65_HS1-834228961_62-HQ-83894_Section_1 First section of FBI HQ UFO file 62-HQ-83894, dating from July-August 1947 — the inaugural wave of 'flying disc' reports including SAC field-office summaries, an FBI memo to D.M. Ladd dated July 7, 1947, a San Marcos TX teletype of July 7 1947, references to Kenneth Arnold of Boise, and the Wisconsin priest who reported finding a metal disc; documents the Bureau's earliest involvement in flying-disc investigations alongside Army Air Forces.
Section 1 of 62-HQ-83894 (the original 1947 flying-disc records, including Hottel-era memos and Arnold references) is a foundational document partially posted on the FBI Vault main UFO file with prior redactions; this 2026 reissue includes additional declassified pages.
XTMEMT OF JUSTICE
: TIGATION
" \UARTERS|
DO NOT
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| NOI133s
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FOIPA# 222097,
PICKETT orprcr
Transfer - Céll 3421
Use Care in Handling this File
Ros
. Carson _
M @ About Saucers i . Egan
e s 2 BT Hendon ___
Pennin
Mr.g Ne
Mr. Quinn
Chinicago, JulJuly Mishg
llic_priest_at._Grafton, Wis, sald
isc|
T, Tt
o
* :
“of tire-yster- | ported “seen” by persons in 30
Brasky's disc was the
hat actually had been
hat is what wa= found.
tgg ton .= ¢of S‘J-
0
# few hourans
rt cameplane
‘His orepomilit
- «T’b’c casky Sjanier ary made
pEha on, 45|, cuccessful speed dash in an at
e, said he|i ompg to track dowe one of the
ofth of Milwauke the Army and scienti
Jeard| 4 swishing and Whirtinglgices and ascertam whether co:
acise this morning. A second later’ iucht to about the discs
ne_s ald, he heard a thud and #|to reports tae
-coast thro sky were fact
{mild explo sion. | z0om ing ugh
He investigated and found 2 or Apm fancy.
y planes scoured the north-|
<hest metal dise zbout 18 inches in|* wes: Pacif ic skies for ut|
them withoess”|
|diameter; . resembli0 ng 2 _ ““'cfllm’lsuccess today and one “eye witn
{saw blade one ofA
seen na.
| weig*Tne object still was Warflieven reported haviinng Arizo
hed about four o five pounds|the dises take off
Louis railroad man exhib ited
and was about one eighth of an|s¢.
|inch thick,"” he said.
was tera hole
|linchTherine diame
|som e pape
about one|seen float ing over St. Louis. had |
r “dise s” he said he
]
N
in the middle of
|the disc, he said, and in the open- | The flying saucers which have
|ing were “gadgets and some|bee n reported skimming through
| wires. s
" priest said he did not know! Ameri ca’s skies atoIspeeds up5 to
it The "discovery were important|{*00 ;‘y‘]“eie““‘;er’a‘;“d padc't
'his e
whether it might beo an elab-| Capti. e of thie
Browc nrelat
oo publi st y't
ions Arm
ate practical joke, He said eli
3, Col.
HT__Z: Johnson o[" the Milwaukee| See SAUCERS, Page
Aad_notified_the FBI
102
JUL7
nv
1947
WASHHINGTON POST
Page.
#ICERS—From Pag
€
fi]jnest Finds ‘..
Iy o .
about guidec
In Yard and Holysthe| wakoer nese ne Howard W. Blakeslee, Associ-
sal
i
o[ |ated Press science editor, said the
lsaid the Army Airways Communi- *}"h“‘_e business may be an optical
late itness accounts came a ne‘;“?efi'e*
‘cations Service had reported comments, and explay nations, but| |illus 5 ion.
its rada ri, were tinged with a | At any dista nce which is elose
terd
|yes A ay that so2 far I most of them 1o the limit of how far a person
|scopes throughout the c0\lntfy§5 ught tendency to laugh off the he wrote , “all objects
| can see,”
have been unable to pick up any|whole thing. roun d or mearly so. This
strange objects in flight. Dr. Winfred Overho lser, nation- | app" ‘ar
of sight covers both small
| And in the Pacific Northwest— ally known psychiatrist and super-| 1aw
where most of the fly-happy plat- intendent of St. Elizabeths of the thifgs seen nearby and Targe oos|
Hos-
ters have been reportéd—the Army pital here, said it “has some t distances.
has radar equipment which can |jq,
pierce fog and dark ness and pick earmarks of being national hys- | |at grea
i . “The one outstanding fact about
up objects in the sky 200 miles wmf‘ :‘2’;;"‘“"“‘“““ 5°$§3 g lvirtually all the saucers is that
| Overholser, “other Dl lthey had moy round structure—they
Even so, Brown acknowledged and fat
away.
decided| imaginations are sure they havd||seemed merel
that the Air Forces hadthis”
“there’s something to and|
the same thing.
seen || That descriptS eves play.tly with
ion
0o
fits exac This
had been checking 1t for 10 days. e eritical faculty In man, th{0e
Scratch the Etx'i(:kiness varies with differences
“And we still haven't the sligh t- last ome he recei ved, is still not!
idea what they could be,” he| very well developed. weather and lighting.”
Surface and you find the same mass in Nova Hart, St. Louis
added. dur- Howe ver,
And a new wrinkle—the repol - hysteria which predominated
scare.
ing the witcheraft ready Some |mechanicin who. was trained during
ed landing of a fleet of eight skim to sec service the war to spot all types
ming platters—was reported from persons are quite of aircraft, yesterday offered a
Tdaho in ful] view of 10 persons. A.| things and follow beliefs.” descr
minutg epatte iption of one of the
Dishman, ldah o housewif e, said Dr. Overh olser said that when|l| fyin rns which he claimed
party had he made his roun ds of the menta
she and others in her
saucers land on a moun patients yesterday at
St. Eliza-| saw fiying at an altitude of about |
seen the
tainside near St. Maries, Idaho . | Dbeths not a one commented on the 300 feet. |
at| flying saucers story.
he said they came into view ed,|
| Reporter Sees One
«I think they may be a little He described it as circular with|
aifextreme speed, suddenly slow added. er said ne| 3. Tibed framework and silver
ad then “futtered like leaves to|| skeptical,” he eigis red
trfe ground.” owever, Dr. OV: Do e atiog| Erey In color. e sald it appealler
“The mysterious part was th wisn't trying to di to have a motor With a prope
we couldn't see them after the on to-| |aachel B elikecenter
because there are so
e ianse things going
af a joke
4
and that it/:
Janded,” she said. “We could -y ihat onie can't be sure.” kept turning an airplane do-
|them fiutter down!' into the timb ander P.e de Seve | ingAlthough many explanations a slow roll.
[yet we couldn't see that they did| Mai. Alex
|anything to the trees.”
T
{old JChe |jaye been offered
o t“b “‘L“l“‘“ designer, Ney , none has beery
| She said she hoped to hike into v telephone from York |cdnvincing. A Los Angeles news{
the timber tomorrow and search| tht until he sees a flying saucer |pjper quoted an unnamed
nucle:
for the objects whic h she said were PYysicied from experiments indisc
he “wouldm't like {o pass judg-| rdsult st as saying the silvery thi|
saucer-shaped but resembled wash- ment.” .”
tubs mote than disks and were & : “{ransmutation of atomic energy
“about the size of a five-room He agreed with Dr? Overholser| rhis report was rapidly herded
that much if not all of the story|into the hoax column by David
| Litienthat, chairman of the Atomic
house.”
Locally, Hazen Kenn edy of 2615 a.
may be because of hysteri“we
4th st. ne. reported he had seen “Atter all” he sald, are||Enerey Commission, and several
one passing over the Northeast i o foss an HyeterE] Nationa | Srornent g NE SR
section of the city at about 8:40
Major
;
was pos-\,mz" .Ems“sstv"'d Hass
de Severskyf said it
°5°l| Louis E. Starr, national com-|
mander of the Veterans of Foreign
p.m
This would be the first one re- sible that the persons who claim|
ported over the District, although Fo have seen the aerial discs have||Wars, announced Saturday at Co-
others have been reported over instead glimpsed the exhaust of|/lum bus, Ohio, that he was expect-
nearby Maryland. jet-propelled planc: lling “momentarily” _information|
Kennedy, who has 125 hou: He conceded, too, " that they |from Washington Which would ex-|
flying time as a student pilot in| might be guided missiles let loose Pt the dashing discs. But the|
the Army Air Forces to his credit, as part of an experiment, but Mmessage never arived. |
hel addeds
said he believed the saucer“well The Air Forces said that Gen
had seen was traveling at Government |Cavl Spaatz, Air Forces chief, Was|
“I don't think tHe
over” 1000 miles an hour at an| Would fire them so bromiscuously. (1. the; Pactfc Nozceieet Wliere]
altitude of between 1200 and 1500, [TLO5¢ OF the Baucons haye bean re-|
They would test thiens in.ond pot, (EOcteds
feet. DIE BOle, SRS tin)
i oa molated on likBthey-dt, therel waz fplamtz}e\d “two month
“The best way T can deseribe It,” the atomic bomb.”
s|
said Kennedy, “was that it looked Maj. Gen, s E. 3 scare.
ago, long before the saucers
like an orange lamp bulb without
the socket, It was going faster than|‘geseal‘ch and Development would Washington late tomorrow.
_ Muroc Army Air Field in Call-
any jet plane I've ever seen.”
n Hagerstown, Md., Mrs. Ma now if the saucers involved ex- fornia had a P-80 jet fighter stan
Ganoe, 30, said she had sec] periments with guided missiles, ing by, and the National Guard if |
e of the dises, racing in 2-1 commented: regon had prepared six regulfr|
rmation at “terrific speed,” frof | “Whatever these people have fighters to give chase shouid
seen it hasn't' been anything re- saucers be reported nearby. ¢ |
r backporch. “They sounded 1ii
a faraway train,” she said. l sulting from experiments by the
Army Air Forces. As for as I'm
concerned there’s nothing to it
at all. The whole 5
(ol < ]
REPORTLU ¥UUN
RECEIVED
o-=S= »= ==
-
This image contains all the
information on the document. |1
—_—
SPECIAL MESSENGER
August 5, 1947
Director of Intelligence
War Department General Staff
The Pentagon
Washington 25, D, C.
Attention: Colonel L. R. Forney, Chief, Security Group
John Edgar Hoover - Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation
R. REIBOLD
There are attached hereto copies of a letter received fro
above-captioned .individual, together with copies of a newspaper ol
enclosure, concerning "flying discs." 5
S ~p
N¥r. Reibold's leiter has been acknowledged amg-he has been advised
that gopies of his letter have been furnished to you for your censideration.
piertts SECTION
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ot the chemls
the &elghmnt%;u
tistry. He had two
alyze the ashes. Th
i, potai iron, alumj
im, earbonne.
s“Fhut e and
tcarbon he
u&“?/m’g&o-Am AMM
JM&W/M? _4/:14/‘/,,3//»7 ou%
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A wee o af By Gamm ag
Lol e
‘t"‘-v}/ow‘b”%m 9 o atlling s 7y
F‘T‘”me
July 11, 1947.
Dear Sirs
Have you seen one of the mysterious "Saucers"?
What did it look like?
Do you think these strange, celestial manifesta-
tions are harbingers of a better day?
Do you believe it means that a new and revolutionary
advance is coming?
Will it make your life brighter, happier, more
useful?
We believe one of these startling discs is on its
way to you. Then the secret will be out.
The Combined and Amalgamated Committee
of Sky-Scanners, Disc Decipherers and
New-Product Introducers.
|
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Ofiice Memorandum - vnitep states GOVERNMENT ~ |
T0 : MR. D. M. LAD?\.C DATE: July 7, 1947
Al
FROM : H. B. FIETCHER/
SUBJECT: s /
At 10:45 aeme, July 7, 1947, I talked to SAC Johnson of the
Milwaukee Office concerning the United Press item appearing in the
Washington Post for Monday, July 7, with reference to a flying disc
or flying saucer allegedly reported to the Milwaukee Office by
Reverend Josep%?asky of St. Joseph's Church, Grafton, Wisconsin.
SAC Johnson advised that the Associated Press and the Unitéga
Press between the hours 1:00 and 6:00 a.m. today had made inquiry off
him as to whether anything had been reported to the Milwaukee Officés
He declined to comment., He stated as a matter of fact the priest had.
not made any contact with him, and he learned from the Associated Press
that the priest was intoxicated and as far as the Associated Press was
concerned they were not releasing the story because all that was involved
was a circular saw. Mr. Johnson stated the Milwaukee Sentinel apparently
sent the report out and that they handled United Press service. He stated
a photograph of the priest was in this morning's paper holding a circular
saw which apparently covers the body of the priest from arm pit to arm pit.
\ Attached to the saw are several wires and two small tubes described as
about three inches long and one inch in diesmeter. The news item in the
Milwaukee Sentinel indicates it was believed some prankster had thrown it
into the yard, perhaps with a firecracker attached. Mr. Johnson stated the
Milwaukee Sentinel had stated the priest would make a report of this matter
today to the Milwaukee Office. I instructed SAC Johnson in the event the
priest made a report to furnish details of the report immediately, but in
view of the nature of the information in his possession, no inquiry should
be conducted at the present,
HEF': cow
58 JUL 6218/
lhohides g ; wp
MLSAC 40 “143
0 ‘5'r
M
2
oM
1cS AD
M W
g Bued
ROOW
NASHINGTO
P
RECEIVED
JUL 15 1947
5 GENTS PER COPY. No, 91 PAGE 1
s¢t Home Boy FIRST ITS FLYING DISKS — NOW
"Winner In ITS “FIRE BALLS” PEOPLE SEF
A lot of Texans are disk-gust- s tl\e first time the aerial
ed with the flying saucers, but objects were reported in. that 3-
others are just plain disk-turbed: rvea, Residents of the Brushy
Flying balls of fire circled a Creek community, 15 miles north-
£i5 Eeaon. Ging in the pass
wide area around Palestine, and cast of Palestine, called Sheviff
of' menths a Sweet Home some negrocs, believing the end Stanford about 8:30 last night,
has brought honor to his of the world was near, begau saying 12 balls were flying in a
unity by winning literary praying, A white man grabbed straight line over the community.
holastic acelaim,
a rifle and shot at the myster- Then, they reported, the halls
st to achieve b formed a eircle which began mov-
ious objects.
in Anthony M Sheriff Paul Stanford of An- ing toward Palestine.
High School graduate who derson County described them as By 9 p. m. hundreds of Pales-
a 'sehelarship to ‘A, and M. tine spectators reported seeing as
orange basketballs of fir(‘
;ge. Now word - reaches us many as three balls in the sky
D:nnis Brenek, eleven-year- at once, moving in a circle. Sher-
son of Mr. and Mis. Ed
iek of Sweet Home ;has b
«ded a prize of-a $25 Savi
' Revealing Flymg iff Stanford discounted any sug-
gestion that the balls originated
from a spotlight.
1 in the KTRH Farm Essay
nnis won sixth place with his
Disk Data May Bud Everett, druggist,
them for a hetter view. He said
they finally disappeared abont 11
chasad
Bring Prosecution
y on the subject ‘“How Radio p. M.
Best Serve the Farm and Mrs. Horace Valenting said she
Farm Home.’" In commenting saw two' perfectly round balls
this essay, George Ros
Anyone willfully communicat-
that ‘“nearly seared me to death’
3
H Farm and Ranch Dir fl'ox the when they appeared over her
ing information bearing on
“Your essay contained [ home. " Sho. soid—£ey" seemeq (&
defense or security of the nation/
v excellant ideas which we is be' playing with each other, the
— even in time of peace —
ot to use in future farm pro- way they jumped around.
St subject to a fine of $10,000 and
imprisonment of 10 years, accord- Her husband and Lee Chavers
nning confests is mothing ing fo Assistant United States shot a hox of 22 rifle bullets
to Dennis, who, in 1946, won District Attorney Joseph .W Cash. without any effect on the objeets.
tered pig with ap essay If ' the present mystery of Mrs, Valentine said neighbor-
ing disks are comnected ing neero families thought the
od in the Sears-Roebuck con-
Again, in February 1947, he dar or guide] missile experil world was coming to an end,
©d a calf in the Hallettsville the law might apply, he said, and began praying as the balls
Club Show, and out of 12 The law applies whether the of fire gamboled overhead.
s awarded he took fifth information is released accident- Mrs, Lovens Shrader, Big
Springs reported she saw a_fiery
ally, ““through gross negligence,’”
or “‘with infent to injure the U- red ball streaking overhead last
5. Brenek 'is Sweet Home's
nited States or aid some foreign night.
nistress
nation,”’ according to the act. Mrs, Marian Reed, farm wife,
The Atomic Energy Act of 1946 found what she believed was part
Growing
provides even strieter penalties of a flying disk. Tt landed in her
for revealing information, Mr. back yard while she was hanging
Cash said. Public Law 585 of the out the clothes yesterday after-
Seventy-Ninth Congress provides noon. She admitted she was
death or life imprisonment, after frightened. She deseribed it as a
due process of law, for diselosing round. piece of tinfoil eight inch-
ateurs' Display atomic information with intent to
injure the United States.
es wide, scorched or burned a-
vound the edges. Both sides were
shiny, but one side was marked
For accidental disclosures a
icellent Form and im- with black, steneiled lines a anar-
fine of up to #20,000
prisonment up to 20 years are
ter-inch apart, She said the tine
provided, Mr. Cash pointed out.
foil dropped straight down from
e
the sky.
akum softball teams showed L
She lifted it with a stick; pit
of good playing in the gomes
Gas Truck Hits
it in a tin cam, and droye . five
:d at the Bulldog Stadium
miles to Cunter, 20 miles south-
weiek.
west of Sherman, Scores crowded
about to see it.
Local Station
i teams, organized by
merchants and concer: ir At Melissa, Collin County, Mrs.
1, are composed of members Marie Killian and Mrs. RKay Crdft
amatenr standing who hav: reported seeing a strange objéet
some previous experience with
A gaaolmo epir i iofi tho at 8:40 p. m. yesterday.
l!nt or scheol ball pla; ng.
Texas Consolidated Transport Co. Charles Calhoun, and his fath-
;, some of the player
yan into a heavy pipe upright in J. Calhoun, prominent
2 shown sueh expert ball-
front of Rohan’s Service Station Grayson County farmers, said
dling and sportsmanship that
Monday, doing some damage to they saw a disk yesterday nedr
the station and more to the Sherman.
5 hard to believe fliey are nol
truck.
Cuero Residents
ssionals out of place. The
The truck was ~coming from
chants who organized these
town, along West Grand, and
18 are certainly deing their
turned into the station. As the
e toward providing reereation
driver cnt the eab back to swing
See Flying Disc
lities for the young people of
the trailer into position, the eab
community, and are to be
skidded info the steel pipe roof
plimented on their fine work.
support on the right of the truck,
er merchants or concerns who il
bending it comsiderably. The
to organize a team may Cuero has finally produced ifs
tnek itself suffered a bent bum-
n all the particulars from fivst flying dise,
ph MeMaster af the Firestone
per and a smashel fender. A
Tt was reported by Mrs. . W,
on Lott Street, or from
gasoline pump directly behind the
FHaak of 410 Stockdale street, and
upright was not damaged by the both she and her husband saw it.
R. C. McClendon at Lack’s
ociate Store on West Grand.
crash,
However, Mrs. Haak’s fl"\q
bogs or men wishing to play
e
dise is no particular mvstery to
her. She thinks she knows just
Lions To Make
s may make
tone Store, what causel it.
k’s, Rohan’s Service Station, Tt was simply a reflestion frot
Hamilton’s Jewelry Store, de- an airplane, she said.
eam to play with, There is Farmer Award Sitting on the porch with heér
hushand about 4 pm.
she
Sunday,
heard a
plenty of room for good Mrs. Haak said
4
so anyone interested is The Lions strange noise from the sky, and
Club has announced
ed to contact one of these th at ab its vegular noon meeting looked up, Soon. an airplane
came
s, sday, July 15th, it will pre- into view, high in the clouds. 1%
sent to Lee Pargmann of Route was very small, but plainly dm»
5, the plague for the Outstanding cernable as a plane, she said.
Inly one game is definitely
eduled for next week, and that| was coming from the east.
Fammer for the Middle Guadalupe
Monday night, when The Fire- Soon it turned north, and just
Basin Soil Conservation District.
ove will tangle with the
The plague is given each year after that a perfeet dise was vis-
s Dr. Peppers, Tuesday
to the farmer from each conser-
ible some distance from where
it Lack's Associate Store will the plane disappeared into the
vation distriet who has contribut-
v, but their opponent has not clonds.
ed nmxl to the soil conser 1Imu
n named yet. Also, on Thurs-
rnight the Firestone team will
P in the particular d
The dise appeared brigkt and
The award is spongored by a num- very silvery. It appedrod fo He
in play a game, but no team
her of organizations, among them smaller in size than an ordinary
been stated to oppose them
the Lions Clubs of the various steering wheel of a cav, Mis.
On Friday night of this weel,
towns, Sinee the Lions do play an
ame will ks played, but the Haak reported. Tt seemed to Be
active part in sponsoring this a- “floating”’ across the heavens.
have
ward, fhe local club is given the She called her husband’s = at-
I privilege of presenting the plague tention to it. They both saw it.
to Mr. Pargmann,
After about five seconds the
each wight.
Representatives of the Soil Con- dise was gone, The plane and ths
to come and
servation Service will be present sound disappeared.
. No adrission will be charg- to make short congratulatory and Mrs. Haak is convineed tha
explanatory speeches on the giv- flying saucer was reflected from
ing of the annual award, the airplanc. This theory also Las
been advanced by others.
BE HERE purpose of receiving claims and The flying disc mystery has the
S discussing Old Age and Swrvivors nation
[…truncated…]