Reports of Flying Discs and Related Correspondence (1947)

This document collection comprises a series of internal FBI memoranda and correspondence from 1947 regarding the Bureau's involvement in the investigation of 'flying discs' or 'flying saucers.' The documents detail a growing friction between the FBI and the Army Air Forces (AAF) concerning the scope and necessity of these investigations. Initially, the FBI was tasked with assisting the AAF in investigating reports of flying discs. However, internal FBI communications reveal deep resentment toward the AAF's interpretation of this cooperation. Specifically, the FBI objected to the AAF's stance that the Bureau should only investigate discs found on the ground, while the AAF handled aerial sightings. The FBI was particularly offended by a letter from the Army Air Forces which suggested that the FBI's services were enlisted merely to relieve the AAF of the burden of investigating reports that turned out to be mundane items like 'ash can covers, toilet seats and whatnot.' FBI officials, including J. Edgar Hoover, viewed this language as 'scurrilous' and 'insulting' to the Bureau. Consequently, the FBI decided to discontinue its investigative activities regarding flying discs, as outlined in a directive effective immediately. The documents also include various field reports from FBI offices in Seattle, Butte, Salt Lake City, and San Francisco, documenting specific sightings and the Bureau's attempts to verify them. These reports often conclude that the sightings were misidentifications of weather balloons, burnt paper, or other terrestrial objects. The collection culminates in the formal decision by the FBI to cease all investigative action on the matter and to refer all future reports to the appropriate Air Force representatives, effectively ending the Bureau's formal role in the early investigation of these phenomena.