65 HS1-834228961 62-HQ-83894 Section 003

1947
'•
August 19, 1947
this meeting. KENlffi:TH ARNOLD, Captain EMIL J . .S: ITTH, FRED CRI ~~ , Hi ;'OID
DAHL, Captain DAv.:::DSON and Lieutenant BROHN of Army A- 2 Intelligence from
Hamilton Field, Califor nia, all met in ARNOLD 1 s room at various times during
the afternoon and evening of July 31, 1947 and discussed the flying di sc
stor y as related by CRIS!JAN and DAHL. The Army Intelligence Officers, Captain
DAVIDSON and Lieutenant BROWN, left about 2 :00 A. ~,. the morning of August 1,
1947 to return to Hamilton Field, California for Air For ce Day in a B-25 and
were carrying some of the reported disc fragments . The left engine on the
B- 25 burned an exhaust stack which in turn caught the left vdng afire, the
wing subsequently breaking off and tearing off the tail. The B- 25 crashed,
killing Captain DAVIDSON and Lieutenant BRO IN . However, the Crew Chief and
a hitch- hiker parachuted to safety. Intelligence Officers at ~cChorcl Field,
Washington advised there was no indication of any sabotage . The pl ane crashed
at Kelso, .,ashington approximately 2: 50 A. H. August 1, 1947.
Five anonymous calls were received by a reporter, Tacoma
Times, and the United Press ,;ire.man, Tacoma, between 11 :30 A. '.!., July 31,
and 5:30 P. 1f. , August 2, 1947. The first call was to a Tacoma Times r eporter
approximately 11:30 A. 11., July 31, in which the caller stated that there was
a meeting taking place at that time in room 502 of the ','linthrop Hotel concerning
the disc fragments found on Maury Island. The second call war received between
ll :00 A. '!. and 12:00 noon, August 1, 1947 by the Tacoma Times reporter in
which the caller advised that at that moment a big meeting was taking place
in ARNOLD ' s room nwnber 502, ~,inthrop Hotel; that the B- 25 which crashed was
carrying disc fragments and that UcChord Field officials had stated it was
shot down or sabotaged . The third call was received Friday, August 1, 1947
at 5:.30 P. M. by the United Press nireman, Tacoma, in which the caller stated
that the B- 25 which crashed at n.elso, -.1ashington was carrying flying disc
fragment s and that the dead officers were Captain DAVIDSON and Lieutenant
BROvlN, A- 2 Intelligence Officers at Hamilton Field, California. This call
was prior to the release of the dead officers ' na~es by Army authorities and
the caller indicated that when the names were released, it would verify the
infol:mation he was furnishing was correct., The fourth phone call was received
at approximately 6:45 P. ''. , Friday, August 1 by the United Press ·rireman in
which call the caller stated the B- 25 was definite}rshot down and that if he
contacted Army Intelligence officers, they would not deny it. The fifth phone
call was received by the United Press 'ireman, Tacoma, at 5:30 P. ~:. August 2,
1947 at Vlhich time the c,n}ler stated the B-25 was shot down from the air with
a 20 m.m. cannon; that the 1 hrine plane found recently on :•t . Rainier had also
been shot down and that Captain SHITH woul d be taken to ~iright Field Tuesday
morning. ~!hen the Army authorities released the names of the dead Intelligence
officers which verified the information as given by the anonymous caller, the
Tacoma TL~es printed this story on August 2, 1947 and carried several articles
thereafter inferring that the B- 25 had been shot down or sabotaged because of
the fact that it was carrying disc fragments . DAHL and CRIS!i.AN have admitted
that the material which they sent to RJ..Y PAUfER had no connection vd.th any
flying discs and have given a signed statement to that effect which are being
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