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48 I made discreet inquiries through the Canadian Embassy staff in Washington who were able to obtain for me the following infor- mation: a. The matter is the most highly classified subject in the United States Government, rating even higher than the H-bomb. b. Flying saucers exist. c. Their modus operandi is unknown but concentrated effort is being made by a small group headed by Doctor Vannevar Bush. d. The entire matter is considered by the United States authori- ties to be of tremendous significance. What, if anything, did this mean? Smith was known to have had a strong interest in UFOs and had corresponded exten- sively on the subject with Donald Keyhoe and NICAP. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Smith exhibited growing signs of mental disturbance blamed on the brain tumor that was to take his life in 1962. But through most of the 1950s he was consid- ered a highly qualified engineer who explored a number of unconventional concepts involving gravity and electromag- netism. Smith was awarded the Canadian Engineering Award posthumously for "Dedicated service in the advancement of the technical standards in Canadian broadcasting." If what Smith wrote was true, then it was the most impor- tant UFO-related government information yet seen. Arthur Bray received the memo from the Canadian government in 1978 (again, possibly by accident) and was eventually able to track down the son of Wilbert Smith and read Smith's hand- Notes on interview through Lt/C. Bremner with Dr. Robert Sar- bacher. SMITH: I am doing some work on the collapse of the earth's magnetic field as a source of energy, and I think our work may have a bearing on the flying saucers. SARBACHER: What do you want to know? CRASH AT CORONA written notes on the September 12, 1950, meeting.