Documents / Official release
This section of the FBI's 1947 flying disc file (62-HQ-83894) collects correspondence between FBI field offices and Army Air Forces intelligence. It includes a Portland prospector's claim to have seen disc objects near Mount Adams on June 24, 1947, an Air Force report on the August 1 crash near Kelso, Washington that killed investigators Davidson and Brown, and the Maury Island claims of Dahl and Crisman. Other items are an MIT analysis of cast iron fragments from New Hampshire, the A. C. Urie Twin Falls sighting, and the Bureau's decision to stop its disc investigations.
From the source:Release of 2026-05-08 Incident: N/A, N/A. The FBI's 62-HQ-83894 case file includes investigative records, eyewitness testimonies, and public reports concerning Unidentified Flying Objects and flying discs documented between June 1947 and July 1968. The records include high-profile incident accounts, photographic evidence from sites like Oak Ridge, TN, and technical proposals regarding potential propulsion systems. Additional topics include convention programs, researcher accounts, and extensive media coverage from the period. This file is partially posted on FBI vault with more redactions and some pages missing. Included here is the complete case file with several newly declassified pages and only minor redactions.
“Terry”1 page
• Director, FBI September 18, 1947 JOHN J. KELLY, 1442 Vankirk Street, who is a retired police officer of the Philadelphia Police Department, advised as follows: Around 10:45 p.m. on August 6, 194?, he and his wife were sitting on the steps o~ their home, when KELLY noticed an object, resembling to him a giant firecracker, pass quickly through the air. KELLY heard no noise, but the object had completely passed from view in a southern direction within a split second. It left a fiery trail for about 100 feet. August 6, 1947, was a clear night, and no storm was brewing. KELLY was sure the object he saw was no falling star, and he noted the above object did not seem to be falling but maintained the same altitude. The wives of SNYDER and KELLY verified the accounts of their husbands as to the above-mentioned object. '\ It is to be noted that the SNYDERS and the KELLYS live in Northe~t,, Philadelphia near Oxford Circle, which is about ten miles removed from the residence of Miss NADDLE. Ml.ss NA.DDLE's residence is located in the western part of Philadelphia. The Misses NADDLE and FINE are not known to the above mentioned KELLIS and SNYDERS. rt is further noted the observation of Miss NADDLE, the KELLYS, and the SNYDERS roughly correspond. All of the above persons seem reliable and not the type to seek publicity or to spread rumors. Miss NADDLE and JO~LLX .called the "Inquirer", Philadelphia news paper, and inquired if it could offer any eJq)lanation as to what they had seen. A representative of that paper had advised Miss NADDLE and KELLY that the object they saw may have been some product of an oil refinery or chemical company in their neighborhood. Both the Offices of Naval Intelligence and Army Intelligence in Phila delphia were requested by the Philadelphia Office to ascertain if either the Army or the Navy was doing any experimental work on new types of planes or equipment, in the vicinity of Philadelphia. Such was done wi.th negative re sults. The Office of Naval Intelligence indicated that an explosion had oc curred at the CHARLES LENNIG CHEMICAL COMPANY on August 6, 194?. S. A. GIMBEL, Safety Department of the CHARLES LENNIG CHEMICAL COMPANY, INC., 5000 Richmond Street, Philadelphia, advised.as follows: The above company is a manufacturer and distributor of chemicals. A fire had occurred on a dump of the company on August 6, 194?, but was quickly gotten under control. Such fire was confined to the company's prem ises and could not have been observed from outside the plant. The CHARLES .. - 2 -
Official release, from the pursue collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. 190 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.