65 HS1-834228961 62-HQ-83894 Section 002

Inoident
4AF 1208 I
16 July 1947
MEMORANID:U FOR THE OFFICER IN CHARGE:
l . On 12 July 1947, '{r . Kenneth Arnold. Box 387, Boise, Idaho,
was interviewed in regard to the report by l!r . Arnold that he saw 9
strange objects flying over the Cascade ' •ountain ~ange of ,fashington
l State on July 25th. Mr . Arnold voluntarily agreed to give the intervieW'9r
a written report of exactly what he had seen on the above mentioned date.
The written report of Ur . Arnold 1s attached to this report as -..xhibit A,
AOEUT'S NOTES : llr. Arnold 1s a oan or 32 years or age, being narried and
tho father of t •,To children. Ee is well thoutht of in the co'1llllunity in
whioh he l i ve s , being vary much the fanily man and frou all appearances
a very good provider for his family . l'r. Arnold has recently purohased a.
hone on the outskirts of Boise, recently -:>urchased a ts .ooo airplane in
which to conduct his business to the extent of which is explained in the
atto.ohed exhibit . It is the personal opinion of the interviewer that 1 'r.
Arnold actually saw what he stated that he saw. It is difficult to believe
that a Man of 'lr . Arnold ' s oharaoter and apparent integrity would state
that he saw objects and write up a report to the extent that he did if he
did not see them . To p o .further. 1f Yr. Arnold can write a report of the
oheraoter thnt he did while not having seen the objects that he claimed he (
saw, it is the opinion of tho interviewer that er . Arnold is in the wrong
II business . thnt he should bo writinr; Buck Rogers notion . I.I?- . Arnold is
very outsRoken nnd somewhat bitter in his opinions of the leaders of the
U. S. Army Air Forces R.Dd "nie "'Federnl tfureau of Investigation for not having
made an investigation of this matter sooner. Top ut all of the statecents
made by Ur . Arnold in this report would make it a voluminous volumo. However,
a~er having cheoked an aeronautical map of the area over •hioh Mr . Arnold
claims that he saw the objects it was determined that all statements made by
Mr . Arnold in regard to the distanoos involved, speed of tho objects , oourse
oV the objects and site of the objects , could very possibly bo facts. The
distances mentioned by Mr . Arnold in his report are within a short distance
of the actual distances on aeronautical charts of this area, although !r .
Arnold has never consulted aeronautical charts of the type the Anny uses .
Mr . Arnold stated that his business had suffered greatly since his report
on July 25 due to the fact that at every stop on his business routes , large
groups of people were waiting to question him as to just what he had soon.
'tr . Arnold stated further that if ho, at any tine in the future , sow anything
in the sky. to quote lli- . Arnold dirootly, "if I saw a ten story building
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