Frank Allyn Edwards
(August 4, 1908 – June 23, 1967). Frank
Edwards served on the original NICAP Board of Governors.
He was an American
writer and broadcaster, and
one of the pioneers in radio. He hosted a radio show
broadcast across the United States in the 1940s and 1950s.
After WWII, the Mutual Broadcasting System hired Edwards
to host a nationwide news and opinion program sponsored by
the American Federation of Labor
. Edwards'
program was a success, and became nationally popular. In
1948, Edwards received an advance copy of "Flying Saucers
Are Real," a magazine article written by retired U.S.
Marine Corps Major Donald E. keyhoe
.
Though already interested in the UFO reports that had
earned widespread publicity since 1947, Edwards was
captivated by Keyhoe's claims that the U.S. military knew
the saucers were actually extraterrestrial spaceships.
Edwards began mentioning UFOs on his radio program, and
wrote several books on the subject. He was dismissed from
the radio program in 1954, for reasons that remain
uncertain. His interest in UFOs was believed to be a
factor,
but Edwards's editor and friend Rory Stuart
wrote, "[AFL President] George Meany insisted that Frank
Edwards not mention any [competing labor union] CIO
labor
leaders on his program. He flatly refused and was fired."
In spite of thousands of letters in protest of his
dismissal, Edwards was not reinstated.