Twining Memo — 'The Phenomenon Is Something Real'
Lieutenant General Nathan Twining, commander of Air Materiel Command, sent a classified memo to Brigadier General George Schulgen concluding that flying disc reports described a real physical phenomenon — not hallucinations or fiction — and recommended a permanent investigation program.
Background
On September 23, 1947, Lieutenant General Nathan F. Twining of the Air Materiel Command (AMC) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base issued a classified memo to Brigadier General George Schulgen, evaluating 'flying disc' reports following Kenneth Arnold's sighting. The document concluded the phenomena were real and led to Project Sign.
Background
The memo responded to a request for AMC's evaluation of surging 'flying disc' reports since Kenneth Arnold's sighting three months earlier.
It was directed to Brigadier General George Schulgen of the Army Air Forces intelligence division.
Lieutenant General Nathan F. Twining commanded AMC at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
Key Findings
- Reported phenomena were 'something real and not visionary or fictitious'
- Objects exhibited 'extreme rates of climb, maneuverability, and evasive action when sighted or contacted by radar'
- Consistent features across reports: disc-like shape, metallic appearance, absence of visible exhaust
Analysis
Twining acknowledged some sightings might stem from domestic secret projects.
However, AMC had no knowledge of any such program.
Recommendations
Twining recommended establishing a permanent investigation effort with proper security classification.
This directly led to the creation of Project Sign in January 1948.
Significance
The memo, declassified decades later, is the earliest high-level military acknowledgment.
It recognized unidentified aerial objects as a genuine intelligence concern rather than mass delusion.
Significance
The Twining Memo is the foundational document of institutional UAP investigation. Its conclusion — 'something real and not visionary or fictitious' — directly created Project Sign and every subsequent US government program through AARO.