classic UFO sightings in 1947 : what had just ended?

classic UFO sightings in 1952 over DC: what was going on?

The public didn't know much about modern technologies, like the Manhatten Project, but they "knew" it had to be something exotic and advanced, maybe even from aliens?

Here's a let's pretend scenario:

in 1947: the entire population of Roswell is nuclear physicists.

in 1952: the entire population of DC is rocket scientists.

What would the alternative history of UFO "flaps" be then?

I'll just conclude by paraphrasing Carl Sagan in the Cosmic Connection, that focus on aliens is really a reflection of the human psyche at any given time in history.