A whistle, a hum, and a thud led Joseph Barsky to a round object. He reported that the disc was still warm, with wires and small parts in its center.
A Wisconsin pastor reported finding a hot metal disc in his yard, with a hole, wires, and small parts in its center. He notified the FBI, but it's unknown if the disc was examined or identified.
Section 1 (185 pages, OCR'd) of the FBI's master 'Flying Discs' case file 62-HQ-83894. The earliest section of the file, comprising principally July-August 1947 newspaper clippings, citizen letters to J. Edgar Hoover, FBI Office Memoranda (Standard Form No. 64), inbound and outbound teletypes, SAC reports, CIC/AAF Memoranda for the Officer in Charge, and Hoover's outbound acknowledgment letters. Documents the immediate FBI response to the nationwide flying-disc wave triggered by Kenneth Arnold's 24 June 1947 Mt. Rainier sighting: tracks debunked 'disc' finds (Father Joseph Brasky's circular saw at Grafton, WI; Sig Hanson's Black River Falls cardboard disc; the Laurel, MD garbage-can-lid hoax; the North Hollywood/Burbank fire-department disc; the Twin Falls, ID 30.5-inch saucer-within-saucer), records BAILEY's atom-bomb-orbit theory, N. Meade Layne's San Diego 'etheric plane' memorandum, the August 1, 1947 Kelso B-25 crash that killed Capt. Davidson and Lt. Brown returning from interviewing Maury Island/Tacoma witnesses, Brig. Gen. George F. Schulgen's request that the FBI assist AAF Intelligence in locating original disc reporters, and culminates in Bureau Bulletin No. 42, Series 1947 (30 July 1947) directing all SACs to investigate every flying-disc sighting brought to them and report by teletype.
Dick Rankin (>7000 hr pilot, brother of late Tex Rankin) lying on lawn at South 'L' Street saw 10 silver disc-like objects flying north in 'V' formation at ~9000 ft / 300-400 mph; they returned ~2:15 PM with only 7 in formation; Rankin concluded they resembled Navy XF5U-1 'flying flapjack'.
Kenneth Arnold first sighted nine flying discs over Cascade Mountains at est. 1200 mph; foundational sighting of the wave (referenced throughout clippings; Arnold one of four pilots later interviewed by Davidson and Brown on July 27, 1947 in Portland).
Lt. William G. McGinty (USN, P-80 student) flying south toward Williams Field at 25,000 ft saw two round ~8-foot light-gray objects descending straight down at 'inconceivable speed', one following the other seconds apart; he turned away.
Patrolman Kenneth A. McDowell at Precinct #1 parking lot was feeding pigeons when pigeons abruptly fluttered upward; looking around he saw five large discs over east Portland (two southbound, three eastbound) dipping in oscillating motion. Triggered Portland City Police radio alert at 1:05 PM. Subsequently other officers reported sightings: Patrolmen Lissy & Ellis (Car 82) saw 3 white round discs at ~40,000 ft in straight-line formation, last disc fluttering side-to-side; Sgt. Cross saw 3 discs at terrific speed; Patterson saw 1 aluminum disc at ~30,000 ft 'faster than any flying object' he had seen; Capt. Prehn at Harbor Patrol described shifts shape from full disc to half-moon to nothing 'like a shiny chromium hub cap off a car which wobbled, disappeared and reappeared'.
Capt. E. J. Smith and co-pilot Ralph Stevens, United Airlines, sighted five 'somethings' thin and smooth on bottom and rough on top against sunset shortly after 3:04 PM takeoff, followed for about 45 miles in northwesterly direction before objects disappeared.
Coast Guardsman Frank Ryman (27) photographed a 'white saucer' from his front porch over the north end of Lake Washington; Acme News Pictures (NYC) said a 7x9 print showed two tiny dots, one of which was a film flaw.
Father Joseph Brasky reported finding a 19-inch circular saw blade with two small tubes (3 in long, 1 in dia) and several wires attached on church lawn around 5 AM Sunday after hearing 'bang like a big firecracker'; the disc 'too hot to pick up' and the glass ball was knocked off one of the church's lightning rods. Subsequent FBI memo (Fletcher, July 7) reports Associated Press told FBI Milwaukee SAC Johnson the priest was 'intoxicated' and AP would not release the story; Brasky never actually contacted FBI Milwaukee. Photograph in clipping shows priest with circular saw approved 'Dunlap'.
William Rhoads at sunset photographed unidentifiable objects flying at 'unconceivable speeds' making three circles over his home, est. 1000 ft altitude; two photographs (Exhibits 1 & 2) taken with size-620 box camera.
15-year-old Bill Turrentine, after sitting on his porch hoping to see a flying disc, photographed a large black 'football'-shaped object proceeding from southwest to northeast (~600 mph, est. 5000 ft) followed by two smaller objects in same direction; said object 'rocked and spun like a football'; described as 'gray, almost black' looking like a 'burned crisp', glittered, trailing dust, no sound. Photograph reproduced in Norfolk Ledger-Dispatch.
~10:30 PM unknown woman called Valley Fire Department reporting disc had landed in her garden where it began to flame; fire truck dispatched, hosed it down. SA Richard D. Auerbach took it into FBI custody from the fire station. Device: two convex steel discs ~2 ft diameter, fused at outer edge, fastened by hollow cylindrical center connection, vertical galvanized iron fin screwed to top, short pipe closed at one end running from outer circumference into interior, what appeared to be a radio tube in center of top, total weight ~20 lbs. Burst into flames upon landing. Major Courtney Hempstead (G-2, Fort MacArthur) ruled it 'definitely a hoax and under no circumstances could have flown under its own power'. On July 10 Frank V. Brown overheard high-school students at North Hollywood Service Station laughing about having built the disc; identified one as employed at Chevron station at Victory Blvd & Whitsett St.
City Engineer Sig Hanson found 17-19 inch disc at 3:30 PM, possibly cardboard with silver airplane dope, central tube, small motor with propeller on side, small wooden tail; Lt. Col. Schaefer (Civil Air Patrol) opined would not fly itself; Hanson wanted to retain disc for publicity rather than release.
At 2:45 AM Mountain Time Mrs. Fred Easterbrook heard a noise (thinking a collision had occurred); investigated and found a disc 30.5 inches diameter, 'dished like a saucer and actually there is a saucer within a saucer in the manner of cymbals'. Plastic dome (~14 in dia) affixed by 8 stove-bolt-like bolts; opposite metallic dome gold-on-outside silver-on-inside (looks like tin); through plastic dome visible three radio-tube-like tubes and wiring; disc 10 in thick (14 in at domes); object similar to electric coil with arm bearing words 'Inspected TS'; some wiring burned off, looks as though something missing.
10:45 PM phone call from Alvin Parker / 'Bowirker' to FBI Washington Field Office: 'flying disc just landed in Parker's yard and the machinery is still buzzing'. Sgt. Lonis (Laurel PD) examined object July 11 11:55 PM: made from a Gulf Oil sign and the top of a garbage can painted with still-wet aluminum paint, attached dry-cell battery, flashlight bulb, wires, buzzer.
Plane carrying AAF investigators Capt. William L. Davidson and Lt. Frank M. Brown (4th AAF Hq) crashed at Kelso, WA; both killed. Wreckage screened by AAF Intelligence from McChord Field. Tacoma News Tribune and United Press initially reported the plane was carrying parts of a disc that had struck a boat owned by Harold Dahl and Fred Crisman of Tacoma; subsequent Oregonian story (per Richards) noted Dahl denied saying fragments were from a disc and analysis showed fragments were from a Tacoma slag mill. AAF investigators had interviewed Dick Rankin (June 14 Bakersfield 10-disc sighting), Kenneth Arnold, Capt. E. J. Smith, Ralph Stevens, and Dave Johnson before the fatal flight.
Late afternoon Charles Casella, Jr. (20, 287 Euclid Ave, Hackensack) and William Truex (US Army, Ft. Dix) sighted from ground an object described as flying disc; Casella claimed it was 200 yards in the air, revolving slowly, moving rapidly, neither kite nor balloon.
Red Hatfield (former Navy pilot, Airport Manager Myrtle Creek) reported sighting mysterious object on two occasions during evening of August 6, 1947 while flying at ~5000 ft above Myrtle Creek; Hatfield 'to be interviewed' per FBI Portland teletype.
Robert J. Sroka (later writing from Waukesha, WI) recalled earlier post-WWII incident in Germany while on pass with two companions: sighted strange object 8-10 mi to front at ~5000 ft; object descended slowly toward them, stopped horizontal motion ~1 mi away then continued slow oscillating descent (similar to descending parachute), then suddenly dropped in spiral motion. Drove ~5 minutes to drop area but found nothing; cruising 10 minutes more became too dark.
"I would do it but before agreeing to it we must insist upon full access to discs recovered. For instance in the Ia. case the Army grabbed it and would not let us have it for cursory examination."
Speaker: J. Edgar Hoover (Director's notation)
Why it matters: Hoover's foundational condition for FBI cooperation with AAF Intelligence on flying-disc investigations — establishes the access dispute that would later trigger Hoover's withdrawal in September 1947.
Page 131
"It is possible to release three or more discs in odd numbers, attached together by a wire, from an airplane in high altitude. These discs would obtain tremendous speed in their descent and would float to earth in an arc. The Army Air Forces Intelligence has also indicated very confidentially that the reported sightings might have been made by Subversive individuals for the purpose of creating a mass hysteria."
Speaker: Bureau Bulletin No. 42, Series 1947 (30 July 1947)
Why it matters: Sets out the AAF's two operative theories that drive Bureau policy: a tethered-disc deception mechanism and a Communist mass-hysteria psy-op hypothesis.
Page 121
"You should investigate each instance which is brought to your attention of a sighting of a flying disc in order to ascertain whether or not it is a bona fide sighting, an imaginary one or a prank... The Bureau should be notified immediately by teletype of all reported sightings and the results of your inquiries."
Speaker: Bureau Bulletin No. 42, Series 1947
Why it matters: Hoover's directive that opens FBI field-office investigation of every disc report — the operational genesis of the rest of the 62-HQ-83894 case file.
Page 121
"General Schulgen indicated to Mr. Reynolds that he believed that there was a possibility that this entire matter might have been started by subversive individuals for the purpose of creating a mass hysteria. He suggested that the Bureau keep this in mind in any interviews conducted regarding reported sightings."
Speaker: Memorandum from E. G. Fitch to D. M. Ladd (24 July 1947)
Why it matters: Brig. Gen. Schulgen explicitly framing the investigative target as Communist subversive psy-op rather than the discs themselves.
John Edgar Hoover
Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation · FBI · Page 10
D. M. Ladd
Assistant Director, FBI; principal recipient of Office Memoranda re flying discs · FBI HQ · Page 24
E. A. Tamm
FBI Assistant Director (Office Memorandum addressee) · FBI HQ · Page 67
H. B. Fletcher
FBI HQ official; July 7, 1947 memo to Ladd re Father Brasky/Milwaukee · FBI HQ · Page 24
K. C. Howe
FBI HQ official; took July 11, 1947 phone call re Laurel, MD disc; July 31 memo on flying-discs policy · FBI HQ · Page 66
F. P. Griffee
FBI HQ official; took July 11, 1947 phone call from Sgt. Lonis (Laurel PD) · FBI HQ · Page 68
J. P. Coyne
FBI HQ; routed Woodson C. Cope and J. U. Watts telegrams to Liaison/War Dept · FBI HQ · Page 40
S. W. Reynolds
FBI Special Agent, Liaison Section; primary FBI contact with Brig. Gen. Schulgen and Col. Forney · FBI Liaison Section · Page 125
E. G. Fitch
FBI HQ; July 9 memo on Schulgen request and August 6 memo on Kelso crash · FBI HQ · Page 125
Roy E. Hood
Special Agent in Charge, Los Angeles FBI; reported July 9-10 1947 Burbank/North Hollywood disc · FBI Los Angeles · Page 85
Richard D. Auerbach
Special Agent who took the North Hollywood disc into FBI custody at the Valley Fire Department · FBI Los Angeles · Page 94
H. K. Johnson
Special Agent in Charge, Milwaukee FBI; handled Father Brasky/Sig Hanson reports · FBI Milwaukee · Page 24
Cover page; FOIPA #223297; 'DO NOT DESTROY' / 'Use Care in Handling this File'
Likely reason: Administrative file-handling banner; not a content redaction
Office Memorandum from Fletcher to Ladd re Brasky; OCR garbled in HEF: caw line and routing slip — possible redaction marks visible but largely an artifact of OCR
Likely reason: Likely OCR artifact rather than redaction
Milwaukee SAC Johnson memorandum to Director (8 July 1947); marginal routing initials visible; bottom of page contains illegible apparent stamp
Likely reason: Routing/registry markings; redactions minimal
Los Angeles letter on North Hollywood disc; '7-COPIES DESTROYED 270 NOV 18 1964' notation visible
Likely reason: Records-management copy destruction notation (1964)
Office Memo to Ladd re Schulgen request follow-up; '7 COPIES DESTROYED 270 NOV 18 1964' notation
Likely reason: Records-management copy destruction notation (1964)
Hoover acknowledgment letter to George J. Pluskat; sender previous Bureau correspondent; NOTE references 'file 62-0-34750' and indicates 'No record could be located in the Crime Records Section indicating that the correspondent might be a mental case' — text mostly intact; OCR damage
Likely reason: OCR degradation rather than exemption redaction
Milwaukee SAC report (12 Aug 1947); '270 NOV 18 1964 COPIES DESTROYED' notation
Likely reason: Records-management copy destruction notation
This is the chronologically earliest section of master file 62-HQ-83894 (185 pages, fully OCR'd). The bulk is July-August 1947 with heavy 1947 coverage; only fragmentary tail-end material (Hoover's mid-August acknowledgment letters, Hackensack Aug 3 sighting, Myrtle Creek Aug 6, Kelso Aug 1, Bureau Bulletin Aug 12) extends past the main wave. Three documents are uniquely pivotal: (1) the 9 July 1947 Schulgen-Reynolds meeting (p. 125-127); (2) the 24 July 1947 follow-up establishing FBI access conditions (p. 131); and (3) Bureau Bulletin No. 42, Series 1947 (30 July 1947, p. 121) which converts the file from clippings/citizen letters into a true investigative case file. Two stylistically anomalous documents merit aggregator attention: N. Meade Layne's San Diego 'etheric' memorandum (p. 161) and Edwin Bailey's American Cyanamid orbital-atom-bomb theory (p. 103-105) — both preserved in the central file rather than discarded. Witness lists for the Aug 1, 1947 Kelso B-25 crash and the Maury Island hoax investigation (Davidson, Brown, Crisman, Dahl, Arnold, Smith, Stevens, Johnson) overlap heavily with section 3's deeper Maury Island treatment — cross-reference accordingly. Page numbers in this findings file are PDF page numbers extracted from the OCR text as '--- page N ---' delimiters; some hand-stamped Bureau page numbers visible inside images may differ. OCR quality varies (esp. handwritten letters and routing-slip margins); confidence reflects this. Records-management 'COPIES DESTROYED 270 NOV 18 1964' stamps recur throughout but represent administrative copy destruction (excess copies), not redaction of substance.
According to his description, a round metal disc, similar to a saw blade. In its center was a hole with wires and small parts inside.
The surviving material in the file contains no information indicating whether it was examined or identified.
Page 131
"I would recommend that we advise the Army that the Bureau does not believe it should go into these investigations, it being noted that a great bulk of those alleged discs reported found have been pranks. It is not believed that the Bureau would accomplish anything by going into these investigations."
Speaker: D. M. Ladd, Addendum to Fitch memo (10 July 1947)
Why it matters: Ladd's first-pass advice against involvement, overridden by Hoover's notation. Documents internal FBI dissent on whether to accept the AAF's request.
Page 127
"According to General Schulgen, the Air Corps Intelligence are using all of their scientists in order to ascertain whether or not such a phenomenon could in fact occur. He stated that this research is being conducted with the thought that the flying objects might be a celestial phenomenon and with the view that they might be a foreign body mechanically devised and controlled."
Speaker: E. G. Fitch memo to Ladd (10 July 1947)
Why it matters: Documents AAF's official 9 July 1947 working hypotheses on disc nature: celestial vs foreign mechanically-controlled body.
Page 125
"General Schulgen assured Mr. Reynolds that there are no War Department or Navy Department research projects presently being conducted which could in any way be tied up with the flying discs."
Speaker: Brig. Gen. George F. Schulgen via E. G. Fitch memo
Why it matters: Pentagon-level denial that discs are American black-program tests — pivotal foundational claim of the 1947 file.
Page 125
"An Air Corps pilot who believed that he saw one of these objects was thoroughly interrogated by General Schulgen and scientists, as well as a psychiatrist, and the pilot was adamant in his claim that he saw a flying disk."
Speaker: E. G. Fitch memo to Ladd (10 July 1947)
Why it matters: Documents AAF's psychiatric vetting of pilot witnesses and that at least one held to his account under hostile examination.
Page 125
"Part of the disks carry crews, others are under remote control. Their mission is peaceful. The visitors contemplate settling on this planet. These visitors are human-like but much larger in size. They are NOT excarnate earth people, but come from their own world. They do NOT come from any 'planet' as we use the word, but from an etheric planet which interpenetrates with our own and is not perceptible to us."
Speaker: N. Meade Layne, San Diego memorandum (8 July 1947)
Why it matters: Earliest 'extraterrestrial visitors' theorization in the FBI corpus — esoteric/Theosophical framing claiming etheric matterialization (cf. 'apports'); flagged in file.
Page 161
"The disks possess a type of radiant energy, or a ray, which will easily disintegrate any attacking ship. They reenter the etheric at will, and so simply disappear from our vision, without trace."
Speaker: N. Meade Layne
Why it matters: Asserts an active disintegration weapon and dimensional-reentry capability; propagates the 'do not attack' policy line that recurs in later UFO discourse.
Page 161
"It is quite possible that actually the 'flying saucers' could be radio controlled germ bombs or atom bombs which are circling the orbit of the earth and which could be controlled by radio and directed to land on any designated target at the specific desire of the agency or country operating the bombs."
Speaker: Edwin M. Bailey, Jr. (American Cyanamid Research Labs / ex-MIT Radiation Lab)
Why it matters: Manhattan-Project-adjacent physicist's orbital atomic-weapon theory presented to FBI Stamford Resident Agent — early articulation of the orbital-weapons-platform hypothesis.
Page 103
"By placing a string around the globe of the earth would be noticed that all of the above-mentioned cities form a direct orbit or circle around the earth and would be more or less in line of any path in which the saucers could be circling."
Speaker: Edwin M. Bailey, Jr.
Why it matters: Bailey's geometric argument from sighting cities (Mexico City, New Orleans, Philadelphia, NY, Boston, Halifax, Newfoundland, Paris, Milan, Bologna, Yugoslavia, Albania) to orbital-track.
Page 103
"Doesn't it seem wisest for you to forbid... papers... (No not forbid — but ask the cooperation of all papers) to keep all news of those discs out of the news until you are sure just what they are."
Speaker: M. T. Norris (Chicago citizen letter, 1734 Thome Avenue)
Why it matters: Citizen pressure on Hoover to suppress press coverage; rare contemporary July 1947 articulation of media-blackout suggestion.
Page 78
"We were unable to tell whether they outsped us or disintegrated."
Speaker: Capt. E. J. Smith, United Airlines (July 4 1947, via Oregon Journal)
Why it matters: First-person airline-pilot description of disc disappearance; disintegration hypothesis floated by trained observer.
Page 178
"The 'flying disc' was subsequently turned over to Major COURTNEY HEMPSTEAD, A.C., G-2, Fort MacArthur, San Pedro, California, who subsequently reported that the object was definitely a hoax and under no circumstances could have flown under its own power."
Speaker: SA Richard D. Auerbach, FBI Los Angeles (17 July 1947 letter)
Why it matters: Documents the disposition pattern: FBI takes physical custody, photographs, then transfers to G-2; hoax adjudication by AAF.
Page 94
"Capt. Tom Brown of the Air Forces Public Relations staff in Washington acknowledged the Air Forces had decided 'there's something to this' and had been checking up on it for 10 days. 'And we still haven't the slightest idea what they could be,' he added."
Speaker: Capt. Tom Brown, AAF Public Relations (Washington Post, July 7 1947)
Why it matters: Earliest documented public-affairs admission by AAF that the disc phenomenon is being seriously studied — preserved by FBI in clipping form.
Page 4
"The pigeons became very excited over something and fluttered in the air all at once. Officer McDowell stated in looking around to see what had disturbed them, he saw five large discs in the air to the East of Portland, two discs flying South and three flying in an Easterly direction."
Speaker: Sixth Army CIC report (Keith A. Sorensen) re Patrolman Kenneth A. McDowell, July 4 1947
Why it matters: Animal-reaction precursor to disc sighting documented in CIC investigative report; triggered the Portland police radio alert that produced multiple corroborating sightings.
Page 184
"He stated that he was heading south towards Williams Field, Ariz., when he saw two round objects going at inconceivable speeds, straight down... He further stated that it was his opinion that the objects were approximately eight feet in diameter."
Speaker: Lynn C. Aldrich, CIC-AAF FDTRC (7 July 1947) re Lt. William G. McGinty
Why it matters: Military pilot-witness Memorandum for the Officer in Charge — Navy P-80 student's June 30 1947 8-foot-diameter sighting at 25,000 ft over Grand Canyon.
Page 136
"DAHL DID NOT ADMIT TO SMITH THAT HIS STORY WAS A HOAX BUT ONLY STATED THAT IF QUESTIONED BY AUTHORITIES HE WAS GOING TO SAY IT WAS A HOAX BECAUSE HE DID NOT WANT ANY FURTHER TROUBLE OVER THE MATTER. COMPLETE REPORT NOW EN ROUTE TO BUREAU AMSD, WHICH INDICATES PROBABLY CHRISMAN OR DAHL MADE THE ANONYMOUS PHONE CALL IN THE HOPE OF BUILDING UP THEIR STORY THROUGH PUBLICITY TO A POINT WHERE THEY COULD MAKE A PROFITABLE DEAL WITH FANTASY MAGAZINE, CHICAGO ILLINOIS."
Speaker: FBI Seattle teletype (Wilcox), 14 August 1947
Why it matters: FBI Seattle's reading of Dahl/Crisman as motivated by Fantasy magazine deal — Maury Island hoax interpretation predates the Kelso crash being widely known as decisive.
Page 119
"Inasmuch as it has been established that the flying disks are not the result of any Army or Navy experiments, the matter is of interest to the FBI. He stated that he was of the opinion that the Bureau, if at all possible, should accede to General Schulgen's request."
Speaker: Col. L. R. Forney, MID, via E. G. Fitch memo (10 July 1947)
Why it matters: MID Security Group chief's argument FOR FBI involvement — the bureaucratic chain that ultimately overcomes Ladd's recommendation against.
Page 127
W. G. Banister
Special Agent in Charge, Butte FBI; reported Mrs. Easterbrook Twin Falls disc July 11, 1947 · FBI Butte · Page 79
John Bobbitt
FBI Portland teletype signatory (August 5 and August 11, 1947 Portland teletypes) · FBI Portland · Page 143
Kimball
FBI San Francisco teletype signatory (August 9, 1947) · FBI San Francisco · Page 163
Wilcox
FBI Seattle teletype signatory (August 14, 1947) re Chrisman/Dahl Maury Island hoax admission · FBI Seattle · Page 119
W. G. Banister / Bannister
SAC Butte; relayed Twin Falls 30.5-inch disc find to HQ · FBI Butte · Page 79
Thomas J. Connor
Special Agent (A), FBI Norfolk; interviewed 15-year-old Bill Turrentine · FBI Norfolk · Page 157
Father Joseph Brasky
Catholic priest, St. Joseph's Church; reported circular-saw 'disc' Sunday July 6, 1947 (later determined hoax / circular saw blade with wires) · St. Joseph's Catholic Church, Grafton, Wisconsin · Page 24
Bill Weeks
Milwaukee Sentinel reporter (phonetic) who interviewed Father Brasky · Milwaukee Sentinel · Page 59
Fred R. Reibold
Citizen letter-writer (Omaha, NE 2315 Himebaugh Avenue) re a 'flying disc' analyzed by Dr. C. L. Kenny as 'ashes from somebody's pipe' (sodium iron, calcium sulphate, carbon) · Omaha, Nebraska · Page 10
Dr. C. L. Kenny
Head of chemistry department, Creighton College of Dentistry; analyzed Reibold disc fragment · Creighton College of Dentistry · Page 15
Woodson C. Cope
Citizen telegram sender (Cliffside Hall, San Marcos, TX) claiming his 1945 multi-spring catapult device sent to War Department could explain disc propulsion · San Marcos, Texas · Page 38
J. U. Watts, Jr.
Darlington, SC attorney; telegram claimant of seeing an Army pursuit plane chasing a V-formation of flying saucers at 250 mph at 3000 ft · Darlington, South Carolina · Page 44
Mrs. Arthur Douglas Anderson
Citizen correspondent re flying saucers; letter forwarded to War Dept by Hoover (Aug 1, 1947) · Page 137
Mrs. John Maurice Clark
Westport, CT correspondent (41 Wright Street); forwarded 'Combined and Amalgamated Committee of Sky-Scanners' parody flier to Hoover; husband economist at Columbia University · Westport, Connecticut · Page 112
George J. Pluskat
Brooklyn, NY citizen letter-writer (907 Seneca Avenue) speculating discs were Mississippi flood mirages or enemy hoax; previous Bureau correspondent (file 62-0-34750) · Brooklyn, New York · Page 129
M. T. Norris
Chicago, IL citizen (1734 Thome Avenue) urging Hoover to ask papers to suppress disc news · Chicago, Illinois · Page 78
Alvin Parker / Bowirker
Laurel, MD citizen (200 6th Street) who phoned in 'flying disc just landed in Parker's yard and the machinery is still buzzing' July 11, 1947 · Laurel, Maryland · Page 66
Sergeant Lonis
Laurel, MD Police Department; determined Laurel disc was Gulf Oil sign + garbage-can lid + battery + flashlight bulb + buzzer with wet aluminum paint · Laurel, Maryland Police Department · Page 68
Mrs. Fred Easterbrook
Twin Falls, ID housewife (215 7th Avenue East) who at 2:45 a.m. July 11 1947 heard a noise and found a 30.5-inch disc-within-saucer object in her neighbor's back yard · Twin Falls, Idaho · Page 79
Sig Hanson
City Engineer / city electrician, Black River Falls, WI; found 17-19 inch silver-painted cardboard disc July 10, 1947 on Jackson County fairgrounds · Black River Falls, Wisconsin · Page 67
Lt. Col. Harry W. Schaefer / Schafer
Reserve Officer, Civil Air Patrol of Wisconsin; relayed Hanson's disc to FBI Milwaukee · Civil Air Patrol, Black River Falls, WI · Page 67
Battalion Fire Chief Wallace E. Newcomb
Valley Fire Department, Van Nuys, CA; received call from unknown woman at 11858 Magnolia Boulevard re flaming disc July 9, 1947 · Valley Fire Dept, Van Nuys, CA · Page 94
Major Courtney Hempstead
Air Corps, G-2, Fort MacArthur, San Pedro, CA; received the recovered North Hollywood disc and ruled it 'definitely a hoax' · G-2, Fort MacArthur · Page 94
Frank V. Brown
North Hollywood resident (6552 Teesdale Avenue) who reported overhearing high-school students claiming to have built the disc; identified one as a Chevron service-station employee at Victory Blvd & Whitsett St. · North Hollywood, California · Page 96
Brig. Gen. George F. Schulgen
Chief, Requirements Intelligence Branch, Army Air Corps Intelligence; July 9 1947 met Reynolds to request FBI assistance investigating disc reporters; suggested Communist subversive origin / mass hysteria angle · Army Air Corps Intelligence · Page 125
Col. L. R. Forney
Chief, Security Group, MID, War Department General Staff; supported FBI involvement · Military Intelligence Division, War Department · Page 10
Lt. Col. C. P. Martin
Army Air Forces Intelligence; Reynolds' contact re Kelso crash story · AAF Intelligence · Page 145
Lt. Col. Donald C. Springer
G-2, San Francisco; advised Aug 9, 1947 he had no further info on Tacoma matter · Fourth Air Force, Hamilton Field · Page 163
Capt. William L. Davidson
AAF officer, 4th AAF Headquarters, San Francisco; killed Aug 1, 1947 in B-25 crash at Kelso, WA returning from Tacoma interview of Kenneth Arnold/Smith/Stevens/Johnson · 4th AAF Hq, Hamilton Field · Page 143
Lt. Frank M. Brown
AAF officer killed alongside Davidson in Aug 1, 1947 Kelso crash · 4th AAF Hq, Hamilton Field · Page 143
Maj. Gen. Nathan F. Twining
Major General, Wright Field, Ohio; contacted by Aviation Editor Richards by phone at Albuquerque · Wright Field, Ohio · Page 143
Leaveritt G. Richards
Aviation Editor, The Oregonian; described AAF investigation contacts and Kelso crash background · The Oregonian, Portland · Page 143
Capt. Tom Brown
Air Forces Public Relations spokesman, Washington, DC; quoted re 10-day AAF check on disc reports; 'we're not dismissing the possibility that there's something to it' · AAF Public Relations · Page 4
Maj. Gen. Curtis E. LeMay
Deputy Chief of Air Staff for Research and Development; quoted in clipping that disc phenomenon is not AAF experiment · USAAF · Page 4
Capt. West
Duty officer, G-2, took Laurel, MD disc info from FBI 10:50 PM July 11, 1947 · G-2 · Page 66
Capt. Calvert
Duty Officer, G-2; took July 11 1947 Laurel hoax follow-up from Griffee · G-2 · Page 68
Kenneth Arnold
Boise, Idaho businessman/pilot; June 24 1947 sighting of nine discs at 1200 mph over Cascade Mountains; archetypal first witness · Boise, Idaho · Page 51
Capt. E. J. Smith
United Airlines pilot; July 4 1947 sighting of five disc-like objects from cockpit, followed for 45 miles · United Airlines · Page 143
Ralph Stevens
United Airlines co-pilot; July 4 1947 sighting · United Airlines · Page 143
Dave Johnson
Aviation Editor, Idaho Daily Statesman, Boise; phoned FBI Butte asking if FBI investigating discs; one of the four pilots interviewed by Davidson and Brown · Idaho Daily Statesman · Page 97
Fred L. Crisman / Chrisman
Tacoma, WA Maury Island co-claimant; Aug 14 1947 told FBI he was prepared to 'say it was a hoax' · Tacoma, Washington · Page 119
Harold A. Dahl
Tacoma, WA Maury Island disc-fragment claimant; later denied saying fragments were from a disc; analysis showed Tacoma slag-mill origin · Tacoma, Washington · Page 119
Edwin M. Bailey, Jr.
American Cyanamid Research Labs physicist (Stamford, CT, 6 Home Court); ex-MIT Radiation Lab/Manhattan Project; theorized saucers were radio-controlled atom or germ bombs in earth orbit; cited friend Renato Fechetti's Milan/Bologna observatory observations · American Cyanamid Research Laboratories, Stamford, CT · Page 103
Renato Fechetti
Italian astronomer; Bailey's friend; allegedly observed flying saucers from Milan and Bologna observatories post-WWII · Italy · Page 103
Richard Perkin
Co-owner, Perkin-Elmer Company, Glenbrook, CT; told Bailey his company was building a 'large powerful telescope to be used in searching the stratosphere for atom bombs' · Perkin-Elmer, Glenbrook, CT · Page 105
Mrs. Gwynne M. Merchant
Santa Fe, NM informant claiming radio-wave/ray-form expertise; reported objects similar to Swedish 'ghost rockets' near Canjilon and Park View, NM; deemed 'unreliable and possibly not well balanced mentally' by AEC's Sidney Newburger · Santa Fe, New Mexico · Page 132
Frank Burtram
Forest Ranger, Canjilon, NM; reported lighted object at night followed by explosions (per Mrs. Merchant) · U.S. Forest Service, NM · Page 132
Sidney Newburger
Chief of Security and Intelligence, Atomic Energy Commission, Los Alamos · AEC Los Alamos · Page 132
Walter Winchell
Newspaper columnist; Mrs. Merchant wrote him promising a flying-disc story · press · Page 132
N. Meade Layne
San Diego, CA author of July 8, 1947 'esoteric' memorandum to scientists/officials/publications asserting discs are visitors from an 'etheric' interpenetrating planet, human-like but larger; can disintegrate attacking ships; possess radiant-energy ray; correspond to Lokas/Talas; etheric materialization analogous to 'apports' · San Diego, California · Page 161
Robert J. Sroka
Citizen letter-writer (164 N. Washington St., Waukesha, WI) describing post-WWII Germany sighting of slow-descending oscillating object that dropped in spiral motion ~120 mi NW of Habberbishopshiem · Waukesha, Wisconsin · Page 147
Lt. William G. McGinty
USN P-80 student, Williams Field, Chandler, AZ; reported June 30, 1947 sighting of two ~8-foot circular light-gray objects diving at 'inconceivable speed' near Grand Canyon while flying at 25,000 feet · U.S. Navy / Williams Field · Page 136
Capt. Malcolm G. Armstrong
Single-engine instructor, Williams Field, AZ; reported brother Lt. E. B. Armstrong (Brooks Field, TX) sighting unexplainable formation at ~6000 ft heading south · Williams Field · Page 136
Lt. E. B. Armstrong
Brooks Field, TX (Hq Sq AAA); witness · Brooks Field, Texas · Page 136
Lynn C. Aldrich
Special Agent, CIC-AAF, FDTRC; authored July 8 and July 7, 1947 'Unidentifiable Objects' memos at Williams Field re William Rhoads and McGinty · CIC-AAF, FDTRC · Page 136
John K. Orr
Major, A.C.; co-signed Williams Field memorandum · Air Corps · Page 136
William Rhoads
Phoenix, AZ resident (4333 N. 14th St.) who photographed two unidentifiable objects (with 620 box camera) circling his home at sunset July 7, 1947 · Phoenix, Arizona · Page 172
Dick Rankin
Experienced pilot (>7000 flying hours); brother of late Tex Rankin; reported June 23, 1947 sighting of 10 silver disc-like objects (XF5U-1 'flying flapjack' shape) at ~9000 ft over Bakersfield, CA · Portland (summer)/Palm Springs · Page 179
Major William R. Graham
Major, Air Corps; Deputy A.C. of S, A-2, Hq Fourth Air Force, Hamilton Field; Aug 4, 1947 letter forwarding McGinty MOIC and clipping to FBI San Francisco · Fourth Air Force, A-2 · Page 173
Keith A. Sorensen
Special Agent, CIC, Sixth Army; authored July 7, 1947 MOIC interviewing Portland police witnesses (McDowell, Cross, Patterson, Lissy, Ellis) · CIC, Sixth Army · Page 184
Kenneth A. McDowell
Patrolman, Portland City Police Department (916 SE Bush St.); July 4, 1947 ~5:05 PM sighting of five large discs while feeding pigeons in Precinct #1 parking lot — pigeons fluttered up just before sighting · Portland Police Dept · Page 184
Sgt. Claude Cross
Oregon State Police Officer, District #1, Milwaukie, OR; saw three discs at 'terrific speed' July 4, 1947 · Oregon State Police · Page 184
Merl C. Patterson
Patrolman, Portland City Police (124 SE 15th Ave); ex-Air Corps pilot; July 4, 1947 sighting at SE 82nd & Foster Rd of single aluminum disc 'faster than he has ever seen any flying object before' at est. 30,000 ft · Portland Police Dept · Page 184
W. A. Lissy / Walter Lissy
Patrolman, Portland City Police; private pilot's license; saw three flat round white discs at est. 40,000 ft in straight-line formation, last disc 'fluttering very rapidly in a side way arc' · Portland Police Dept · Page 183
D. W. Ellis / Robert Ellis
Patrolman, Portland City Police, Car 82; private pilot's license; co-witness with Lissy · Portland Police Dept · Page 183
Capt. K. A. Prehn
Harbor Pilot, Portland Harbor Patrol; July 4, 1947 disc sighting from foot of NW Irving St — 'flashes' / 'shiny chromium hub cap off a car which wobbled, disappeared and reappeared' · Portland Harbor Patrol · Page 182
Frank Ryman
Coast Guardsman, Seattle, age 27; photographed 'white saucer' over north end of Lake Washington from his front porch · U.S. Coast Guard · Page 178
Bill Turrentine
15-year-old Norfolk, VA schoolboy (410 West 14th Street); July 8, 1947 photograph of large black football-shaped object followed by two smaller ones, taken with old camera at 1/100 second from third-floor porch · Norfolk, Virginia · Page 157
Mr. Brown
Photo Craftsman Service, Norfolk; received Turrentine's negative; passed to International News Service; profit-sharing agreement with Turrentine · Photo Craftsman Service · Page 157
George Hebert
Norfolk Ledger-Dispatch reporter; interviewed Bill Turrentine · Norfolk Ledger-Dispatch · Page 160
Red Hatfield
Former Navy pilot; Airport Manager, Myrtle Creek, OR; reported sighting mysterious object twice on Aug 6, 1947 evening while flying at ~5000 ft above Myrtle Creek · Myrtle Creek, Oregon Airport · Page 167
Charles Casella, Jr.
Hackensack, NJ resident (287 Euclid Avenue, age 20); with William Truex (US Army, Ft. Dix) sighted slowly-revolving object Aug 3, 1947 'two hundred yards in air' · Hackensack, NJ · Page 155
William Truex
U.S. Army, Ft. Dix, NJ; co-witness with Casella · U.S. Army, Ft. Dix · Page 155
Raymond Edward Lane / Mrs. Lane
Detroit informants in Aug 5-7, 1947 case; Hoover instructed material be given to Army Air Force Intelligence rather than FBI Lab · Detroit, Michigan · Page 153
Mrs. Anthony Hoffman
Milwaukee witness (3410 W. Layton Ave) who with husband saw object at 8 PM Sunday flying toward Billy Mitchell Field · Milwaukee, WI · Page 46
Glenn Rowden
Detroit visitor; saw 50-inch saucer over Billy Mitchell Field at 10:05 PM after alighting from airplane; in sight 90 seconds · Detroit, MI / Plaza Hotel Milwaukee · Page 46
William Humphrey
Milwaukee resident, 3148 S. 20th St; reported zig-zagging illuminated disc seeming to land in wooded area near Pulaski high school; tried unsuccessfully to photograph · Milwaukee, WI · Page 46
Erwin Rottman
Milwaukee resident, 1328 N. 19th St; saw three objects flying NW changing color orange→gold→silver · Milwaukee, WI · Page 46
Hazen Kennedy
Washington DC, 2615 4th St NE, 125 hours student-pilot time; saw object at 1200-1500 ft over NE city section at 'well over 1000 mph' — described as 'mp bulb without the socket' · Washington, D.C. · Page 4
Pope Pius XII
Pope, addressing audience at Castelgandolfo about 'turmoil' and 'cynics' (clipping in file) · Vatican · Page 37
David Lilienthal
Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission; denied AEC connection to disc phenomenon; debunked 'transmutation of atomic energy' rumor · Atomic Energy Commission · Page 4
Maj. Alexander P. de Seversky
Aircraft designer; told New York reporter he could not pass judgment until he saw a flying saucer; agreed it might be hysteria · private · Page 4
Dr. Winfred Overholser
Superintendent, St. Elizabeths Hospital; psychiatrist; called phenomenon 'national hysteria' / 'witchcraft scare' · St. Elizabeths Hospital, Washington DC · Page 4
Dr. Aurel Aczel
Editor, Hungarian-language newspaper, Philadelphia; argued saucers were mirages similar to Egyptian/Hungarian plain experiences · Philadelphia, PA · Page 47
Howard W. Blakeslee
AP Science Editor; July 6, 1947 column 'laws of eyesight' explaining saucer reports as light-reflection from distant aircraft · Associated Press · Page 4
Dr. J. S. Nassau
Director, Warner & Swasey observatory at Case Institute of Technology, Cleveland; said reports are 'fancies' · Case Institute of Technology · Page 53
Louis E. Starr
National Commander-in-Chief, Veterans of Foreign Wars; said Gen. Spaatz had a 'group out right now' looking for discs · VFW · Page 4
Gen. Carl Spaatz
USAAF Chief; reportedly searching for discs (per VFW Commander Starr, denied directly) · USAAF · Page 4
Mrs. Marian Reed
Texas farm wife; found 'round piece of tinfoil eight inches wide, scorched or burned around the edges' marked with black-stenciled letters in her back yard · Texas · Page 34
Sheriff Paul Stanford
Anderson County, TX Sheriff; described July 6 1947 'orange basketballs of fire' over Brushy Creek/Palestine, TX · Anderson County, Texas · Page 34
Mrs. F. W. Haak
Yoakum, TX resident (410 Stockdale St.); decided her 'flying disc' was reflection from an airplane · Yoakum, Texas · Page 34
Grafton, Wisconsin, USA
Page 24
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
Page 46
Black River Falls, Wisconsin (Jackson County fairgrounds), USA
Page 67
Twin Falls, Idaho (215 7th Ave East), USA
Page 79
Laurel, Maryland (200 6th Street), USA
Page 66
North Hollywood, California (11858 Magnolia Boulevard; Radford & Magnolia Streets), USA
Page 94
Burbank, California, USA
Page 85
Fort MacArthur, San Pedro, California, USA
Page 94
Williams Field, Chandler, Arizona, USA
Page 136
Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA
Page 136
Brooks Field, Texas, USA
Page 136
Phoenix, Arizona (4333 N. 14th St.), USA
Page 172
Bakersfield, California, USA
Page 179
Portland, Oregon, USA
Page 183
Myrtle Creek, Oregon, USA
Page 167
Kelso, Washington (B-25 crash site), USA
Page 143
Tacoma, Washington (Maury Island), USA
Page 119
McChord Field, Washington, USA
Page 141
Federal Bureau of Investigation, Liaison Section
FBI · Page 40
Fourth Air Force, A-2 (Office of Asst. Chief of Staff, Intelligence), Hamilton Field
USAAF · Page 173
Sixth Army CIC
U.S. Army · Page 184
CIC-AAF, FDTRC, Williams Field
USAAF · Page 136
Counter Intelligence, Fifth Army (Chicago)
U.S. Army · Page 169
Requirements Intelligence Branch, Army Air Corps Intelligence
USAAF · Page 125
Military Intelligence Division (MID)
War Department General Staff · Page 10
Air Forces Public Relations
USAAF · Page 4
G-2, Fort MacArthur
U.S. Army · Page 94
Civil Air Patrol of Wisconsin
USAAF auxiliary · Page 67
Veterans of Foreign Wars
civilian · Page 4
Atomic Energy Commission (Los Alamos)
AEC · Page 132
Oregon National Guard
National Guard · Page 4
Portland City Police Department
civilian police · Page 184
Oregon State Police, District #1, Milwaukie
civilian police · Page 184
P-80 jet fighter
aircraft · Page 4
P-51 pursuit ship
aircraft · Page 51
A-26 bomber
aircraft · Page 51
B-25 (Davidson/Brown crash aircraft)
aircraft · Page 143
B-29 bomber (23 near Astoria, OR July 4, 1947)
aircraft · Page 178
XF5U-1 'flying flapjack' (Vought)
aircraft · Page 179
P-82 (Muroc context)
aircraft · Page 51
Box camera, size 620 (Rhoads)
sensor · Page 172
Powerful telescope (Perkin-Elmer, in development) for searching stratosphere for atom bombs
sensor · Page 105
Portland teletype (Bobbitt) re Kelso crash; routing slip with multiple 'Mr.' addressee names visible on right margin; black blocking artifacts in OCR
Likely reason: Likely routing-slip standard markings; minor
Hoover teletype to SAC Detroit re Lane informants; 'Material should not be forwarded to FBI Laboratory for examination but should be turned over to the Army Airforce Intelligence' — text intact, '270 NOV 18 1964 COPIES DESTROYED' notation
Likely reason: Records-management notation
Disc photograph illustration page (between July 17 1947 letters); shows handwritten 'V2' / sketch artifacts of OCR around an image-heavy page
Likely reason: Image page (no readable text); not a redaction
Hamilton Field, San Francisco (4th AF Hq), USA
Page 145
Wright Field, Ohio, USA
Page 143
Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
Page 143
Santa Fe, New Mexico (Canjilon, Park View, Tierra Amarilla), USA
Page 132
Los Alamos, New Mexico, USA
Page 132
Hackensack, New Jersey, USA
Page 155
Norfolk, Virginia (410 W. 14th Street), USA
Page 157
San Diego, California, USA
Page 161
Stamford, Connecticut (American Cyanamid; Perkin-Elmer Glenbrook), USA
Page 103
Westport, Connecticut (41 Wright St.), USA
Page 112
Brooklyn, New York (907 Seneca Avenue), USA
Page 129
Chicago, Illinois (1734 Thome Avenue), USA
Page 78
Omaha, Nebraska (2315 Himebaugh Avenue), USA
Page 171
San Marcos, Texas (Cliffside Hall), USA
Page 38
Darlington, South Carolina, USA
Page 44
Yoakum, Texas, USA
Page 34
Palestine, Texas (Brushy Creek), USA
Page 34
Lake Bakal / Baykal, USSR
Page 54
Wilmington, California (Los Angeles harbor), USA
Page 54
Cascade Mountains, Washington, USA
Page 51
Mt. St. Helens area, Oregon, USA
Page 178
Lake Washington, Seattle, USA
Page 178
Billy Mitchell Field, Milwaukee, USA
Page 46
Habberbishopshiem (vicinity ~120 mi NW), Germany
Page 147
Milan and Bologna observatories, Italy
Page 103
Castelgandolfo, Italy
Page 37
Pastor Joseph Barsky heard a whistle and a hum in his yard in Grafton, Wisconsin. These were followed by a thud and an explosive sound. When he went to investigate, he found a metal disc.
The object wasn't just something he briefly saw in the sky. Barsky reported picking it up from his yard while it was still warm, observing a hole, wires, and small parts within it. He notified the FBI about the discovery but didn't know if he had found something significant or if it was merely a prank.
The newspaper that reported the story described the incident in July 1947. Barsky said he heard the noise in the morning, then searched his yard for its source. There, he found a round metal object that looked like a circular saw blade.
The disc was roughly the size of a large plate. Barsky stated it weighed several kilograms and was about three millimeters thick. In its center was a hole, and inside it, according to his description, were wires and small parts.
The heat is a detail that's hard to ignore: Barsky said the disc was still warm when he found it. He provided the information to the FBI but couldn't say what the object was.
At that time, people across the United States were reporting discs they saw in the sky. The newspaper wrote that Barsky's object was the first of these reported findings to be physically recovered, not just seen from a distance. This was the newspaper's claim, not an identification of the object.
But even after finding it, Barsky didn't know if it was something important or a prank. The report describes an object that could be held and described, but it doesn't say what happened to it afterward.
The surviving material in the file does not indicate whether anyone examined the disc, attempted to identify it, or discovered its fate. It mentions other pranks, but there's no explanation linking them to Barsky's discovery.
A warm disc in the yard, wires in its center — and still no answer as to what landed there.