65 HS1-834228961 62-HQ-83894 Section 005

Read from the scan by GLM-OCR; expect the odd misread word.

that the reliability of ADCOCK was extremely dubious and they felt that the matter was worthy of little consideration.

On the morning of March 6, 1950, ADCOCK again contacted Special Agent SEAGRAVES, CIC, and advised he had again observed the object at about the same altitude over the Oak Ridge area and he estimated the object to be of approximately the same density as would be caused by a DC-4 at that altitude. Again, Colonel GASSER was contacted by Special Agent PRICE of OSI and Colonel GASSER said that he intended to take some electronic equipment to the home of ADCOCK with which they could actually check the electrical circuits of his radar equipment to determine whether or not it was accurate, particularly in view of the fact they had checked some of the findings of ADCOCK with regard to known aircraft detected during previous visits and found him to be off to a considerable extent regarding speed, elevation and azimuth. During the afternoon of March 6, 1950, all day of March 7, and the morning of March 8, 1950, attempts were made by Special Agent PRICE, OSI, to get in touch with ADCOCK to make an appointment with Colonel GASSER and Captain CROSS, and ADCOCK could not be located. According to his office at Station WROL, he had left town and it was not known when he would return.

In summary, therefore, it seems to be the general opinion that the actual existence of an object at such an exceptional altitude is quite improbable and no explanation is yet known as to just what was detected by ADCOCK on his screen or, in fact, whether anything was detected. On the afternoon of March 8, 1950, Special Agent SEAGRAVES telephoned Special Agent McSWAIN of this office and advised that two representatives of the 14th Air Forces with headquarters at Greenville, South Caroline, had arrived in Knoxville and contacted him with regard to making an appointment with ADCOCK to inspect his equipment. These representatives advised they did not feel it sufficiently important for them to remain or to make a return trip inasmuch as ADCOCK was unavailable.

This information is being furnished to the Bureau in detail inasmuch as it is the understanding of this office that Colonel C. D. GASSER was much perturbed in the manner in which this matter was handled and has written letters to his Commanding Officer, U. S. Air Forces Material Command, Wright Field, concerning it. These letters by Colonel GASSER apparently were prompted from the fact that the 3rd Army Intelligence representative and the Air Force Intelligence representative have both been instructed to act as observers only, with no authority to act in the situation. In addition thereto, AEC felt that their responsibility had been discharged upon notifying the 3rd Army. The Bureau was obviously interested only from an observer's viewpoint and no question of jurisdiction in this regard was raised.