PROJECT BLUE BOOK

9. PHYSICAL EVIDENCE
Yes
1No .
FORM
FTD SEP 63 0-329 (TDE) Prevlous editions of this form mey be used.
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400 feet,
dicated by
. of 400 MPH.
In all probability, therefore objects were much closer than thought, and
moving at definitely "sub-sonic"' speeds.
/I I a
4

probably vouid not hevs been ccnsidered umusunl or roported
beon no pubilcity-
L 41 2
Arojoot Gnso
4 otfon gs Ramining Reposta
- “
The remining unexplained incidents (seo Appondis "te) 63
aw comnon ohnraoteristios. Tho of themy byr statemcnts of the reporte:
onid not lete boen mide had the wenesses not road of tho lt. Kaniar
reident (iacidont Ho. 17). Koot wore distaibutcd nithout pabterm
4iomhitcdctatos. e outsire the l. S. Ho tro
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B
44

couldn't find their tails but jet aircral The objects
were observed Ranier flying directly south to south-
east down the mountain range. The elevation of the objects was
estimated to have approximately one thousand feet one way or another but
remained very near t! horizon, which would indicate that they were near the same
elevation as the witness. Mr. stated that the objects flew like geese, in a
rather diagonal chain-like line as if they were linked together. They seemed to hold
-
It is the Air Force conclusion objects of this s sighting were due to a
mirage. statement concering how smooth and crystal clear the air
was is an indication of very stable conditions which are associated with inversions,
and increase the refraction index of the etmorphere.

1. The attached
Hamilton Field,
this headquerters, File 4Al 333.5/13 (Gen) 1208-1. aated 27 Aurust
1s47. It is the opinion of this headquerters thet irmwngte, in all
sincerity, will atternt to substentiate his investigation as atated...
in the ettached telegram.
3. Inasmuch as this headquarters has no authority to recuest a
with reference to the subjtot matter.
a
B Hie
Ha, Ar r
Incls Acting Aset Auju s Qereral
Photostat, telegran
dtd Aug 31. (dup)

WUA9 NL PD 4
NEESNN NOINN BOISE IDAHO AUG 31 UNCLASSIFIED
COLONEL SPRINGER
A-2 OFFICE HAMILTON FIELD CALIF
FA I HAVE OFFER TO SELL MY DETAILED ACCOUNT OF AN INVESTIGATION OF I HAVE OFFER TO SELL MY DETAILED ACCOUNT OF AN INVESTIGATION OF
- . FLYING DISC THAT TOOK PLACE IN TACOMA WASHINGTON JULY 29 THRU FLYING DISC THAT TOOK PLACE IN TACOMA WASHINGTON JULY 29 THRU
NEEEEEE MEEEE NOINN AUGUST 3RD INCLUDING MY MOVIE FILM OF FACTS PERSONS PLACES AND
FRAGMENTS INVOLVED UNLESS I RECEIVE DEFINITE WORD TO THE CONTARY FRAGMENTS INVOLVED UNLESS I RECEIVE DEFINITE WORD TO THE CONTARY
FROM A-2 WITHIN FIVE DAYS THIS STORY WILL NO DOUBT BE PUBLISHED
8 . ..
.. -
. 4
29 3RD A=2
. MEEEEN NOINN 3383A 3
7 17
. UNCLASSIFIED
.
EEN NO

4 . .
. ..
*
1/1
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DISAPPOINTRENT YOU CANIOT CIVE THE EIPLANATION OF TIESE
AIRCKAFT AS I FELT CERTAIN THEY DELONOED TO OUR GOV HIT
OF DESTRUCTION IN CONBINATION HITH OUR ATOMIC BORD THE
ERPECIS COULD BESTROY LIFE ON OUR PLANET. CAPT MIM .7
CO-PILOT STEVENS OF UNITED AIR LISS AND INYSULF F HAVE COMPAREL
ME RAD ODSEAVED THE SAMC TYPS OF AIRCRAFT AS TO SIZE SKAPE
JING FILE
17
11

8. Numbor of objoots 9
wyer 20 to 25 milien
10. Timo in sight 2 2-1/2 to 3 minutes
11. Altitude 9.500 ft
12. Spood XS Approx 150 MPH
LINC
13. Direction of flight North to South at 170e
14. Tactics Horizontal flight
FILE
1. 15. Sound N/s
16. Sizo 45 to 50 ft
17
17. Color mirror like
18. Shapo Approrimately circular
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large to be observed at that distance even on a cleer day.
smaller that the be-4 but he judged their span to be as wide as the further-
est engines or each side of the fuselage of the The chair
seemed to be approtimately five miles long.
NOTE: It was the opinion of the sgent rviewing kr. wley that
he saw the "flying discs" In this regard agent further stated
that if Mr. Arnold could write a report of such a character
and did not see the objects he was in the wrOn business and should
be engaged in writing Buck Rogers fiction. .
The attached is See Fate"
magarine article
Top
They seemed longer than wide
SIFIED thickmess being about 1/20
of width

approximately 1700 Muli, not 1200.)
4 18S
in viow of the above, it appears orobudle that wnatover ob-
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fore have bson - .
.
.
' * . .
..
.
.
7
. .
M
.

7. Place of observation Idaho western sky
8. Numbor of objocts
9. I Distance of objoct from observer Not stated
10. Timo in sight Not stated
11. Altitude Not stated
12. Speod sotxxbobod Remained inmobile
13. Direction of flight Didn't move just' seoned to go below the horizon
with the rotation of the earth
14. Tactics sxxxabxoxl hovering
15. Sound Not stated
16. Size not stated
17. Color not stated
. +
.18 S Shapo comet-like
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6/1 9

.
:. :
f
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ATTENTION: AC of AS-2
l. Attached statements end MoICs formerded to per
request TRX X from Headquarters Air Defens Te,
dated 10 July 1947.
2. This headquarters is unable to logate however.
es soon es he is and MoIC will direct to
your office.
Se furnished Headouartere Commend.
DONALD L. SPRINGER
4 Incls: Lt. Colonel, GSC
1. MOIC 16 Jul/Brown (dup AC of S, A-2
2. MOIG 16 Jul/Brown (dup
3. MOIO 16 Jul/Browm (d1)
4. MOIC 16 Jul/Brown (dup)
ANC
H/ .
Y

Er. dohnson stated thet
after Mr. reported hevir disks, that the editor
of the paper had assigned him, M: assignment of teking tbe
austing all efforts to prove
or disprove the probability of flying dis having been seen in the
northwest area. The results of this assignment to Mr. Johnson and what
he subsequently saw is put forth in a sworn statement signed by Kr. dohnson
attached to this report as Exhibit B.
ES h
1 Incl: Exhibit "g" Of
TU MA EO MSIM00 UNCLASSIFIED S
STOCH
FRANK M. ROWN, S/A, CIO 5th

covered an area embracing the confines of the fanford plant in Washington,
to Boise by wey of dalla lalla, dashington, and Pendleton, Oregon. This
64 -

by the tempertture at that altitude.
field of vision an object which was
black and round.
erretie movement, I thought I belloon. I called the
Boise, and asked if the weathor station had
11
114 8

that apparent
made at 12:17 hours. But a few seconds elansed
stetion.
11 4

the same cloud formation, which by now had
these
men were nationel guard personnel and
describe what they saw, before telling E them my story, in order to avoid
suggestion or inference of a leading nature. They saw the object (from

6
At the time of the experience related above, I hed flowm fourteen
and one-helf hours on an assignment to find a dise and if possible, to
photograph it. in all frankmess, I was tired. I may have been suffering,
although slightly, from want of oxygen.
referred to by in and by Gaptainamuwn of United Adr Lines.
to keep boating into my head that I would not fall viotim to the power of
suggestion or self-hypnosis arising fron a naturally very intent desire to
tricks the eyes will play as to moving bodies, and have learned of this

The impression
dise phenomena which have been reported.
A chart is attsched depicting the movements of the object as I sew it.
This stotenent is made voluntarily and
request of Mr. Browm and Captsin Devidson, who celled on me this morning-
a
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.
. This design portrays the movements of the objeot to
which reference is mede in the attached statement. At
and (5) show the jerky, rising motion. Position (4) is where
the object rolled, presenting its edge to me. It then
followed the dotted line, rolling over the top of the maneuver
and disoppearing at position (5).
a
.

not having se e objects that he claimed he
saw, it is th opinion of the interviewer td is in the vrong
business, that he should be writing Buck Rogers fiction. Mr,shengite is
very outspoken and somekhat bitter in his opinions of the leaders of the
U.S. Army Air Forces and the Federal Bureau of Investisation for not having
made an investigation of this matter sooner. To put all of the etatekents
midinihisnenant manid rEKe it a voluminous volune. However,

UNCLASSIFIED
110

and also played football under Bernie Bierman, but upon entering college I
WES pecause injured knee. y
124

Callair airplane, which
injuring your sirplane; the runways ar very limited and the altitude is
very high in some of the fields and places I have to go in my work. To
UNCLASSIFIED
85
T
61/ A

to search for a large narine transport that
supposedly went down near or around the southwest side of Mt- Rainier in the
after reaching an altitude of about
searching all of the various ridges for this marine ship and flew to the west
down and rear the ridge side of the canyon where Ashford, Hashington, is located,
11

E
These objects being quite far away, I was unable for a few seconds to
they aoprosched It.
I thou ht it was very peculiar that couldn't their tails but
1
1

justify more than a second look at
such a plane.
which was almost at right angles, to be between twenty twenty-five miles.
I knew they must be very large to observe their shape at that distance, even
on as clear a dsy as it was that fuesday. In fact I compared a zeus fastener
or cowling tool I had in my pocket with them - holcing it up on them and
holding it up on the DC-4 - that I could observe at ouite a to my
A
1

. news men and experts suggested that I might have been
Even though two minutes seems like a very short time to one on the
couldsren follow by their flashes as they passed lit. Adams, wass around two
UNCLASSIFIEE
89
11 B
1 -

the
conventional type of planes thet I inow.
served the same thing that I did; partioularly, the descriptions of the three
,Sedar City, Utah ,(pilot) from Oklanome City and the locomo-
11

111
61

opera-
vinced, is some type of or rocket propelled ship that is in ths process
of being tested d by our vernment or even it could possibly be by some foreign
government".
Anvhow. the news that I had cbserved these spread very repidly and
4/

wyoming as an oxtremely high perfornance, high altitude sirplane that wes
L/ /s/
tranelin This wan Boise, Idaho.
1/ B
I

//
F

1/
111 I

What did mirage (see Figure 3) in which the nswer is possible after so long a time.
1947? No absolutely certain The objects may have beer

taking ski pictures for the rotogravure section of the Sunday Times.
The weather was beautiful. Down in the pass temperatures hovered
near freezing, but the slopes were warmed by sunlight that filtered
down through thin cirrus clouds and raised the temperature to a
balmy fifty degrees. Just at sunset a strange object suddenly ap-
peared off toward the northeast horizon. Several skiers urged the
photographer to take a picture of the "flying saucer," but since it
was still far away and indistinct, he waited. The first object, now
followed by a second one, moved rapidly toward Mount Ranier,
began to sharpen in outline, and both were soon so clearly visible
that he was able to snap his unusual picture. The photograph shows
two apparently solid, disklike objects, flattened, brilliantly white but
a.
have to be dry at lower elevations and moisture would have to
be spreading in a higher levels. An inspection of the historical maps
1 I1theo conditionewera met" [oz1

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Figure 3. Mirage of mountain peaks. Top, normal view of mountain
chain; bottom, mirage in which some of the peaks seem to be detached
the cloud assumes a flat, round shape like a plate or a saucer, and
two or more are piled together in a neat stack like a layer cake. A
beautiful picture of a "stack of plates" (which some observers re-
ported as a hovering flying saucer) was made on May 31, 1953,
near Jindabyna, Snowy Mountains, New South Wales, and repro-
duced in Weather in November 1954 (Plate 47). The cloud formed
avon a tuh chonod donro ion in the mountoina and vomainod oto
417

miles away, forty-five to fifty feet long, and t a speed of
almost 170o miles an hour. Talking with Arnold said that the objects "flew like a saucer w d if you skipped
it across the water." In a later report to Air Force Intelligence he
t down the hogback of the range, flying like geese in a
rect, then in order to be visible the objects must have been much

answered the letter [2]. After a second letter a week later, he changed his mind about keeping silent and agreed to sell his story
for publication. Under the title, "I Did See the Flying Disks," the article appeared
in the first issue of a new magazine, Fate, which published "true
expert and produced a vivid, clearly written story-Palmer had had owas not a professional writer, he had the assistance of an
unusual experience in helping fledgling authors tell their tales. In- teresting differences between rs's original statements and those
in the magazine version demonstrate how much he must have owed
1

Figure 2.eis flying saucers. Left, as first described; right, as later
sketched.
scribed them as saucer-like, flat and shiny like piepans. Instead, a
picture based on his revised account shows objects like the crescent
1/

. ject must be "j
.
, the chance of emall. If
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the object was Se
/
.

FINAL GALLEY PROOF
Galley 17-THE WORLD OF FLYING SAUCERS
Reed concludes that, although we can never know for certain,
the implication that the Times photographer and
viewed essentially the same phenomenon seems "inescapable."
-

C

ported she and her husband wit-
nessed a brilliant object in the
night sky which she assumed to
be a flying saucer, although it was stationary.
Eut at Cambridge, Mass., a
housewife said she saw "a group
of white, flying saucers whirling
around and going at a tremendous speed."
The Massachusetts and Vermont
reports brought to 40 the number
been observed. of states in which the objects have
Thinks He Saw 'Em First.
With New England getting into
the game the Harvard University
astronomical observatory took
note of the reports, but said,it had
(Associated Press Wirefoto) had no luck so far in photograph-
Kenneth Arnold, businessman flyer, holds camera at Boise, Idaho, ing one of the dises.
airport where he described seeing fying dises over Cascade Mountains The mysterious saucers first
in Washington. He didn't get any pictures. were reported June 25 in the siate
of Washington, but Charlie T.
Hamlet, superintendent of the
Kingsport, Tenn., Times News
Who Has the Saucer? composing room, said yesterday
he had seen the dises twg years ago.
They were "of a bright, aluni-
mum. cobr and "were going at
40 States Join Game 1 terrific speed,"Hamlel said, ex-
plaining he kept quiu  ahplte them
(By Associated Press) because of the Oak Ridge atomic borb plant th
:

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LIEEE ENEE -
Hartford
TIMES, THURSDAY, JUNE 26, 1947 1
Flying Pies' Stir Skepticism
Army, CAA Officials Unable to Explain Whizzing, Mysterious Objects
Pendieton, Orc.--(AP)-Army ington, D. C., commented, "as Arnold described the objects .300 miles an hour," he admitted.
and CAA spokesmen expressed far as we know, nothing flies as "fiat like a pie-pan," and so "but I know I never saw any-
skepticism today over a report that fast except a V-2 rocket, shiny that they reflected the thing. so fast."
of nine mysterious objects-big which travels at about 3,500 sun like a mirror. He said at first he thought
as airplaneswhizzing over miles an hour-and that's too He said he was flying east at they were scese, but quickly saw
Western Washington at 1,200 fast to be seen." 2:59 p. m. two days ago toward they were too big--as big as a
miles an hour. : The spokesman added that Mt. Rainier when they appeared DC-4 that was about 20 miles
Kenneth Arnold, a flying the V-2 rockets would not re- directly, in front of him 25-30 away, he said. The DC-4 pilo!
Boise, Idaho, businessman who semble the objects reported by miles away at 10,0oo feet alti- reported nothing umusual
reported secing them, clung, Arnold, and that no high-speed tude. sighted.. Then Arnold said he
however. to his story of the experimental tests were being By his plane's clock he timed thought of jet plancs and
shiny, flat objects, cach as big made in the area where Arnold them at 1:42 minutes for the 47 started to clock them. "but 'heit
as a DC-4 passenger plane, rac- said the objects were. miles from Mt. Rainier to Mt. motion was wrong for jet johs."
ing over Washington's Cascade A Civil Aeronautics Adminis- Adams. Arnold said, adding that "I guess I don't know what
Mountains with a peculiar tration inspector in Portland, he later figured by triangulation they were--unless they were
weaving motion "like the tail of Ore. added, "I rather doubt that fhat their speed was 1,200 miles guided missiles," said Arnold.
a kite." anything would be traveling that an hour. ; who continued here on a busi-
-
ret.
tomic them ex-
2 mi- Ars ay

saw "didn't move but just seemed the horizon with rotation
of the earth."
P hot said they canght a brief
glimpse of flying about F night.
saucers

e PENDLETON, Ore., June 27.-(U.P) off. He said most of his aviator Jo
n Kenneth Arnold said Friday he friends tell him that what he saw ET
would like to get on one of his were probably either one of two th
5 things: New planes or guided mis- lisi
T. 1,200-mile-an-hour "Flying Saucers" siles still in the U. S. Army Air Ch
and escape from the furore caused forces' secret category. Some the- de
by his story of mysterious aircraft orized they were experimental 1
flashing over southern Washington. equipment of another nation, Mr
"I haven't had a moment of peace probably Russia. jud
since I first told the story," the 32- "Most people," he said, "tell me ess
year-old Boise, Idaho, businessman-jI'm right." a I
pilot sighed. But meanwhile, meronautical ex- 7
He said a preacher called him perts in Washington and elsewhere mc
from Texas and informed him that were teeing off on Arnolds story tio
the strange objecis Arnold claimed with facts and figures straight out of au
to have seen batting through the the books. we
ozone actually were harbingers of Their principal point seemed to be ficl
doomsday. that if Arnold's saucers moved as
Arnoid said he didn't get the fast as he claimed, they couldn't CA
preacher's name during their have been tracked with anything A
ING short of'radar. sers
phone conversation, but the min-
BT ister said he was getting his clocks The fastest man has yet flown is erv:
er "ready for the end of this world. 647 miles per hour-8 record set re-ide
ge That was unnerving, according to cently by Col. Albert Boyd in a P-Bo. jing
d. Arnold, but it wasn't half as dis-
WHE he concerting as the episoce in a Pen-
5- dieton cafe.
ie. Arnold said a woman rushed in,
took one look at him and then
dashed out shrieking there's the s
~ man who saw the men from Mars." Rie
ha She rushed out of the eating place
of "sobbing that she would have to do Mra

anything would be traveling that
fast."
Arnold described the objects
as "flat like a pie pan," and so
shiny that they reflected the
sun like a mirror.
He said he was flying east at
2:59 p. m. two days ago toward
Mt. Rainier when they appeared
directly in front of him 25-30
miles away at 10,0o0 feet alti-
tude.
By his plane's clock he timed
them at 1:42 minutes for the 47
miles from Mt. Rainier to Mt.
Adams, Arnold said, adding that 1
C he later figured by triangula-
tion that their speed was 1200
//

alleTruly
100
p
ee-conbaine

Mamhaftan.belowe.
Mystery Missiles Puzzle Far West
belngmndsmn.theareaayhereMr.pNrArnoldsadahe thoughe.ot3c
EovoLetON-OrereJune26-sAmoid saidethe.objects were nlenes-andstarzedeto.clocc-ihem
2E00R10

2
80
is definitely delow the limit of

hot.controyersy.ragedabout it.ansbvcnty.others.ovcrcome.by.smokel
Kenneth ArnoldoBoise inr Sloo ooo nre mthe plant of
Idnbo-staried-it-by reporting hel Company -todayeyatchedyby
nine mysterious objcci zip thousands attendin Boston
exday Atwhat belcstimated
00 Pmlleehour spcede
Envements thut no known
M
madeem that part o th AcS
Then others beran reportin
ingesaucersreandrthercontro
wason-therewasnsimt
ity.ein all.reports.-the.objects
round Uike sancers, bravelimg Dpi
chign rate.orspeed with
or no nolse and ot such
binessthat.tenecdonspom TSC 700041
sun avere-aimost.bindinge
bhnce-personsaim-EbPaso-Tex

Fast-Fhyng Dishs
Reporied-in-West
Shiny Dbjecis Said to Soar
atL200MP.H
By The Axsocinted Press
Conjecture multiplied vesterda
as widely scparated areas reported
incredibly fast disk like objects
flashing through the sky but
kepticism remained,
Following a report Wednesday
Pendleton,Ore.by.Kenneth
Amold of Boise Idabo. that he
had scen nine saucer-shaped,shiny
objects dipping and skimming
through the sky between Mt
Rainiertand Mt Adams in Wash-
ington State at an estimated 1200
miles an hour camc these obser-
Uons'yesterdays
Byron Savare, Oklahoma City
isipess-man pilot saic that hive
r.stx weeks.ago.be observeda.nat TEOCP
disk-like object hurtling through
thesky at tremendous spced.
AtKansas.Cit.oMor.W.L ANP
Davenport A carpenter said that
on Wednesdayshe, too, saw nine
speeding objects.moving west
bigh in the sky  Ihey were going 133
ast and he could not make out
their shape.However,be reported
engine sound and vapor trails.
A Bremerton, (Wash.) house
fe west across ttheCascade
ountains from where Mr Amold
wahis obiects.saldihstwice
in the last ten days she had seen
rlilkenalichtsreiechngsob:

108, 109,
O. Kiscellaneous
#59, 89, 231, 234e
S. Non-astroncuio
a. Lack of evidenioe prec)
11 .

, b,6.
108, 109, 218.
C. Kiscellaneous
231, 2346
S. Fon-astronobioal,
a. Lack of eviderice prec planations
38, 44, 45, 47, 55, ..57
1/

The pilot reported that the air vas so smooth that it was a real plea-
sure flying snd, ae most pilots do when the air is amooth and they are at a
higher altitude, he trimmed out the aireraft and simply sat in his plene observ- A
ing the sky and the terrain.
Mr. dowma reported thet there wan a Do-h to the left and to the rear or hin at a
approximately lh, Ooo fect. The sly was reported to bo as elear as a crystal.
He hadn't flown more than two or three minites on his cowrso when a bright
flash reflected on his airplane. He looked every place in the sky and couldn't
find where the reflectlon had come fron. The pilct looked to the left and
norsh of it. Ralder where he obseived a chein of nd eculiar looking aircraft
flying from north to south at approximitely 9,5o0 1 and going, seemingly,
in e direction of about l7o dcgrees. They were ap aching Mt. Ronier vory
rapidly, and he assumed they were jet airereft. Every few seconds tvo or three of
the objects would aip or change course slightly, juct cnough for the sun to
strike then st an angle and reflect brightly. The objects being quite far
awey, he vas uncble for a few seconds to mke out their shape or formation.
As they approached Mb. Runier he Cbservcd thelr outline quite cleariy. Mr.
Mna steted Shnt he found it vey peculiar that be couldn't find thedr teils
but esswnad they vere sone type or' jet aireruft. I Ihe objeots were obcerved
//
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