international) dedicated to share knowledge about Astronomy, Space Activity, Physics, and news about the UFO subject, named now UAP for Unidentified Aerial Phenomena by the Pentagon.

You can read the web page https://www.uapsg.com/ to be updated on those relevant subjects.

Milton W. Hourcade