AMC/USAF Flying Disc policy and intelligence assessment — 1947

This file (NND 700188) is a collection of 1946-1947 Air Materiel Command and Army Air Forces correspondence concerning the 'Flying Disc' phenomenon. The central document is Lt. Gen. Nathan F. Twining's September 23, 1947 memorandum ('AMC Opinion Concerning Flying Discs'), which concludes the phenomenon is 'something real and not visionary or fictitious,' describes objects as circular or elliptical with metallic surfaces, no trails, and speeds normally above 300 knots. The file also includes reports from the Fourth Air Force (Hamilton Field) regarding photographs taken in November 1946 near Jefferson, Oregon — judged to be film defects — and references to a radar sighting in Japan and an Alaska sighting requiring follow-up. Additional letters discuss a civilian theory that flying discs were being launched from a laboratory in central Mexico operated by Russians, which AMC assessed without finding corroboration. A directive to establish what became Project SIGN is included.

“It is the opinion that: a. The phenomenon reported is something real and not visionary or fictitious. b. There are objects probably approximating the shape of a disc, of such appreciable size as to appear to be as large as man-made aircraft. d. The reported operating characteristics such as extreme rates of climb, maneuverability (particularly in roll), and action which must be considered evasive when sighted or contacted by friendly aircraft and radar, lend belief to the possibility that some of the objects are controlled either manually, automatically or remotely.”

Document is heavily OCR-degraded in sections, particularly later pages. The Twining letter appears twice (23 and 24 Sep 1947 versions) with some OCR differences. The file covers multiple reported incidents that are summarized analytically rather than individually documented. Confidence lowered due to OCR noise and multi-incident aggregation. Formation flights of 3-9 objects are referenced. A sighting by Mrs. Mary L. Herren of photographs taken near Jefferson, Oregon (Nov 5-12, 1946) was assessed as film defects by the Fourth Air Force. A Japanese radar sighting and Alaska close-range sighting are referenced but not detailed in this file.