Soviet Flying Disk Experiments Began in 1945
On July 30, 1947 the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) became officially involved in examining reports of UFOs. This was as the result of a request by Army Air Force Intelligence Officer General G. F. Shulgen that the FBI interview UFO witnesses to determine whether or not any of the reports in the United States had been generated by subversive individuals for the purpose of creating mass hysteria.
Only two months later Bureau Director J. Edgar Hoover issued a directive instructing agents to refer all reports connected with flying disks to the Air Forces. However, the FBI continued to be unofficially involved with UFOs for another sixteen years as agents in Field Divisions filed brief reports, while unsolicited copies of Air Force, Office of Naval Intelligence and Army Intelligence documents and UFO reports were received at FBI headquarters.
In January, 1949, the Bureau received a confidential statement from the Air Material Command (AMC) Resident Engineer who was the principal army technician at the Nuclear Energy for the Populsion of Aircraft Research Center at Oak Ridge, Tennessee. He expressed his personal opinions about UFOs based on review of the known facts and theoretical conjectures made by himself and other scientists.
The following month Hoover sent a letter to all Special Agents in Charge, referring to the information supplied to the Bureau by the AMC engineer. In the letter, Hoover stated the following:
FBI
"For your confidential information, a reliable and confidential source has advised the Bureau that flying disks are believe to be man-made missiles rather than natural phenomenon.
It has also been determined that for approximately the past four years the USSR has been engaged in experimentation on an unknown type of flying disk.
The Department of the Air Force has furnished to the Bureau the attached memorandum classified 'restricted' dated February 15, 1949, entitled 'Unconventional Aircraft'.
This memorandum is being furnished to you in order that all agents assigned to your office can be informed of the type of information desired by the Air Force in this matter."
JEH
