Radio Reports Prompted the Army to Investigate Flying Saucers

In February 1949, the U.S. Army received several radio reports of flying saucers and began investigating. It wanted to know whether the reports described natural phenomena or activity by a foreign country.

The Army was looking beyond what people said they had heard or seen. It wanted to know whether another country was behind the reports. A few weeks later, it had an assessment. Then remarks by a familiar radio broadcaster prompted a new request.

What Was Behind the Reports?

In February, an Army division responsible for planning and operations contacted the intelligence division, which was examining the reports. It asked the intelligence division to assess the flying-saucer phenomenon and determine whether the reports could be linked to activity by a foreign country.

In March, the intelligence division sent its assessment to the Army. According to an Army summary from April, the investigation found no foreign involvement in the cases examined. That answered the question the Army had posed. The document does not say what the people who reported the incidents saw or what caused any of them.

A Broadcast Prompts Another Inquiry

In April, the Army turned its attention to flying saucers again, this time after a broadcast by Walter Winchell. Winchell discussed them on air, and the Army asked the intelligence division to check whether his statements were accurate.

The document records the request to review the broadcast but does not specify what Winchell said. Nor does it give the intelligence division’s response. The record therefore does not show whether the broadcast changed the Army’s assessment.

What Remains Unknown

The document does not describe what the flying saucers looked like in any of the cases or what caused them. It offers no specific natural explanation, either; it records only the investigation and its conclusion about foreign involvement.

The reports came in over the radio. What exactly people saw remains unknown.