* Initially skeptical: The US government initially dismissed reports of the existence of UFOs as hoaxes or natural phenomena. However, public interest in the issue grew in the late 1940s and early 1950s, and the government eventually felt compelled to investigate.
* Project Blue Book: In 1948, the US Air Force launched Project Blue Book, a systematic study of UFO sightings. Project Blue Book investigated over 12,000 sightings over a period of 20 years, but concluded that the vast majority of them were hoaxes or misidentifications of natural objects.
* Disclosure: In 1969, the US government released a report on Project Blue Book, which stated that "no evidence has been discovered that UFOs are extraterrestrial vehicles." However, some government officials have since hinted that the US government may have more information about UFOs than it is willing to release to the public.
Soviet Union
* Similar response: The Soviet Union initially dismissed reports of UFO sightings as hoaxes or Western propaganda. However, the Soviet government also felt compelled to investigate the issue, and in the 1950s and 1960s, it conducted its own studies of UFO sightings.
* Project Ozma: In 1959, the Soviet Union launched Project Ozma, a radio telescope project that searched for extraterrestrial signals. Project Ozma was unsuccessful in finding any evidence of extraterrestrial life, but it did help to raise the scientific community's interest in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI).
* Disclosure: The Soviet Union never officially released any reports on its UFO investigations. However, some former Soviet officials have since claimed that the Soviet government did believe in the existence of UFOs, and that it even had contact with extraterrestrial beings.
Overall, the superpowers reacted to the existence of UFOs with a mix of skepticism and curiosity. They conducted investigations into UFO sightings, but ultimately concluded that there was no evidence to support the claims that UFOs were extraterrestrial vehicles.