18_100754_ General 1946-7_Vol_2

Based solely on the document text, here is the editorial summary:

Flying disc reports involving trained observers reached high-level military investigation by late 1947. The Air Materiel Command at Wright Field, Ohio, compiled observations by what it characterized as "qualified observers" and submitted a formal technical assessment to the Army Air Forces on September 23, 1947, concluding that the reported phenomenon was "something real and not visionary or fictitious." The command noted multiple common patterns in witness descriptions: disc-shaped objects with metallic surfaces, flat bottoms and domed tops, often appearing in formation flights of three to nine craft, traveling at speeds normally above 300 knots without visible exhaust trails.

The assessment identified specific performance characteristics that suggested active control mechanisms. Witnesses reported extreme rates of climb, unusual maneuverability particularly in rolling motions, and what the command termed "evasive" behavior when contacted by friendly aircraft or radar systems. The command documented that in three instances observers reported substantial rumbling sounds associated with the objects, and in several cases witnesses noted well-maintained formation flying. The Air Materiel Command's Intelligence division stated these characteristics "lend belief to the possibility that some of the objects are controlled either manually, automatically or remotely."

The technical analysis considered multiple explanations. It acknowledged the possibility that some incidents might involve natural phenomena such as meteors, while also raising the prospect that reported objects could represent high-security domestic aviation projects unknown to the command's intelligence branch. The command documented lack of physical evidence in the form of crash-recovered exhibits. A third possibility mentioned was that foreign nations might possess advanced propulsion systems, potentially nuclear in nature, outside American knowledge. The assessment specified that with extensive development, U.S. technology could theoretically construct a piloted disc-shaped aircraft matching witness descriptions and capable of approximately 7,000-mile range at subsonic speeds, though such development would be extremely expensive and time-consuming.

The command recommended immediate establishment of a coordinated investigation involving the Army, Navy, Atomic Energy Commission, Joint Research and Development Board, the Air Force Scientific Advisory Group, NACA, and both RAND and NEPA projects. It requested assignment of priority classification, security designation, and a code name for detailed study, with preliminary findings due within 15 days and subsequent updates every 30 days as investigation developed. Pending such directive, the command stated it would continue investigation within existing resources to define the phenomenon's nature more precisely.

In November 1947, the Air Materiel Command requested that headquarters mark related correspondence with classification "secret" under designation U-48983. The command also pursued investigation of a separate incident involving photograph analysis from a civilian witness in Portland, Oregon, who had submitted pictures allegedly taken in November 1946 near Jefferson, Oregon. The Fourth Air Force Intelligence office evaluated those photographs and concluded that apparent disc formations visible in the images were likely camera or film defects rather than actual objects, recommending no further investigation of that particular incident.