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This FBI file, a report from the Seattle field office to the FBI Director dated August 1947, covers the Maury Island flying disc story told by Fred Crisman and Harold Dahl. It says Kenneth Arnold looked into the story for Ray Palmer, and that Army Intelligence officers Davidson and Brown died when their B-25 crashed at Kelso carrying the supposed fragments. The FBI found no sign of sabotage. Crisman and Dahl admitted the material had no connection to discs, and the report names Crisman as the most likely anonymous caller.
“Tacoma”21 pages
Federal Bureau of Investigate United States Department of Justice 407 U. S. Court House Seattle 4, Washington August 18, 1947 DIRECTOR, FBI RE: FLYTING DISCS SIGHTED BY FRED CRISMAN and HAROLD A. DAHL; TACOMA, WASHINGTON SM - X Dear Sir: The following, in general, are the facts regarding the flying disc story that started by FRED CRISMAN and HAROLD A. DAHL which subsequently resulted in news stories by the Tacoma Times, the Boise Statesman and the Chicago Times that a B-25 carrying Army Intelligence officers was shot down or sabotaged over Kelso, Washington on August 1, 1947 because it was carrying some flying disc fragments. The original story, as related by FRED CRISMAN and HAROLD DAHL, was to the effect that DAHL, while patrolling in his boat near Maury Island, Washington, sighted six flying discs, one of which fluttered to the earth and disintegrated, showering his boat with fragments which caused some damage to the boat and killed his dog. HAROLD DAHL wrote a letter to RAY A. PALMER of Ziff-Davis Company which publishes fantastic adventure magazines in Chicago, sending him fragments of the flying disk and relating the above story. RAY PALMER requested Trans-Radio News in Chicago to verify the story as related by HAROLD DAHL and FRED CRISMAN telegraphed RAY PALMER confirming DAHL's story. RAY PALMER then engaged KENNETHARNOLD, Boise, Idaho, who was the first to report sighting the flying disc and whom RAY PALMER had previously made a contract for a story regarding the flying disc, to come to Tacoma and check the story as related by FRED CRISMAN and HAROLD DAHL. KENNETH ARNOLD came to Tacoma, Washington July 30, 1947 and arranged for a meeting the following day, July 31, with FRED CRISMAN and HAROLD DAHL in his room 502, Winthrop Hotel, Tacoma, Washington. KENNETH ARNOLD also called to attend the meeting Captain EMIL J. SMITH, United Airlines Pilot who had also reported seeing flying disc fragments, and Army Intelligence to attend
Document, cited by the archive. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is under it. The text was read from the page images by an OCR model; expect the odd misread word. 24 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.