Documents / Official release

65 HS1-834228961 62-HQ-83894 Section 003

Federal Bureau of Investigation · 190 pages · text from the file's own layer

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.

  • p. 33 . .,... . •... \,,- August 14, 1947 FLYING DISCS The 11 Tacoma News Tribune" and through them the United Press…
  • p. 34 …by a Tacoma Times reporter and the United Press Wireman at Tacoma giving information regarding t…
  • p. 36 …Five anonymous calls were received by a reporter, Tacoma Times, and the United Press ,;ire.man…
  • p. 37 …ER.~EL, Associated Press 1ireman, Tacoma, .ashington, advised that in the early part of June, 1947…
  • p. 38 …He stated that he talked to .:CRRELLO, the United Press a'ireman, Tacoma, who advised that…
  • p. 39 August 19, 1947 United Press .1ireman, stating that Captain DAVIDSON and Lieutenant BRO::N were the…
  • p. 40 …TED H0RRELL0, a United Press \fi reman, Tacoma, •..ashington furnished substantially the same information that was…
  • p. 43 …SMITH, 3027 Hest Laurehurst Drive, United Airlines pilot : It should be noted that Captain SMITH has…
  • p. 46 …Later, a ~r. ~'OPJBILO of the United Press called and ~~ITH spoke to him on the…
  • p. 47 …infonned that MORR.ELLO of the Unit ed Press had received another anonymous phone call at…
  • p. 48 …ORRELLO in the United Press Office. There they read the latest press releases and had a…
  • p. 56 …Marlllo of the United Press and said that one ot the parties tha t Mr . Arnqld…
  • p. 89 …G4 I ~ Office Men~~,•o;,,,dum • UNITED • GOVERNMENT 65- 477 Dir ector, FBI : August 27. 1947…
  • p. 93 …He informed that PArL LAND and MORELLO, United Press men at Tacoma, appeared to know all…
  • p. 102 VENTURE PRESS 305 STUDIO BUILDING 171 B SHERMAN AVENUE E VANSTON, ILL INO I S June…
  • p. 109 …tnoer in Ill.itloia, • Jolm Corlett 0 United Press corrospond..nnt of Boice, Iooibility trot all…
  • p. 139 …due to the fact that he has been ridiculed by the press to such en extent…
August 19, 1947
the CPISZ.!AN- DAHL story in Tacoma. A'lliOID informed S:ITH at this time that
after receiving this letter he had called PAL2::R by telephone in Chicago
as a result of which call PALMER had forwarded him ~200 . 00 expense money
for covering the story. Shortly thereafter, at about 7 :YJ P. 1'. HAROLD n~HL
arrived at the Hotel room and the discussi oh began among the four men present
as to what DAHL and CRISllAN had seen on Maury Island. DAHL professed reluc
tance to tell the story, claiming that several unfortunate incidents had
occurred subsequent to his seeing the flying discs and he believed the entire
incident had brought him bad luck. In this connection he stated that four or
five days subsequent to his sighting the flying discs, a man called at his
home and had a conversation with him the course of which DAHL was warned to
forget all about everything he had seen on or near kaury Island. In addition
to that, DAHL stated that his sixteen year old son had run away from home
following the incident and had been picked up by the police somewhere in
Montana. After some further discussion DAHL finally agreed to tell hi s story
of the flying disc incident in front of SUITH after eliciting a promise from
SttITH that he would not discuss the matter for at least two weeks . It should
be noted that DAHL had previously told his story to A:'..NOLD and GRISHAN. At
this point DPJ!L related the incident which has already been described and which
he alleged had taken place on or about June 23 or 24. ~'hile relating the
incident DAHL mentioned that he had taken pictures of t he fl,ying disc vhich
he had seen but that the printed films were marred with ,vhite spots. ;hen
DAHL had concluded his story, CRimiAN related that he had gone the fol lowing
day to 'faury Island to verify what DAHL had told him concerning the fragments
and had at this time picked up several fragments and taken them with him. At
this time CRISMAN related that he also saw one of the flying discs hovering
over the Isl:and but that it had disappeared into a cloud. ,ben DAHL and GP.IS.IAN
had finished telling their story ARNOLD told the group that he had earlier in
that evening called Captain DAVIDSON and Lieutenant BROfl~, Army Intelligence
officers and that they vrere on their way to the Hotel room. At this point DAHL
protested that he did not wish to tell his story before anyone else and he
was advised by ~ITH that if such was the case why didn' t he just leave and not
be there when they arrived. CRISUAN, DAHL and :::UITH then left the room and
went downstairs . DAHL departed alone. CRIS'!'!AN drove SllITH back to Boeing Field
near Seattle where &.'ITH desired to pick up his own personal car, which he did.
They then returned to the Hotel where they found Captain DAVIDSON and Lieutenant
BRO.IN in room 502 with KZNNETH ',P.NOID. .ARNOLD met them at the door and seemed
excited, explaining to S!~ITH that Captain DAVIDSON had just drawn a reproduction
of a freak disc which had supposedly been seen by a woman in Arizona and that
this drawing was an exact reproduction of the flying disc which he, ARNOLD, had
seen several weeks before, nearing lft . Rainier. SBTH states that shortly after
this c:.n~rAN seemed very anxious to tell his and DIBL1 s story to the Anny offi
cers. Before this was done, however, s..aTII· had a discussion with Lieutenant
BROdN, infonning him that they had promised DAHL not to release the story for
t,,o weeks and that if CRIS!lAN were allowed to tell the story at this time, Bno·m
and DAVIDSON must agree not to release the story for one month. Following this
agreement, CPISUAN related D.JfL I s and "tis story of the flying discs over !fa.ury
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Official release, from the pursue collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is under it. 190 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.