Documents / FOIA release

FBI file: UFO, UFO Part 05

Federal Bureau of Investigation · 74 pages · text by GLM-OCR

This is part five of the FBI's UFO file, a set of Bureau memoranda and reports from 1947 to 1949. Most of it covers the FBI's inquiry into the Maury Island flying disc story in Tacoma, which concluded that the disc fragments were ordinary rock formations and that the story was a hoax. It also examines the fatal crash of a B-25 at Kelso and finds no sign of sabotage. The file includes other items: the Rhodes disc photographs, a proposed flying saucer convention in Alexandria, Louisiana, and ash from a fire near Scranton that someone suggested came from a flying saucer.

  • p. 1 …Lieutenant Colonel A-2, Fourth Air Force, Hamilton Field, California, involving reported sightings of flying discs…
  • p. 17 …Captain DAVIDSON and Lieutenant BROWN of Army A-2 Intelligence from Hamilton Field, California, all met…
  • p. 20 …25 was carrying disc fragments returning to Hamilton Field, California and furnishing the inference that the…
  • p. 21 …N, officers with Army A-2 Intelligence at Hamilton Field and that the fragments were top…
  • p. 26 …Shortly afterward, Colonel BROYN called him from McChord Field stating that Hamilton Field had requested that…
  • p. 32 …had made a telephone call to Hamilton Field to contact a Captain Davidson and a Lieutenant…
  • p. 33 …Davidson were going back to Hamilton Field and that he would get in touch with me…
  • p. 38 …According to them they called in army intelligence officers from Hamilton Field, California and one Captain…
  • p. 43 …of A-2, Hamilton Field, California, dated August 27, 1947, with attachments reporting the sighting of…
  • p. 45 HEALQUARTERS FOURTH AIR FORCE Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff, A-2 Intelligence Hamilton Field…
  • p. 46 ## C HEADMARTIN FIELD AIR FORCE Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff, A-2 Intelligence Hamilton…
  • p. 47 …departed NOCBORD FIELD at 0212 PST for HAMILTON FIELD, California. The weather was reported as CFR…
  • p. 48 …B at HAMILTON FIELD but no answer was received; however, it was known that HAMILTON AFS…
  • p. 51 …Intelligence Hamilton Field, California Title Investigation of Flying Disc Investigation made at Taoons and Kelso, Washington…
  • p. 53 …Widson returned to NaChord Field and prepared for a night flight to Hamilton Field. The weather…
  • p. 56 OFFICE 4TH AIRFORCE HAMILTON FIELD CALIF. SENT ARNOLD $200 TO GO TO TACOMA TO INVESTIGATE FLYING…
  • p. 62 …of A-2, Hamilton Field, California. Even though Col. feels that Mr. may have read some…
  • p. 67 …representative of the Air Force Intelligence, from Hamilton Field, California, and Special Agent with one Phoenix…
  • p. 69 …Bureau Agent) and A-2 representative from Hamilton Field, California. The purpose of the interview was…

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

call. After returning to the Hotel room, a caller attempted to gain information, but they did not give him any. Later, a Mr. of the Hotel called and spoke to him on the telephone but refused to give out any information. Further relates that while the four men were in the room at this time, an envelope was shoved under the door and that he retrieved it from the floor. States that the appearance of this envelope seemed to startle considerably and that in fact, turned white as a sheet until read the note unsigned which was a communication to the Hotel advising that a strike of Hotel employees was eminent and that guests should not expect room and telephone service much longer. Shortly after this incident, the Hotel room after promising to take the room to Maury Island the following morning, (Saturday). and then went out for dinner and on their return, found a note in the box requesting him to call a certain telephone number. He did this from the Hotel room and was answered by a man who requested to go out and call him from a pay station. Complained and was informed by that two anonymous telephone calls had been received by him that a discussion regarding flying discs had been taking place in room 502 at the Winthrop Hotel which involved Army Intelligence officers. From the information which had received, was convinced that the anonymous caller must have been present at the discussion also, as was seemingly in possession of pertinent remarks which had been made in the room. States that he did not give any further information and that in conclusion of the call, he returned to the Hotel room and he and retired for the night.

On Saturday morning, August 2, 1947, I received a telephone call from a man in Chicago, but was unable to give him any further information. He advised him, however, that he would call him back at 2:30 that afternoon. Then called from a coffee shop nearby and joined another man in the Coffee Shop for breakfast. The unknown person was discussing some lumber business with him and left after breakfast. On leaving the coffee shop, asked about the negatives of the photographs which he claimed to have taken of the flying discs. Said the negatives were in the glove compartment of his car, but a search of the instant glove compartment was fruitless. The four then proceeded in the car to the dock where they were to embark for Maury Island. The boat, however, could not be started and the trip was postponed until later in the day. While at the dock, however, asked to be shown the damage to the boat which had allegedly occurred when the fragments showered down on Maury Island. Pointed out what may have been repairs to the windshield and lights on the boat, but was not personally satisfied that these repairs were made as a result of any such incident. Then drove back to the Hotel at approximately 10:45 A. M. and told them he would call them later on and that they would go to Maury Island. On returning to the Hotel, called at the Tacoma Times as a result of which call he and met at the Coffee Shop across the street from the

Cases discussed

About this file

FOIA release, from the fbi-vault collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. The text was read from the page images by GLM-OCR; expect the odd misread word. 74 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.