Documents / FOIA release
This Federal Bureau of Investigation file release gathers memos, teletypes and letters from 1949 and 1950 on flying saucer reports. Most of it covers a March 1950 claim by a Knoxville radio technician that his surplus APN-7 radar detected an object over Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Navy radar never confirmed the object, and Air Force examiners judged his equipment unreliable. Other items include a cardboard saucer hoax near Elmira, New York, a pilot's 1949 formation sighting in Oregon and a Denver claim of a crashed disc.
Read from the scan by GLM-OCR; expect the odd misread word.
stated that while it was highly improbable that aircraft could sustain flight at an altitude of 100,000 feet, it was absolutely possible from a scientific and engineering standpoint. Therefore, it was his opinion that the matter should be followed closely. He arranged for Captain whom he termed a radar expert, to observe with during the evening of March 1, 1950, the radar equipment on which had detected the object. Immediately following this conference, Special Agent Contact Mr. Brennan, Physical Security and Plant Protection Branch, U.S. AEC, and Mr. Brennan, Assistant Chief, Security Division, U.S. AEC, to advise them of the findings and to determine what action was being taken by AEC. Both advised that the matter had been referred to 3rd Army authorities and that beyond this, no steps had been taken. It was their belief, however, that a radar technician was being sent down, probably from Washington, to inspect the equipment owned by AEC. It was accordingly reported that a CIA technician would come to Cal Ridge. Also, immediately following this conference above stated, Special Agent OBI, called his headquarters at Murvell Field, Alabama to determine if any action were being taken with regard to having radar equipment flown to this area to verify or disprove the findings of the inquiry. OBI was advised that he should not only in the capacity of an observer in the matter but that such radar equipment would be flown up, if requested by the AEC. Special Agent OBI, stated he had also been advised by his headquarters at Atlanta to not in the capacity of an observer and that, accordingly, he had not as yet been advised whether or not the 3rd Army intended to send mobile radar equipment to the area to verify or disprove the findings of the inquiry. OBI, of AEC as to whether or not they would request having radar equipment flown in by OBI authorities, and he was told by AEC that while the AEC was, of course, vitally interested in anything which directly affected the safety of the area, they nevertheless did not feel that they had the authority to make a specific request for such action inasmuch as the protection of the area from assault was the responsibility of the 3rd Army. Accordingly, they could not make any direct request for such equipment. During the evening of March 3, 1950, Special Agent and myself, together with SA (CSI), remained at the Naval Reserve Army, Alcoa Highway, during which time search was being conducted by the radar equipment at this installation. Captain MKPA, and Special Agent
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. 66 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.