War.gov PURSUEDepartment of War
GovernmentJun 15, 1948Analysis complete

18 6369445 General 1948 Vol 1

The released record says the Air Force policy is to collect, collate, evaluate, and act on information concerning sightings and phenomena in the atmosphere. File: 18 6369445 General 1948 Vol 1. 18 6369445 General 1948 Vol 1 combines an official, downloadable document, 8 extracted claims, 5 evidence records, and 5 timeline entries across 28 source pages, and file-level provenance that can be compared with related release records.

File
Document · Release 01
Date
Jun 15, 1948
Extent
28 pages
Agency
Department of War

Probed Assessment

The released record says the Air Force policy is to collect, collate, evaluate, and act on information concerning sightings and phenomena in the atmosphere. File: 18 6369445 General 1948 Vol 1.

Key takeaways

  • The released record says the Air Force is incapable of providing complete radar coverage for proper interception of flying discs.
  • The document records that it is requested thet Air Materiel Command be directed to transmit to the Director of Intelligence, GSUSA, an information copy of each commnication received from or sent to commands subordinate to the Department of the Army in connection with so-called "flying disc" reports
  • The document records that informant Larsen stated that searching parties, aircraft and rescue units have made numerous attempts to locate these reported objects without success

Why it matters

18 6369445 General 1948 Vol 1 combines an official, downloadable document, 8 extracted claims, 5 evidence records, and 5 timeline entries across 28 source pages, and file-level provenance that can be compared with related release records.

Corroboration

For 18 6369445 General 1948 Vol 1, the release establishes official provenance but does not independently verify the record's statement that the Air Force policy is to collect, collate, evaluate, and act on information concerning sightings and phenomena in the atmosphere.

Open questions

  • Which companion records, if any, independently corroborate the source claims extracted from this 28-page document?

Probed separates this editorial assessment from the source claims below. It summarizes what the released artifact supports; it is not independent verification.

Official Description from War.gov

This file contains memorandums, correspondence, and forms related to the reporting of information on flying discs and investigations into sightings.

Preserved verbatim as source metadata. This wording is separate from Probed’s file-specific description and assessment.

File Context

Related entities

15

Release provenance

Release
Release 01
Official ID
release-01-file-002-18-6369445-general-1948-vol-1
Cleared
May 8, 2026
Official release source

Referenced Timeline

  1. Page 16

    Observation of falling objects in Bakersfield, California

    Observation by Mr. Les Buchner, Bakersfield, California, of two objects falling to earth from unknown source on 5 March 1948.

  2. Page 16

    Observation of falling objects north of Bakersfield, California

    Observation by Mr. Denio, employee of the Pacific General Electric Company, Bakersfield, California, of two objects which fell to earth from unknown source north of Bakersfield, California, 8 March 1948.

  3. Page 16

    Report of flying discs incident

    Incident reported on 9 March 1948, this headquarters, per telephone call from Sg A. M. Larsen, Sheriff's office, Bakersfield, California.

  4. Page 10

    Forwarding of flying disc information

    The attached information is forwarded in compliance with USAF Letter, "Reporting of Information on "flying Discs", dtd 6 February 1948.

    LinkedUSAF
  5. Page 2

    Sighting of flying discs in Hobson, Ohio

    Location and time of sighting — Hobson, Ohio; night of 6 May 1948.

Source Claims

Claims are attributed to the released source and remain distinct from Probed’s assessment and tracker findings.

Source reportedObservedPage 12

The Air Force policy is to collect, collate, evaluate, and act on information concerning sightings and phenomena in the atmosphere.

It is Air Force policy not to ignore reports of sightings and phenomena in the atmosphere, but to recognize that part of its mission is to collect, collate, evaluate, and act on information of this nature.

LinkedUSAF
Source reportedObservedPage 17

The Air Force is incapable of providing complete radar coverage for proper interception of flying discs.

Proper interception is not possible, except by accident, without complete radar coverage. The Air Force is incapable of providing such coverage.

LinkedUSAF
Source reportedAssertedPage 14

The document records that it is requested thet Air Materiel Command be directed to transmit to the Director of Intelligence, GSUSA, an information copy of each commnication received from or sent to commands subordinate to the Department of the Army in connection with so-called "flying disc" reports.

It is requested thet Air Materiel Command be directed to transmit to the Director of Intelligence, GSUSA, an information copy of each commnication received from or sent to commands subordinate to the Department of the Army in connection with so-called "flying disc" reports.

Source reportedAssertedPage 16

The document records that informant Larsen stated that searching parties, aircraft and rescue units have made numerous attempts to locate these reported objects without success.

Informant Larsen stated that searching parties, aircraft and rescue units have made numerous attempts to locate these reported objects without success.

Source reportedObservedPage 12

Air Materiel Command is designated as the Air Force agency to handle information concerning sightings and phenomena in the atmosphere.

In Implementing this policy the Air Materiel Command has been designated the Air Force agency to collect, collate, evaluate, and distribute to interested government agencies and contractors all information concerning sightings and phenomena in the atmosphere.

Source reportedObservedPage 12

Reports of flying discs are to be forwarded to the Air Materiel Command.

All Air Force installations within and outside Zone of Interior and Alaska have been instructed to report all sightings, or information concerning sightings which comes to their attention, direct to the Commanding General, Air Materiel Command, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, Ohio.

Source reportedObservedPage 12

The Air Materiel Command has been authorized direct contact with all Air Force installations to develop additional information on flying discs.

Air Materiel Command has been authorized direct contact with all Air Force installations whenever required to develop additional information on the flying discs.

Source reportedAssertedPage 18

It is envisaged that each Air Force installation maintaining aircraft on an alert basis for this purpose would investigate all unusual flying objects reported.

It is envisaged that each Air Force installation maintaining aircraft on an alert basis for this purpose would investigate all unusual flying objects reported

LinkedUSAF

Source Material & Evidence

document

Report of Flying Discs

Basic Ltr fa Hq. bleventh Air Foree, Harrisburg, Pa.

image

Photograph of Horten "Parabola"

Page 5, Photograph of Horten "Parabola"

document

Drawing of the "Parabola"

Page 7h, Drawing of the "Parabola"

document

Report "German Flying Wings Designed by Horten Brothers"

T-2 Report "German Flying Wings Designed by Horten Brothers"

document

Summary of information on "Flying Disks"

Summary of information prepared by the Tenth Air Force Resident Agent at Houston, Texas

Research Map

15 entities · 5 grounded links

Lines appear only when two entities share a row-level source claim or dated timeline event. Unconnected nodes remain visible without implying a relationship.

UAP/Disclosure Graph
15 nodes5 links