Flying Discs 1947: The Secret Intelligence Files of Air Materiel Command

Source file: 18_100754_general_1946-7_vol_2.pdf Originating agency: U.S. Army Air Forces (Record Group 18 — AAF) Date range: August 1947 – December 1947 Page count: 28 (all read) High-significance pages: 1, 3, 9–11, 13–16, 17, 18, 26–28

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Official Blurb (from war.gov)

This file contains memorandums and correspondence related to flying disc/saucer sightings and that those are a matter of concern for the Air Materiel Command.

Summary

This file contains one of the most important collections of military documentation in the history of UAP research. It includes the famous Twining Letter of September 23, 1947, in which a senior U.S. Army officer formally declared that the flying disc phenomenon is "real and not visionary or fictitious." The file documents a complete chain of classified and secret correspondence between Air Materiel Command (AMC) at Wright Field and Air Force headquarters in Washington, providing an unprecedented view into American military thinking during the first months of the flying saucer era. The documents reveal deep anxiety, internal debate about possible foreign or domestic origins of the objects, and urgent calls for organized, coordinated investigation.

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Research Article

Introduction: The Critical Context of 1947

June 1947 marked a turning point in human history: pilot Kenneth Arnold reported nine gleaming objects flying near Mount Rainier, Washington, at an estimated speed of approximately 1,700 miles per hour. His account introduced the term "flying saucer" to the public consciousness and opened a wave of reports that flooded the U.S. Army Air Forces.

This file — the General Files of Record Group 18, volume two for 1946–1947 — is the direct military response to that wave. It contains all classified internal correspondence between Air Materiel Command and Air Force headquarters on the subject of "flying discs" between August and December 1947, presenting a complete and remarkable picture of the most closely held military discourse of that time.

The Foundational Document: Intelligence Collection Branch Review (August 22, 1947)

The chronologically first document in the file is a Routing and Record Sheet dated August 22, 1947, signed by Colonel Robert Taylor III, Chief, Collection Branch, Air Intelligence Requirements Division. The document, classified RESTRICTED, presents findings from a detailed study of flying saucer reports selected for "their reliability and authenticity."

Taylor enumerated the common characteristics of the reported objects.

a. Metallic surfaces, at least a metallic outer skin. b. Where a trail exists, it appears as a light blue-brown haze, similar to rocket motor exhaust. One report suggests the possibility of a maneuverable liquid-fuel rocket motor. c. Shape at minimum circular or elliptical, flat on the bottom and domed on top. d. Estimated size close to that of a C-54 or Constellation as seen from 10,000 feet. e. Some reports describe two tabs at the rear, symmetrically placed about the axis of flight. f. Flights reported involving between three and nine objects in good formation, always at speeds exceeding 300 knots. g. The discs oscillate laterally during flight — a motion that might indicate "snaking."

In response, dated August 29, 1947, Major General Curtis LeMay, in his role as Deputy Chief of the Air Staff for Research and Development, replied tersely: "The Army Air Forces has no project with the characteristics described in indorsement number 1."

LeMay's statement was critical: it officially ruled out the possibility that the objects belonged to any U.S. classified project. This forced the military to confront the possibility that they were of foreign origin.

The Twining Letter: The Historic Declaration (September 23, 1947)

The beating heart of this file is unquestionably the letter from Lieutenant General Nathan F. Twining, Commanding General of Air Materiel Command, dated September 23, 1947. The letter was sent to General George Schulgen at AC/AS-2 and classified SECRET. It presents AMC's "considered opinion" on the flying discs, formulated at a conference with personnel of the Air Institute of Technology, T-2 Intelligence, the Chief of the Engineering Division, and the aircraft, power plant, and propeller laboratories of the T-3 Engineering Division.

AMC's official opinion:

a. "The phenomenon reported is something real and not visionary or fictitious." — This sentence, inscribed in history, was the first formal military declaration affirming the reality of the flying saucer phenomenon.

b. Disc-shaped objects exist whose appearance approaches disc form, of sufficient size to have been seen to be as large as man-made aircraft.

c. There is a possibility that some of the incidents are caused by natural phenomena such as meteors.

d. Reported operating characteristics such as extreme rates of climb, maneuverability — particularly in roll — and evasive action when sighted by friendly aircraft and radar, lend credence to the possibility that some of the objects are controlled manually, automatically, or remotely.

e. The common description of the objects includes:

1. Metallic or light-reflecting surfaces.
2. Absence of trail, except in a few instances when the object apparently was operating under high performance conditions.
3. Circular or elliptical in shape, flat on the bottom and domed on top.
4. Several reports of formations of three to nine objects.
5. Normally no sound, except in three instances when a loud rumble was noted.
6. Estimated horizontal speeds generally in excess of 300 knots.

f. In the opinion of the command, if a detailed design study were undertaken, it would be possible to build a manned aircraft which would approach the descriptions herein provided within a range of approximately 7,000 miles at subsonic speeds.

g. Any further development in this area would be extremely expensive and time-consuming, and would be at the expense of current projects.

h. Three decisive considerations must be weighed:

1. The possibility that the objects are of domestic origin — a high-security project unknown to AC/AS-2 or to this command.
2. The lack of physical evidence in the form of crash debris that would prove beyond doubt the existence of these objects.
3. The possibility that a foreign nation has achieved some form of propulsion — possibly nuclear — that is outside our domestic knowledge.

Twining's recommendations:

a. HQ AAF should issue a directive assigning priority, security classification, and code name to a detailed investigation of the matter, including the preparation of complete sets of data to be made available to the Army, Navy, Atomic Energy Commission, JRDB, Air Force Scientific Advisory Group, NACA, and projects RAND and NEPA for comments and recommendations.

b. Pending a specific directive, AMC would continue investigation within its current resources.

The letter was concurred in by senior figures: Col. Moore, Chief of the Aircraft Laboratory; Mr. D. H. Dickey, Chief of the Propeller Laboratory; Gen. D. L. Putt, Engineering Division; Col. Minty, Chief of the Power Plant Laboratory; and Gen. Brentnall, T-3.

Letter of September 24, 1947: Horten Wings and Flying Saucer Research

One day after the Twining Letter, another SECRET letter was dispatched from AMC, signed by Col. H. M. McCoy, on the subject "Flying Disc." The letter attaches a drawing of the "Loedding Flying Disc," designated LD-2, and notes that for patent rights reasons a record must be maintained of all who examine the drawing.

More importantly, the letter refers to a report from the British Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE), Technical Note AERO 1703, describing the tailless aircraft designed by the Horten brothers. Specific references within the report were selected for their relevance to connecting the Horten brothers' thinking with "the flying saucer case."

Further, the letter discloses a startling intelligence finding: a report from the U.S. Military Attache in Moscow, USSR, dated June 9, 1947, states that 1,800 aircraft — directly or indirectly based on the Horten VIII design (a six-push-engine bomber with a 131-foot wingspan and gross weight of approximately 33,000 pounds) — are being built for use in bomber squadrons. The Russian version, however, is jet-powered.

This finding drew a direct connection between Nazi German designs, the reported Soviet versions, and the flying saucer phenomenon — and was decisive in shaping the hypothesis that a foreign nation, specifically the Soviet Union, might be behind the objects.

The "Photographed Discs" Investigation from Oregon (September–December 1947): The Mary Hern Case

On December 5, 1947, Lt. Colonel Donald L. Springer, A-2, Fourth Air Force, Hamilton Field, California, sent a SECRET letter to the Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force. It reported photographs that had been transferred to the office "from a most reliable source of information," received from a woman named Mary L. Hern, 1728 S.W. Bidwell Ave., Portland 2, Oregon.

According to the report, the photographs were taken between November 5 and 12, 1946, in the vicinity of Jefferson, Oregon. Mrs. Hern identified formations in the photographs as objects she did not recall seeing herself, but which she believed might be flying discs.

The A-2 analysis concluded that the markings appeared uniformly throughout all the photographs, suggesting that the camera or film was defective. No flying disc incidents had been reported from that area on the relevant dates.

On December 22, 1947, Lt. Colonel Douglas W. Eisman of the Air Intelligence Requirements Division replied: "The marks appearing in the photographs attached to the basic letter are believed to be film, paper, or camera defects and not photographs of 'flying discs'... It is requested that no further investigation of this incident be made."

The "Russian Discs From New Mexico" Theory: The Mrs. Marchant Case

Among the unique documents in this file is a fascinating exchange of correspondence concerning a woman named Madeline Gwynn Marchant of Santa Fe, New Mexico. According to an AMC letter of September 29, 1947, General Brentnall met Mrs. Marchant during a visit to Las Vegas, where she described an "original theory" about the flying discs.

According to this theory, "flying discs are being guided from some point in central Mexico by a laboratory operated by the Russians. She contends they are being directed at the United States for the purpose of sighting in on atomic energy installations and important aircraft."

AMC approached Col. Howard J. Bunker at Kirtland Field, New Mexico, and through 1st Lt. Herbert G. Guy — who had previously served at Los Alamos as a commanding officer — sought to assess Mrs. Marchant's social standing and reliability. The connection to Los Alamos and nuclear weapons installations was clearly part of the context.

On October 28, 1947, the file was closed: "It is recommended that no further action be taken to investigate Mrs. Marchant and that this file be closed." General Brentnall himself noted that Mrs. Marchant was "very talkative and seemed rather determined to promote a private enterprise rather than cooperate in the solution of an intelligence problem."

General McCoy and the Mapping Activity (November 18, 1947)

An AMC letter of November 18, 1947, signed on behalf of Col. McCoy, forwarded press clippings to Lt. General George Garrett in Washington and raised several important matters.

1. The Seattle incident: An incident reported in Seattle, published in the Dayton Journal on November 12, 1947, requiring follow-up.

2. German weapons in Spain: Lionel Shapiro's story on German weapons being developed in Spain had appeared in many newspapers. AMC had checked and found that German scientists within the command had no knowledge of any significant German scientists working in Spain.

3. The Alaska incident: A brief intelligence report from AC/AS-2 concerning a flying disc incident in Alaska in September. The close-range observation reported should have yielded a more detailed description, suggesting a need for follow-up.

4. Mapping all flying disc incidents: "Request information on progress being made on mapping of all flying disc incidents, principally in North America. It was understood that Dr. Carroll was going to prepare this map, but no further information has been received."

On November 24, 1947, a follow-up letter from AMC requested that the November 18 letter be appropriately marked as SECRET, under classification number U-48983.

Establishment of Project SIGN: The Command Letter of December 30, 1947

The last high-significance document in the file is a letter of December 30, 1947, sent from "Headquarters" to the Commanding General of AMC, Wright Field, Dayton, Ohio, on the subject "Flying Discs." The letter, signed by Major General L. C. Craigie, Director of Research and Development, Deputy Chief of the Air Staff, includes four attachments.

Principal elements of the letter:

1. "Air Force policy is not to ignore reports of sightings and phenomena in the atmosphere, but to recognize that part of its mission is to collect, collate, evaluate, and act on information of this nature."

2. Implementation of this policy: It is desirable that AMC establish a project aimed at collecting, collating, evaluating, and distributing to interested government agencies and contractors all information concerning sightings and phenomena in the atmosphere that might be construed as constituting a threat to national security.

3. The project is assigned Priority 2A, security classification RESTRICTED, and code name "SIGN." (This is the founding document of Project Sign — the direct predecessor of Project Blue Book.)

4. Full data exchange must be conducted with interested agencies, including the Army, Navy, Atomic Energy Commission, JRDB, Air Force Scientific Advisory Group, NACA, and projects RAND and NEPA.

The Japan Radar Incident (September 1947)

An AMC document of September 24, 1947, reveals an intriguing detail: "It is requested that this office receive all available information on the subject of an alleged flying saucer flight sighting made by a radar station in Japan. This incident was mentioned by Dr. Charles Carroll at a conference in General Schulgen's office at which Mr. A. C. Loedding, T-2 representative, was present on 5 September 1947."

This incident — with Dr. Carroll also serving as a USAF AC/AS-2 representative — indicates that the U.S. military was tracking radar reports from distances as great as Japan within months of the 1947 saucer wave.

FBI Request for Witness Background Investigations (August 1947)

A reference card of August 5, 1947, reveals that AC/AS-2 had submitted a request to the FBI for investigation of "the backgrounds of certain flying disc witnesses." This detail indicates that the Air Force was cooperating with the FBI to assess witness credibility in connection with the incidents — a step that preceded the formal establishment of Project Sign.

Analysis of "Flying Discs" (December 1947)

A routing card of December 22, 1947, summarizes a "compilation analysis of flying disc reports" with 11 attachments. This shows that the Air Force was already in the process of producing a comprehensive analytical compilation before the formal announcement of Project Sign.

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Key People

• Lt. Gen. Nathan F. Twining — Commanding General, AMC; signed the historic Twining Letter of September 23, 1947
• Col. H. M. McCoy — Chief of Intelligence, AMC; signed most of the classified correspondence
• Maj. Gen. L. C. Craigie — Director of Research and Development; signed the Project Sign founding letter
• Gen. George Schulgen — AC/AS-2; the brigadier general to whom the Twining Letter was addressed
• Maj. Gen. George McDonald — AC/AS-2; general connected to the Horten wing correspondence
• Lt. Col. Douglas W. Eisman — Director of Operations, Air Intelligence Requirements Division; signed the rejection of the Hern case
• 1st Lt. George Garrett Jr. — Primary addressee in Washington
• Col. Robert Taylor III — Chief, Collection Branch, AC/AS-2; signed the preliminary analysis
• Maj. Gen. Curtis LeMay — Deputy Chief of the Air Staff for Research and Development; declared that the AAF had no project with the described characteristics
• Mr. A. C. Loedding — T-2 representative, present at key conferences and associated with the "Loedding Flying Disc" drawing
• Dr. Charles Carroll — USAF; mentioned the Japan radar incident
• Col. Howard J. Bunker — Commanding officer, Kirtland Field, New Mexico
• 1st Lt. Herbert G. Guy — Former commander at Los Alamos; served as liaison in the Marchant case
• Lt. Col. Donald L. Springer — A-2 Chief, Fourth Air Force, Hamilton Field, California

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Locations

• Wright Field, Dayton, Ohio — AMC headquarters; origin of most documents
• Washington 25, D.C. — Air Force headquarters
• Hamilton Field, California — Fourth Air Force headquarters; source of the Hern case
• Jefferson, Oregon — Location of the alleged photographs by Mrs. Hern (November 1946)
• Portland, Oregon — Residence of Mary L. Hern
• Kirtland Air Force Base, Albuquerque, New Mexico — Air base connected to the Marchant case and near Los Alamos
• Los Alamos, New Mexico — Mentioned in connection with Lt. Guy and the nuclear weapons installations
• Santa Fe, New Mexico — Residence of Mrs. Marchant
• Las Vegas, Nevada — Location of General Brentnall's meeting with Mrs. Marchant
• Japan — Location of the radar-sighting incident reported in 1947
• Spain — Mentioned in connection with alleged German weapons development
• Moscow, Soviet Union — Source of the report on 1,800 aircraft based on the Horten VIII design

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Incidents

Incident	Date	Location	Pages
Initial analysis of flying saucer sightings — detailed study of selected reports	August 22, 1947	Not stated	26–27
LeMay's declaration: the AAF has no project with the described characteristics	August 29, 1947	Washington	28
Conference on flying saucers in Schulgen's office (Loedding of T-2 present)	September 5, 1947	Washington	22
Historic Twining Letter: "The phenomenon is real and not visionary"	September 23, 1947	Wright Field	9–11
Horten wings letter and 1,800 Soviet aircraft	September 24, 1947	Wright Field	13–14
Information request on Japan radar/flying saucer sighting	September 24, 1947	Wright Field	22
Transfer of complete sightings file to T-2 Division	September 11, 1947	Washington	25
Mrs. Marchant's theory: discs "guided" by Russians from Mexico	September 29, 1947	AMC / New Mexico	19–20
Alaska incident (close-range observation, September 1947)	September 1947	Alaska	7
Marchant file closed	October 28, 1947	Washington / AMC	17
Directive: map all flying disc incidents in North America	November 18, 1947	AMC	7
Mrs. Hern's photographs from Jefferson, Oregon (November 1946)	December 5, 1947	Hamilton Field / Oregon	5–6
Hern photographs rejected: "film defects, not saucers"	December 22, 1947	Washington	4
Compilation analysis of 11 flying disc reports	December 22, 1947	Not stated	2
Formal establishment of Project SIGN, RESTRICTED classification, Priority 2A	December 30, 1947	Washington	3

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Notable Quotes

Twining, September 23, 1947 (Twining Letter): "The phenomenon reported is something real and not visionary or fictitious."

Twining, on control of the objects: "Reported operating characteristics such as extreme rates of climb, maneuverability, and action which must be considered evasive when sighted or contacted by friendly aircraft and radar, lend credence to the possibility that some of the objects are controlled manually, automatically, or remotely."

Twining, on possible origin: "It is the opinion that proper consideration of these factors should include consideration of the possibility that some foreign nation has a form of propulsion, possibly nuclear, which is outside our domestic knowledge."

McCoy, on the Japan radar report: "It is requested that this office receive all available information on the subject of an alleged flying saucer flight sighting made by a radar station in Japan."

Craigie, on Project SIGN policy: "Air Force policy is not to ignore reports of sightings and phenomena in the atmosphere, but to recognize that part of its mission is to collect, collate, evaluate, and act on information of this nature."

Robert Taylor III, August 22, 1947: "Before proceeding further with investigation of these objects, this office desires confirmation that no research project of the Army Air Forces, now underway, has the following characteristics and, hence, it can be assumed that the secret of the recent 'flying saucers' is not of domestic origin."

AMC letter on Horten wings and Russia: "A recent report from the U.S. Military Attache in Moscow, USSR, dated 9 June 1947, indicates that 1,800 aircraft... based directly or indirectly on the Horten VIII design... are under construction for use in bomber squadrons. The Russian version, however, is jet-powered."

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Significance and Conclusions

This file is among the most significant documents ever declassified on the subject of UAP.

First, it contains the first official military declaration since the flying saucer era began affirming the reality of the phenomenon — spoken by one of the most senior non-political officers in the service.

Second, it reveals that the U.S. military had identified three possible hypotheses: a classified American program, natural phenomena, and a foreign origin — including what was called the "nuclear possibility." The genuine anxiety centered on the Soviet Union.

Third, it documents the direct steps that led to the establishment of Project SIGN — the first official UFO research body in the United States.

Fourth, it presents the international dimensions of the phenomenon, with reports from Japan, Oregon, Alaska, and Spain, and intelligence from Moscow, indicating that the phenomenon was already being considered global.

Fifth, the Horten connection suggests that the U.S. military seriously entertained the possibility that Nazi German designs, captured by the Soviet Union, might underlie some of the sightings. This was the most rational hypothesis available to the military at the time.

In summary, this file is a remarkable snapshot of a military institution confronting a phenomenon it could not categorize — doing so with scientific rigor and national anxiety, in the founding months that preceded Project Sign.