Office Memorandum – UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT
TO : DIRECTOR FBI DATE: January 10, 1949 FROM : SAC KNOXVILLE SUBJECT :
“FLYING SAUCERS” OBSERVED OVER OAK RIDGE AREA INTERNAL SECURITY – X
There are being submitted herewith two photographs of reputedly “flying
saucers” which were seen at Oak Ridge, Tennessee, sometime during July of
1947. All of the information contained in this letter was received from George
Rateman, Resident Engineer, Air Material Command, United States Army, who is the
principal army technician at the Nuclear Energy for the Propulsion of Aircraft
Research Center at Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
Mr. Rateman advised that the attached photographs were taken by —– in July
of 1947. He stated that interview with ——- revealed that he had been
snapping photographs of his family in front of his residence at 218 Illinois
Avenue, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, late in the afternoon, when he looked into the sky
and observed the vapor trail as exhibited by the photograph numbered
“1.” ———- stated that he took a snap of this trail, was winding
the film to the next number, when he looked into the sky and observed the ball
of fire as shown in photograph 2. ——- made these photographs available to
reporters of the Knoxville News-Sentinel and a story concerning them was run in
that paper; however, as shown by the photostatic copy of the newspaper clipping,
which is also being submitted herewith to the Bureau, the print was very
indistinct; the news story did not contain any factual information; and it was
regarded generally by the public at the time as a possible trick.
Later, it was learned by Rateman and ——— that ——— had made
several copies of this photograph and had distributed them among his
aquaintances at Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Upon ———– finding that the
photographs had received some distribution, he requested Rateman as Head of the
Compliance and Investigations Division, to recover as many as possible of the
photographs, advise the persons in whose possession they were found to say
nothing to anyone concerning them, and to return the said photographs to him for
transmission to the United States Air Force Intelligence Service. Rateman
advises that he succeeded in rounding up twenty four copies of these
photographs, and that, according to the statements of ——–, no more copies
were made or distributed. Rateman further stated that ——- had appeared
extremely concerned over the matter and seemed quite emphatic that the matter
should be given no more publicity than was absolutely necessary. Rateman also
advised that he studied the negatives from which the reproductions were made,
and they appeared to be authentic in that trick photography should have been
apparent, but from the —-
