Document · 23 September 1947
Twining memo: AMC Opinion Concerning “Flying Discs”
Also known as Twining memo, Twining letter
Lt. Gen. Nathan Twining's letter of 23 September 1947, from Air Materiel Command at Wright Field to the Commanding General of the Army Air Forces, gives AMC's opinion on the "flying discs" reported that summer. It states that "the phenomenon reported is something real and not visionary or fictitious", describing objects "probably approximating the shape of a disc, of such appreciable size as to appear to be as large as man-made aircraft", with extreme rates of climb, manoeuvrability and evasive action.
It considers whether they could be a secret domestic project or a foreign nation's craft with propulsion "outside of our domestic knowledge", notes the lack of physical evidence such as "crash recovered exhibits", and recommends that Army Air Forces headquarters assign "a priority, security classification and Code Name for a detailed study". That study became Project Sign.
Classified SECRET at the time, it became public in the late 1960s and is the earliest high-level official U.S. statement that UFOs were a real physical phenomenon. The "crash recovered exhibits" phrase is cited both by sceptics and by researchers who argue some recoveries were compartmented.
Sources: Twining memo (1947)
Facts and claims
- documented A letter from Headquarters, Air Materiel Command (Wright Field) to the Commanding General, Army Air Forces, signed by Lt. Gen. Nathan Twining. It states that “the phenomenon reported is something real and not visionary or fictitious.” Source: doc-twining-memo-1947.pdf
- documented It describes objects “probably approximating the shape of a disc, of such appreciable size as to appear to be as large as man-made aircraft”, and considers the possibility of a domestic secret project or a foreign nation with propulsion “outside of our domestic knowledge”. Source: doc-twining-memo-1947.pdf
- documented It recommends that Army Air Forces headquarters issue a directive assigning “a priority, security classification and Code Name for a detailed study”. Source: doc-twining-memo-1947.pdf
- documented It also notes the lack of physical evidence such as “crash recovered exhibits”. That wording is cited both by skeptics and by researchers who argue some recoveries were compartmented. Source: doc-twining-memo-1947.pdf
- claimed According to researcher Jan Aldrich, the opinion was likely drafted by Col. Howard McCoy’s T-2 Intelligence staff in reply to a request from A-2 (Brig. Gen. George Schulgen), and copies exist in several Air Force files, despite later Air Force denials that the letter existed. Source: nicap.org (archived)
Connected files
Documents
- Unidentified Aerial Objects: Project “SIGN” (Air Materiel Command, Technical Report No. F-TR-2274-IA, February 1949) (followed by) — Sign was set up after the September 1947 Air Materiel Command opinion signed by Twining
- UFO Briefing Document: The Best Available Evidence (quoted in)
People
- Nathan F. Twining (authored by)
Programs
- Project Sign (prompted) — Air Materiel Command's opinion of September 1947 recommended a detailed study under a code name
Official records (PURSUE)
- DOW-UAP-D100 — Air Materiel Command Report on Unidentified Flying Objects, 1947-1948 (related to)
- 18_100754_ General 1946-7_Vol_2 — 18_100754_ General 1946-7_Vol_2 (related to)
Events
- The 1947 flying disc wave (follows) — In September 1947 Air Materiel Command judged the phenomenon “something real and not visionary or fictitious”
Places
- Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (issued at) — Twining wrote the 1947 letter from Air Materiel Command headquarters at Wright Field
More documents
- GAO report on the Roswell crash records (B-262046, July 28, 1995)
- Project Blue Book case file: Lincoln, New Hampshire, September 1961 (the Hill case)
- Luke AFB FOIA reply on the Phoenix Lights (1 May 1997)
- Brazilian Air Defence Command report on the events of 19–20 May 1986 ("Official UFO Night")
- Halt memo: Unexplained Lights
- Spanish Air Force file 791111/791117/791128: unusual phenomena in Valencia, Motril and Madrid, November 1979 (the Manises case)