JANAP 146 (1953): Standardized CIRVIS/MERINT Reporting for Vital Intelligence Sightings by US and Canadian Civil and Military Aircraft and Vessels

To the point

JANAP 146 is a 1953 rule that created a mandatory, uniform system for quickly reporting vital sightings by US and Canadian civil and military aircraft and some ships, treating reports as intelligence, with CIRVIS for air/land and MERINT for sea sightings, a fixed data set and transmission formats, a defined reporting chain up to CINCONAD and RCAF-ADC, security rules and penalties for non‑reporting, and a classification scheme (Positive, Probable, Possible, Improbable), while noting airline PR headaches and including a forum discussion by meldrew and Laurance that compares archival guidance with modern views on disclosure and UFO debates, urging consideration of terrestrial explanations.