Correspondence Regarding Flying Saucer Theories and Reports (1949-1952)

This collection of documents spans from 1949 to 1952 and details the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) handling of public reports and inquiries regarding 'flying saucers' or 'flying discs.' The documents reveal a consistent administrative policy: the FBI did not consider these phenomena to be within its investigative jurisdiction. Consequently, the Bureau routinely referred such reports to the Department of the Air Force or the Office of Special Investigations (OSI).

The earliest document, dated July 9, 1949, concerns a report relayed to the FBI via Walter Winchell regarding a 1947 sighting in the mountains of Los Angeles. The witness described a large, greenish-silver, top-shaped object with windows that landed and then took off, knocking the witness to the ground. The FBI's response was to suggest a discreet background check on the witness to determine the accuracy of the story, though subsequent communications indicate that such investigations were often unproductive or deemed unnecessary.

Later documents from 1952 show a continued influx of public correspondence. These include letters from citizens proposing theories about the nature of flying saucers—ranging from secret cameras operated by communists to natural phenomena like the aurora borealis or light reflected by television beams. One correspondent from New Palestine, Indiana, suggested that the saucers were films from a secret camera operated by communists, while another from Robinson, Illinois, proposed a theory involving electrical currents and magnetic polarity. Throughout these exchanges, J. Edgar Hoover and other FBI officials maintained a formal, detached stance, acknowledging the receipt of these letters but emphasizing that the matter was the responsibility of the Air Force. The documents also touch upon internal FBI concerns regarding the potential misuse of photographs by journalists like Drew Pearson, with the Bureau clarifying that it did not possess the negatives in question and had no interest in investigating the matter beyond its limited administrative role.