FBI Memorandum on Flying Saucers

Synopsis

Air Intelligence advised of another creditable and unexplainable sighting of flying saucers. Air Intelligence still feels flying saucers are optical illusions or atmospherical phenomena but some Military officials are seriously considering the possibility of interplanetary ships.

Background

You will recall that Air Intelligence has previously kept the Bureau advised regarding developments pertaining to Air Intelligence research on the flying saucers problem. Air Intelligence has previously advised that all research pertaining to this problem is handled by the Air Technical Intelligence Center based at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, Ohio; that approximately 90 per cent of the reported sightings of flying saucers can be discounted as product of the imagination and as explainable objects such as weather balloons, etc., but that a small percentage of extremely creditable sightings have been unexplained.

Details

Colonel [C. M. Young], Executive Officer to Major general John A. Samford, Director of Intelligence, Air Force, advised on October 23, 1952, that another recent extremely creditable sighting had been reported to Air Intelligence. A Navy photographer, while traveling across the United States in his own car, saw a number of objects in the sky which appeared to be flying saucers. He took approximately thirty-five feet of motion-picture film of these objects. He voluntarily submitted the film to Air Force Intelligence who had it studied by the Air Technical Intelligence Center. Experts at the Air Technical Intelligence Center have advised that, after careful study, there were as many as twelve to sixteen flying objects recorded on this film; that the possibility of weather balloons, clouds or other explainable objects has been completely ruled out; and that they are at complete loss to explain this most recent creditable sighting. The Air Technical Intelligence Center experts pointed out that they could not be optical illusions inasmuch as optical illusions could not be recorded on film.

Colonel [Young] advised that Air Intelligence still feels that the so-called flying saucers are either optical illusions or atmospherical phenomena. He pointed out, however, that some Military officials are seriously considering the possibility of interplanetary ships.

Action

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