FBI file: Kenneth Arnold

Read from the scan by GLM-OCR; expect the odd misread word.

August 3. A record of the phone calls made from room 502 during this period was made by Miss SARAH LANGBERG. This record reveals that KENNETH ARNOLD on July 31 called PALMER at AN-5200, Evanston, Illinois, collect. On the same date called Lieutenant BROWN at 5800 Hamilton Field, California, collect. ARNOLD also called 0109-J in Boise, Idaho on July 31. On August 1 ARNOLD called LON-4936, Portland; PALMER at Dearborn 5200, Chicago; and SMITH called RODDY at Dearborn 2323 at Chicago. Both Chicago calls were collect. The remainder of the calls appear to be personal calls and are not being set out. A record of the phone calls made are being retained as an exhibit in the Seattle Office.

The following information was obtained by Special Agent PIERRE H. LEVEC in interview on August 12, 1947 with Captain EMIL J. SMITH, 3027 West Laurehurst Drive, United Airlines pilot: It should be noted that Captain SMITH has previously received publicity for having supposedly seen flying discs or similar objects on July 4, last while on a routine United Airlines flight out of Boise, Idaho in company with his co-pilot RALPH STEVENS, concerning this incident. Captain SMITH states that they took off from Boise, Idaho at 8:12 P. M. and headed Northwest at 300 degrees and while still climbing at 8,000 feet, co-pilot STEVENS called his attention to some objects in the sky ahead of them about ten degrees left which neither one could identify. SMITH states that he called a CAA radio operator at Ontario, Oregon and requested him to step outside his radio shack and see if he could see any of these objects overhead. The CAA radio operator replied in the negative.

Captain SMITH states that he first met KENNETH ARNOLD on July 5 in the offices of the Seattle Post Intelligencer where both were being interviewed concerning their sighting of flying discs. SMITH states that he next met ARNOLD about three weeks ago in Boise, Idaho at which time he, SMITH, was on another flight through Boise, Idaho and had a ten minute lay-over there. On this occasion ARNOLD was in company of Captain WILLIAM L. DAVIDSON and Lieutenant FRANK M. BROTN, Army Intelligence officers, and a reporter of the Boise Statesman. SMITH's next contact with ARNOLD was on Thursday, July 31, last when he received a telephone call from ARNOLD calling from Tacoma in the early afternoon at which time he asked SMITH to come over to Tacoma and join him as he was investigating a flying disc story for "someone back East" and some fragments were involved which SMITH might be interested in seeing. After some discussion SMITH agreed to join ARNOLD in Tacoma and ARNOLD told SMITH he would fly over and pick him up at Boeing Airport at 4:00 P. M. SMITH met ARNOLD at Boeing Field at about 4:00 P. M. and they flew to Berry's Airport at Tacoma, Washington where they were met by FRED CRISMAN. The three of them proceeded in CRISMAN's car to the Winthrop Hotel where ARNOLD was occupying room 502. ARNOLD ordered something to eat and during this time either ARNOLD or CRISMAN called a HAROLD DAHL and invited him up to the room. By this time SMITH states he had learned from ARNOLD that CRISMAN and DAHL were the participants in the latest flying disc story and SMITH states that he had no previous acquaintance with either of these men before meeting them in Tacoma on this date. While in the Hotel Room ARNOLD showed SMITH a letter which he had received from RAYMOND PALMER of the Venture Press of Chicago requesting that ARNOLD investigate