FBI Memo 'Flying Discs': Hoover Demands 'Full Access to Discs Recovered'
An FBI internal memorandum dated July 10, 1947, requested Bureau help with flying saucer reports; J. Edgar Hoover handwrote 'I would do it but we must insist upon full access to discs recovered.'
Background
An internal FBI memorandum dated July 10, 1947, titled 'Flying Discs,' outlined an official request by Army Air Corps General George Schulgen for the Bureau's help with a recent spate of aerial saucer reports. When obtained later, the memo included a handwritten note at the bottom by FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover. The note read: 'I would do it but before agreeing to it we must insist upon full access to discs recovered. For instance in the La. case the Army grabbed it & would not let us have it for cursory examination.'
This memo is one of the most significant early UFO documents because Hoover's handwritten annotation explicitly references 'discs recovered' — implying the physical recovery of UFO material. The 'La. case' reference remains debated among researchers, with some linking it to an alleged crash in Louisiana or Los Angeles.
Significance
FBI Director Hoover's handwritten note referencing 'discs recovered' is among the strongest early government evidence for crash retrievals.