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FBI file 62-HQ-83894 Flying Discs, section 3

Department of War · 2026-05-08 · 190 pages · text from the file's own layer

This section of FBI file 62-HQ-83894 on flying discs collects 1947 FBI memoranda, teletypes and Army Air Forces intelligence papers. It includes F. M. Johnson's report of discs near Mt. Adams on June 24, 1947, the Maury Island claims of Harold Dahl and Fred Crisman, the fatal B-25 crash at Kelso, Washington that killed investigators Davidson and Brown, MIT findings that New Hampshire fragments were ordinary cast iron, and A. C. Urie's Twin Falls sighting. It ends with the Bureau discontinuing its disc investigations.

August 19, 1947
Island to BRC;'?T and DAUIDSON. Following this recitation, Lieutenant BR071N,
in ans,,er to a query from '::''!TB, said that he and Captain !),'.VIDS0flT were of
the opinion that there might be some truth in the current flying disc stories,
but that their immediate superiors (presumably A- 2 at Hamilton Field) did not
agree with them. BRCt..'N and DAVIDSON then held a brief discussion as to whether
they should return that same night to Hamilton Field and they decided that
they would. All five of the men then went down to the lobby where BRO.,N
detached himself from the group and entered a phone booth to call for a car
from :~cChord Field. SMITH also left the group and met BRO\'IN outside the phone
booth llhere they held a short discussion relative to the credibility of CRIS
~~N and DAHL I s story. B::10 IN indicated to Sl !ITH that he should attemt to find
out if the story was on the level and that BRO.m 1r1ould call him the following
day regarding this matter. The group then proceeded to the front of the Hotel
at which time CRISI.f.AN brought his car to the front of the Hotel and took from
his trunk a box of the alleged flying disc fra~ents picked up on 1-:aury Island.
He offered them to BRO i'N and DAVIDSON and when the Army car arrived from 1.::cChord
Field the box of fragments was placed in the car vlith the officers. CFis:.i.AN
departed alone and 1JUiCLD and ~~ITH went in search of something to eat and later
returned to the Hotel for the night.
On Friday morning, August 1, 1947, ARr0ID received a call
from GRISHAN informing him that a B- 25 had crashed during the night and it was
believed to be the same plane which BR0i-iN and DAVIDSON were flying. Following
this call CRISUAN and DAHL came to the Hotel room and from the room CPI:1.fAfJ
again called McChord Field in an attempt to get infonnation about the crash.
S!!ITH took the phone from CRISMAN and spoke to a Colonel GR.EX;G, identifying
himself and asking if the B- 25 which crashed was the only one which had taken
off from HcChord Field the previous night. GR.EriG told him that it was . Follow
ing this call ...JcNOI.D called RAY-LIO.ND PAD!ER in Chicago and informed him of the
previous night ' s conversations and the fact that D.1-l.VIDSON and BRO.IN were believed
to have been killed. PAL..!ER told ARNOID to discontinue his investigation of
the incident and that he, PAll~R, was no longer interested. SMITH then took
the phone from ARNOLD and asked PAll.:ER if he could shed any light on the
situation. S~ITH was unable to sa.y what PAll1ER1 s reply to CRISl,!AN was . Fol
lowing these telephone discussions a:ITH says that he called :.1AURICE .Ji;JPJDY whom
he identifies as a personal friend of his and an aviation editor or"the Chicago
Times . ~ITH states that he had prefiously made an agreement with RODDY in
Chicago that should he ever run across any flying disc stories which showed
promise of news value, that he would contact RODDY and this call was a result
of that agreement. Shortly afterward, Colonel GRF.GG called him from McCrord
Field stating that Hamilton Field had requested that ARN0ID, S:~ITH, CRI SMAN
and DAHL submit their addresses to Hamilton Field for convenience of any Army
investigation of the incident which may be forthcomine . After this call the
four men went to a restaurant for lunch. During the course of this meal s:.:ITH
excused himself from the table and attempted to call SAC BOBBITT of the Port-
land Field Office, Federal Bureau of Investigation with ,vhom he claims acquain
tance. BOBBITT, however, was unavailable and S>:ITTH was unable to complete the
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