◆ SpookStack

' STANDARD FORM NO, 64 . ‘Ofee Men bd Aum + UNITED ‘ GOVERNMENT = To ~ : The Director DATE: August ly¢ 1917 FROM : Mr. D. M. Ladd SUBJECT: ~ DISCS a In connection with your request to be advised as to the facts concerning newspaper reports of flying discs in the Portland area and the reported conference of army officials in Portland concerning flying dises,#. the Portland Office has advised that Leaveritt G. Richards, aviati editor of the. "Oregonian," has stated that Captain Willian L, and Lieutenant Frank } own of the Fourth AAF Headquarters, San Francisco, were in Portland on July 27, 197. While in Portland they interviewed Dick “Rankin, an experienced pilot, who had reported that he observed, on June 1h, a formation of ten flying discs over Bakersfield, California. Richards added hat Davidson and Brown had also interviewed the following four experienced pilots who were among the first,to ort seeing discs, KennethAArnold, businessman from Boise, Idaho; Captain E. J,Smith, a co-pilot; RalpbStevens, United Airlines and DaveXJohnson, aviation editor, Idaho"Statesman." In order to determine the purpose of these interviews Richards contacted Major General Twining of Wright Field, Ohio, and from him gained the impression that the AAF instituted this investigation to wash out the disc reports since they are definitely not of AAF origin. On Friday, August 1, the plane in which AAF investigators, Captain Davidson and Lieutenant Brown, were flying, crashed at Kelso, Washington and both were killed. The wreckage was screened by AAF Intelligence from McChord Field. The "Tacoma News Tribune" and through them the United Press put out a story that the plane was carrying parts of a dise which had struck a boat owned by Harold Dahl and Fred Chrisman. It has also been inferred that this plane was sabotaged to prevent these disc parts from being examined. STATUS Investigation by the Bureau has reflected that this plane was definitely not carrying parts of a disc and there appears to be no substantiation of a sabotage charge. For your further information there is attached a blind memorandum setting forth in more detail the results of the investigation surrounding the above plane crash. No further inquiry is being made in this matter. Air Force Intelligence has been advised of the results of our investi- gation. RGF:mjp [COPIES DESTROYED 270 NOV 18 1904