Brad Sparks

Early Career and Research Foundation

Brad Sparks is an aerospace researcher and historian with over 30 years of experience in UFO investigations and archival analysis. Operating at the intersection of rigorous documentation and critical evaluation, Sparks has become one of the most respected voices in UFO historiography, distinguishing himself through meticulous research methodology and evidence-based skepticism.

The Blue Book Catalog Project

Sparks' most significant contribution to UFO research is his comprehensive catalog of approximately 2,200 Project Blue Book cases classified as "Unknown" spanning January 1947 through March 1969. This work emerged from a practical necessity: the official Air Force archives contained gaps, mislabeled entries, and missing files that made any definitive historical assessment impossible. Sparks systematically reconstructed and documented these cases, supplementing official records with additional data from other researchers and archival sources. His catalog remains the only major systematic compilation of Blue Book's most puzzling cases, addressing the difficulty that many investigations were misclassified as "identified" despite lacking adequate explanation.

By authoritatively establishing that Project Blue Book's official closure occurred on January 30, 1969 (citing the May 1970 NICAP UFO Investigator), Sparks corrected the historical record and provided a foundation for subsequent UFO research.

Critical Contributions to UFO Scholarship

Sparks' seminal analysis of the 1957 RB-47 radar-visual case was published in Jerome Clark's definitive UFO Encyclopedia: The Phenomenon From The Beginning (Vol. 2, 1998), establishing him as a leading expert on one of the most compelling radar-corroborated UFO encounters. This work exemplified his approach: applying rigorous technical scrutiny to high-credibility cases while maintaining scholarly distance from uncritical UFO advocacy.

Perhaps most notably, Sparks co-authored "The Secret Pratt Tapes and the Origins of MJ-12" with Barry Greenwood, originally published in the MUFON 2007 International UFO Symposium Proceedings. This work "documentally demolished" the credibility of the MJ-12 documents, exposing them as fabrications through meticulous textual and historical analysis—a critical intervention that clarified decades of misunderstanding about the alleged secret government panel.

Institutional Roles and Media Work

Sparks co-founded the Citizens Against UFO Secrecy (CAUS), an advocacy organization dedicated to FOIA disclosure of government UFO records. He has also contributed to the Center for UFO Studies (CUFOS), continuing J. Allen Hynek's legacy of systematic case analysis. His work has extended to television consultation, including "Best Evidence: Top 10 UFO Sightings," bringing scholarly perspective to mainstream media discussions of UFO phenomena.

Research Stance and Impact

Sparks' approach represents what might be called "academic skepticism"—a commitment to rigorous evidence standards combined with willingness to acknowledge genuinely anomalous cases. As his career has progressed, he has become increasingly critical of UFO narratives that rely on speculation rather than documentation, yet he maintains respect for well-documented historical cases and continues to advocate for transparency in government records. His database work and critical analysis have made him indispensable to any serious UFO historian, establishing standards for archival rigor and evidentiary standards that define contemporary UFO scholarship.