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FW Chief Awaiting Message ‘rom Capital on Flying Dises tempted explanations throughout the country yesterday. A Los Angeles © newspaper quoted an unidentified scientist, in nuclear physics at the California’ Institute of Technology as saying’ the flying discs have resulted from experiments in “transmutation of, atomic energy” being conducted at, Muroe Lake, Calif., White Sands, N. Mex.; Portland, Oreg., and elsewhere, The scientist, whom the news-; paper said had worked as a re- searcher on the atomic bomb “Manhattan Project,” was quoted as saying: “People are not seeing things. Such fiying discs actually are in’ experimental existence. “These saucers so-called are capable of high speeds but. they! ‘can be controlled from the ground. “They are 20 feet in width at ie center and are partially rocket- ropelled on the takeoff.” However, other scientists were SKeptical about the claims of the utaamed California physicist. Dr. Harold Urey, famed atomic scien- tist at the University of Chicago, said the term “transmutation of} atomie energy” is “gibberish.” “You can transmute metals, but not energy,” and Dr, Urey. David Lilienthal, chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission,| declared the unexplained discs are in no way connected with atomic’ ‘experiments. Lilienthal said he couldn’t shed any light on the tystery and added: “Until someone has the facts) about this phenomenon, “I can’t| |see how anyone can say anything) definite about it.” And Dr. C. C. Lauritsen, head of the nuclear physics department: at California Institute of Tech- nology, said he was certain nobody in his department, which includes’ four former Manhattan Project researchers including himself, had made “such a statement.” He expressed the opinion that the discs “have nothing to do with nuclear physics.” Strangely enough, the Murco, Calif., Army Air Base, identified as one of the sites where the ‘secret experiments” are being carried out, announced that it had a PSB0 fighter plane standing by to give cifase if one of the flying saucer: de an appearance, Col, a Dutton, officer commanding. the Oregon National | Guard, announced that the guard's |sduadron would attempt to photo-| graph any future apparitions of the discs, He said six P-51 fighter planes, equipped with gun and tele- scopic cameras, would be kept ready to take off on a moment's notice. Col. F, J. Clark, commanding’ officer of the Hanford Engineering Works in the Pacific Northwest where the largest saucer influx has been reported, said the saucers were not coming from the atomic) plant there. | .“T have been waiting for some-} one to tie the discs to the Han- ford atomic plant,” he said, He! declared that as far as he knew) no experiments were under way) there which would explain the| mystery. Two Chicago astronomers said’ the discs are probably ‘“man-| made.” | “They couldn't be meteors,” said !Dr. Girard Kiuper, director of the University of Chicago's Yerkes Observatory at Williams Bay, Wis. Dr. Oliver Kee, director of’ Northwestern University’s Dear-| born Observatory, said: : | “We realize that the Army and’ Navy are working on all sorts of things we know nothing about.” He said the mystery disks may’ represent an accomplishment simi- lar to that of sending radar sig- nals to the moon,” one of the great- est technological achievements of, | lute secrecy,” bern Smith of the National Burear of Standards expressed the opinio. ‘that all ihe excitement is akin to} the war and accomplished in abso- Here in Washington, Dr. New: | Duvall; assistant suj | inte of the Naval Obsejva-| ‘ory, “WE that the saucer “does hrot. feem to be an astronomical phe-) mena.” ¢ i Credence in the saucers—widely laughed ‘off at thei first reported appearance June 25—grew as hun-| dreds of observers, some of them) trained fliers, reported seeing), them. Ais A crowd of 200 observed a disc) at Hauser Lake, Idaho, Friday and’ ‘a group of 60 picnickers saw them at Twin Falls, Idaho. And in) Portland, Oreg,, so many residents) witnessed them that same day the! police department sent out an ail- cars broadcast. The crew of a United Airlings plane said seyeral of the rounll, flat objects were visible for abo&t, 12 minutes. » ap “those Loch Ness Monster stories.’! ‘The only comment offered by! JUL 6 1947 WASHINGTON POST Page 1-M & 3-M