Originally called The Bureau for Investigating the Loch Ness Phenomena Ltd., a bureau that was established to serve a dual function: to receive reports of observations and investigations and to promote actively research concerning the loch and its famous inhabitant (or inhabitants) the loch ness monster. The bureau was established in 1962 at Achnahannet on the shore of the loch. It recorded random sightings, initiated projects investigating the loch principally concerned with locating and identifying the monster(s) beyond reasonable doubt and helped other organizations in their explorations of the loch. It fulfilled that role until it closed in 1972.
In 1967 Professor Roy Mackal became a director of the bureau and garnered substantial support from the United States for its activities. The bureau’s headquarters at Achnahannet also served as an exhibition for the eccentric and unusual connected with the loch. In 1971 alone, 50,000 visitors viewed its small display of photographs, maps, and charts. The bureau recorded 200 eye¬ witness sightings of the monster between 1963 and 1972, after scrupulously rejecting any that it felt were doubtful. It assisted investigating teams from as far afield as Europe (including Britain), the Americas, Australia, and Japan. When it closed in 1972, lacking both sufficient funds and planning permission to continue on its present site, it could rightly claim to have done a thorough and conscientious job. Nevertheless, it had failed to locate and identify the monster “beyond reasonable doubt.”