The U.S. Air Force conducted a 22-year investigation, based out of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, called Project Blue Book which studied evidence for the existence of UFOs. J. Allen Hynek, Project Blue Book's lead investigator from 1948 to 1969, investigated hundreds of UFO reports each year. The official conclusion of the project was that no evidence of extraterrestrials or extraterrestrial vehicles existed. Critics, however, argue that Project Blue Book was never really intended to be a serious scientific study and that its real purpose was simply public relations. Their mission, according to Robert Goldberg, author of Enemies Within: The Culture of Conspiracy in Modern America, was to "denounce the UFOs, dismiss the UFOs, debunk the UFOs and anybody who believes in them." And, in fact, Project Blue Book did dismiss sightings by many credible witnesses, including experienced military personnel. Col. Robert Friend, the project's director from 1958 to 1963, has admitted that Blue Book's real purpose was to "re-educate the public regarding UFOs, to take away the aura of mystery." In 1969, the Air Force shut down Project Blue Book, concluding that UFOs were of no "scientific interest". But after more than twenty years on the job and over 12,000 investigations, lead investigator J. Allen Hynek had become a believer. He spent the rest of his life investigating UFO sightings and, in 1973, founded the Center for UFO Studies in Chicago. He served as the center's scientific director until his death in 1986. CUFOS continues Hynek's legacy, to this day, through its serious study and examination of the UFO phenomenon.