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• 1947.0704 Press reports
  

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  On 4 July 1947, press reports included coverage of statement by the US Air Force on UFOs. That statement suggested causes of sightings may include “large hailstones which might have flattened out and glided a bit”.

   

   

   

• 1947.0710 FBI "access to discs"

   

  

  FBI "access to discs"

  J Edgar Hoover handwrites an annotations on memo dated 10 July 1947. His annotation states the FBI should “insist upon full access to discs recovered”, with one part of the annotation referring to the [“La” or “SW”] case.

   

   

   

   

• 1947.0903 "Toilet seats" memo

   

  

  "Toilet seats" memo

  On 3 September 1947, a memo from Colonel R H Smith (Assistant Chief of Staff Intelligence) to several Commanding Generals in the Army Air Forces stated that the FBI had been asked to assist the Air Force in UFO investigations “to relieve the numbered Air Forces of the task of tracking down all the many instances which turned out to be ash can covers, toilet seats and whatnot”.

  The memo was supplied to FBI Special Agent Harry M Kimball by Lieutenant Colonel Donald Springer on 19 September 1947.

   

• 1947.0923 Twining memo

   

  

  Twining memo

  On 23 September 1947, a memo from Lt-General Nathan F Twining (chief of Air Materiel Command) to Brig-General George Schulgen (Commanding General, Army Air Forces) reports on the current knowledge of UFOs and recommends that a permanent project be set up to study them.

  (Commonly referred to as “the Twining memo” or “the Twining letter”).

   

   

• 1947.0924 "Toilet seats" memo forwarded

   

  

  "Toilet seats" memo forwarded
  On 24 September 1947, a memo from FBI Assistant Director D M Ladd to FBI Director J Edgar Hoover summarises, and attaches, the 3 September 1947 memo from Colonel R H Smith (Assistant Chief of Staff Intelligence) which stated the FBI had been asked to assist the Air Force in UFO investigations “to relieve the numbered Air Forces of the task of tracking down all the many instances which turned out to be ash can covers, toilet seats and whatnot”. Mr Ladd recommended that the FBI “protest vigorously” and that the FBI discontinue all activity in this field.

   

   

• 1947.0927 Hoover on "toilet seats" memo

   

  

  Hoover on "toilet seats" memo
  On 24 September 1947, FBI Director J Edgar Hoover wrote to Major General McDonald informing him that the FBI would be discontinuing all investigative activity regarding the reported sightings of flying discs, mentioning the “ash can covers, toilet seats and whatnot” comment in the memo from Colonel R H Smith (Assistant Chief of Staff Intelligence) dated 3 September 1947.

   

   

• 1947.1001 FBI Bulletin

   

  

  FBI Bulletin

  On 1 October 1947, FBI Bulletin Number 57 informs FBI offices that in future all flying disc reports should be referred to the Air Force

   

   

   

   

   

   

• 1947.1216 Horten brothers memo

   

  

  Horten brothers memo
  On 16 December 1947, Reimar Horten and Walter Horten (commonly referred to as “the Horten brothers”) are discussed in a US Army memo entitled “Horton Brothers (Flying Saucers)”.

   

   

   

   

• 1948.0727 Cabell memo

   

  

  Cabell memo
  On 27 July 1948, Major General Cabell directed the Air Estimates Branch of Air Force Intelligence to prepare a study to determine the probability of the existence of UFOs.

   

   

   

   

• 1948.1011 Colonel Allen memo

   

  

  Colonel Allen memo
  On 11 October 1948, a memo to Major General Cabell from Colonel Brooke Allen, Chief of the Air Estimates Branch of Air Force Inteligence, attaches a copy of a document later titled “Analysis of Flying Object Incidents in the United States” (10 December 1948).

   

   

   

• 1948.1108 Colonel McCoy Memo

   

  

  Colonel McCoy Memo
  On 8 November 1948, a letter from Colonel McCoy to General Cabell in response to further questions raised by General Cabell in the light of the memo from Colonel Brooke Allen dated 1948.1011. (Commonly referred to as “the McCoy Memo”, this is a further document that is occasionally referred to as “the Ghost of the Estimate” (although this term is more often used in relation to a document dated 1948.1210 entitled “Analysis of Flying Object Incidents in the United States”)).

   

   

• 1948.1213 Lipp report

   

  

  Lipp report

  On 13 December 1948, Dr James E Lipp of the Rand Corporation provides a report addressed to Brigadier General Putt (US Air Force Director of Research and Development).

  This report subsequently appeared as Appendix D to the Project Sign Report.

   

   

• 1949.0200 Project Sign report

   

  

  Project Sign report
  During February 1949, the final report of Project Sign (“The Findings of Project Sign”) was completed.

   

  Officially cited as Technical Report-TR-2274-IA of the Technical Intelligence Division, Air Materiel Command, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio.

  (Commonly referred to as “the Project Sign Report”).

   

   

• 1949.0427 JIC Top Secret report

   

  

  JIC Top Secret report
  On 27 April 1949, the U.S. Joint Committee on Intelligence (“JIC”) was provided with a Top Secret report on “Unidentified Aerial Objects” by the Air Force Director of Intelligence.

  Directorate of Intelligence, USAF, Decimal Correspondence File, "Flying Discs," 1949, National Archives II, College Park Maryland.

   

   

• 1949.0800 Project Grudge final report

   

  

  Project Grudge final report

  During August 1949, Project Grudge's final report was completed.

  The report contained analysis of 244 cases.

  It concluded that Unidentified Flying Objects posed no direct threat to the national security of the United States.

  The report was designated as Technical Report No. 102-AC 49/15 – 100 (commonly referred to as “the Project Grudge Report”), originally classified “Secret”.

   

• 1949.1106 Green fireball conference report

   

  

  Green fireball conference report
  On 6 November 1949, a report was sent to the Commanding General, Air Materiel Command relating to the green fireball conference that had been held during February 1949

   

   

   

   

• 1950.0322 FBI occupants memo

   

  

  FBI occupants memo
  An FBI memo dated 22 March 1950 refers to flying saucers recovered in New Mexico, with occupants 3 feet tall.

   

   

   

   

• 1950.1121 Wilbert B Smith memo

   

  

  Wilbert B Smith memo
  On 21 November 1950, a memo written by Wilbert B(rockhouse) Smith refers to “discreet enquiries through the Canadian Embassy staff in Washington” which allegedly obtained information that “flying saucers exist” and that “the matter is the most highly classified subject in the United States, rating higher even than the H-bomb”

   

   

• 1951.0432 Air Force Regulation 190-6

   

  

  Air Force Regulation 190-6
  On 24 January 1878, Air Force Regulation 190-6 (“AFR 190-6”) detailed USAF policy on dissemination of information.

   

   

   

• 1951.1127 Project Twinkle report

   

  

  Project Twinkle report
  On 27 November 1951, at the Cambridge Research Laboratory’s produces its final report on “peculiar light phenomena that had been observed in the skies of the southwestern United States”. (The relevant observations are commonly referred to as “green fireballs”).

  (The relevant report is commonly referred to as “the Project Twinkle report”)