Seattle, 1947: o "triângulo azul" dos engenheiros da Boeing e um cilindro visto de binóculo

FBI SEATTLE 8-14-47 5-18 PM. DIRECTOR FBI. ROUTINE. BRUCE ARMSTRONG. M. A. NICHOLS. FLYING DISCS. INTERNAL SECURITY-X. NEWSPAPER SEATTLE POST INTELLIGENCER CARRIED ARTICLE ON AUGUST TWELVE OF REPORT OF FLYING DISCS SEEN BY ONE BRUCE ARMSTRONG OF BOEING AIRCRAFT COMPANY, AND M. A. NICHOLS, ONE ONE TWO FIVE, SOUTH WEST ONE HUNDRED AND SECOND STREET, SEATTLE. INVESTIGATION OF SIGHTING BY ARMSTRONG REVEALS OBJECT TO HAVE BEEN PIECE OF BURNT PAPER WHICH HAD BEEN SEEN BY CONTROL TOWER AT BOEING FIELD. INVESTIGATION OF SIGHTING BY M. A. NICHOLS INDICATES OBJECT WAS A WEATHER BALLON. LETTER TO FOLLOW. WILCOX.

TO: DIRECTOR, FBI. FROM: SAC, SEATTLE. DATE: Sept. 12, 1947. SUBJECT: FLYING DISKS Reported by BRUCE ARMSTRONG and M. A. NICHOLS, Seattle, Washington, August 12, 1947. SECURITY MATTER X. The newspaper, Seattle Post Intelligencer, carried an article in the morning issue of August 13 reporting the sighting of flying disks. The article appeared on the fifth page and was headed "Blue Triangle Latest Thing Seen In Disks". Under this caption there was a short writeup which stated, in substance, that one BRUCE ARMSTRONG, an electronics technician, and a number of other engineers at the Boeing Aircraft had sighted a mysterious flying object about 2:20 p.m. on August 12. The newspaper report further stated that the object seemed to be fluttering like a leaf, and appeared to be a black or dark blue triangular substance. In this article also appeared another report of a disk supposedly sighted by one M. A. NICHOLS, 1125 S. W. 102nd Street, Seattle, and NICHOLS described it as a big ball reflecting light, giving it a purplish tinge. Interview with BRUCE ARMSTRONG on August 13 revealed that ARMSTRONG was standing in front of Section D of the Boeing Aircraft Plant with about ten other research engineers and had noticed a small black object flying about 200 feet high, going south over Boeing Field runway. ARMSTRONG further stated, upon interview, that the object appeared triangular in shape and floated in the air like a leaf, and he estimated the speed to be about fifteen miles per hour. ARMSTRONG could not accurately determine the distance between him and the object, but it is noted that Section D is about half a mile from the opposite side of Boeing Field where he supposedly had sighted it. The following other research engineers were also interviewed regarding this object: Mr. JOHN H. STONER, Mr. GEORGE H. STONER, Mr. BEN HAGER, Mr. LEROY PERKINS, Mr. DAN HAGE. The consensus of opinion of these men was that the object resembled a black leaf in flight and looked more like a piece of tar paper than anything. When the object reached the end of the runway in Boeing Field it climbed into the sky in a southwesterly direction and disappeared. Mr. KEN GRANT, operator of the control tower for the Northwest Airlines was then contacted. Mr. GRANT stated that he reviews all reports of objects seen in the vicinity of the field and makes a log of such. Mr. GRANT reviewed his log but could not see any record of such an item, but upon contact with Mr. VAUGHN LOCKWOOD, who was on duty at the time the object was supposedly sighted, the following information was obtained: LOCKWOOD stated that about 2 o'clock in the

DIRECTOR, FBI. FLYING DISKS, Report of 8/26/47. afternoon there were several pieces of burnt paper which flew over the field, and he did recall a large piece of burnt paper which the wind had blown across the runway and down the south end of the field. LOCKWOOD estimated that the paper was approximately three feet in length. Mr. GRANT stated that undoubtedly this was the object in question, and inasmuch as the control tower has a complete view of the area in which the engineers had sighted this object if anything further was noted it would have appeared in the log. Mr. M. A. NICHOLS, 1119 S. W. 102nd Street, was then interviewed regarding his report of a flying object. NICHOLS stated that about 4 p.m. on August 12 he had sighted an object which he estimated to be about 35,000 feet in the air, which was flying over his home in a southwest direction. A neighbor, RAY STANLEY, also saw the object and STANLEY examined the same with a pair of binoculars. According to STANLEY the object looked like a white dock moving, cylindrical in shape, and reflected the light of the sun with a sort of purplish tinge. Other witnesses who had seen the object at this time were a Mr. and Mrs. GEORGE KROGSTADT, of 1113 S. W. 102nd Street, Seattle, and their version of the object corresponded with that of NICHOLS and STANLEY. Contact with Mr. THOMAS E. GERMAIN, of the Seattle Weather Bureau Office at Boeing Field, revealed that weather balloons are released every six hours from his field commencing at 1:30 a.m. The balloons, according to Mr. GERMAIN, are of a white gum color and reflect the light of the sun at a high altitude. Although Mr. GERMAIN could not understand why a balloon could have been sighted at 4 p.m., he nevertheless was certain that, from the description of the object seen by these people, it must have been either one of his balloons or one released from some other area in the vicinity. No further investigation is being conducted in this matter by this office. JJS:JG 62-