FOIA: Air Material Command Opinion Concerning Flying Discs

Gen_Twining_Ltr_Sept_23_1947.pdf
Air Material Command Opinion Concerning Flying Discs
This is a memo from Lieut.Gen. NF Twining to Brig.Gen. George Schulgen regarding "Flying Discs"
Document date: 1947-09-23
Department: Air Materiel Command Opinion Concerning "Flying Discs"
Author: Lieut.Gen. N.F. Twining
Document type: Memo
pages: 3


Archivist's Notes: This memo was based on an opinion formed from a conference between Aircraft Laboratory - Engineering Division and Aircraft Power Plant and Propelar Laboratories of Engineering Division. The opinion was formed after interrogation of report data. It was believed that the (disc) phenomena was real and not visionary fictitions though some may be natural i.e. Meteors. The "discs" had peculiar operating characteristics. The shape and look of the objects also supported the opinion. Any developments to the like in the US would be extremely expensive.and time consuming. From this came a recommendation to give a priority, security classification and code name to this phenomena so that it may be studied further. This was to enable further information to be gathered and made available for a number of governmental departments i.e. Army and Navy.

The Twining Memo

If there was ever a “smoking gun” document on the reality of the UFO phenomenon, this is it. The Twining Memo is one of the most intriguing government documents in that they admit that, at that time, they believed the UFO phenomenon to be real. The year is 1947, the same year as the first widely publicized sightings by Kenneth Arnold, as well as the famous Roswell UFO Incident.

This memo was a reply to the earlier Schulgen Memo, which after careful study, the Air Materiel Command (AMC) felt that it was necessary to study the phenomenon and determine it’s origin. From the memo, it describes objects known as “flying discs” or “flying saucers” as possibly being from advanced technology from another country, and that to duplicate it would be costly.

The author of the memo was General Nathan F. Twining, who was the commander of AMC during this era, and was involved in many UFO cases at that time, as well as starting Project Sign, the first US program to investigate the UFO phenomenon.


General Nathan F. Twining

In the Memo, the description of the objects in question is very descriptive, as the following excerpts will show.


The Twining Memo has been used countless times to show that the US government was convinced UFO’s were real, even though the Government would publicly deny it. This is direct evidence of a UFO coverup by the US government.

On the other hand, I have also seen this same memo used against the Roswell UFO Crash Debate, because it also states that the Government did not possess any crash debris at that time, which was September 1947 the same year of the crash in July 1947. So the memo has been used as a reference by both sides of the UFO debate.

One thing to note is that there is another memo called the Cutler/Twining Memo, which this one should not be mistaken for. The Cutler/Twining Memo, which was obtained under unusual circumstances while UFO researchers were investigating the Majestic 12 documents, is not readily available through the FOIA like this memo is, and is considered to be questionable as are the Majestic 12 documents.

Related links:
Wikipedia article: Gen. Nathan Twining
Tinwiki article: Project Sign

Very good synopsis of the document Hal.

On the other hand, I have also seen this same memo used against the Roswell UFO Crash Debate, because it also states that the Government did not possess any crash debris at that time, which was September 1947 the same year of the crash in July 1947. So the memo has been used as a reference by both sides of the UFO debate.

Good point. I have always been very skeptical of Roswell. I wouldn't be surprised if Roswell was simply a disinformation campaign against the commies. This 3 star general (Twining) seems puzzled bym UFOs but speculates they maybe high security US projects or from some other nation. Perhaps a nuclear remote controlled vehicle..

To me things just don't add up. The US developed nuclear technology before any other nation, yet they didn't start using it for a power supply until well into the 50s. The chances of them developing a small tactical nuclear vehicle (especially in the 1940s) is pretty much zero.

Twining was no stranger to the UFO Phenomenon, that's for sure! Between Trudeau, Twining, and Corso......man, would'nt it have been nice to have been a fly on the wall back then!

Damn. I just found this after making a thread asking about it. Where was this memo found and can it be verified as authentic?