The Twining Memo
Lt. General Nathan Twining, head of Air Materiel Command, wrote that the reported phenomenon was something real and not imaginary, and recommended a formal investigation. The memo led directly to Project Sign in early 1948, the first official U.S. UFO study.
The ledger
What the record shows, what people say, and the best explanation available so far.
What's documented
- The memo is genuine and widely published.
What's claimed
- It proves the military knew the objects were alien craft.
Best explanation so far
The memo shows the military took the reports seriously, mostly out of fear of Soviet technology. It makes no claim about origin and notes there was no physical evidence such as crash debris.
Check the sources
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If you liked this one
Kenneth Arnold's Nine Objects
The sighting that gave the world the phrase 'flying saucer'.
Projects Sign, Grudge & Blue Book
Twenty-two years of Air Force UFO investigation: 12,618 reports, 701 unidentified.
The 'Estimate of the Situation'
A report said to conclude the saucers were interplanetary, then ordered destroyed.