Document #: 4 
      From: UFO INFO SERVICE 
      Date Sent: 06-09-1986 
      Subject: 1949 FBI MEMO RE: PHOTOS 

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      Office Memorandum - UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT 

      TO      :  DIRECTOR FBI                         DATE:  January 10, 1949 
      FROM    :  SAC KNOXVILLE 
      SUBJECT : "FLYING SAUCERS" OBSERVED OVER 
                OAK RIDGE AREA 
                INTERNAL SECURITY - X 

                There are being submitted herewith two photographs of reputedly 
      "flying saucers" which were seen at Oak Ridge, Tennessee, sometime during 
      July of 1947.  All of the information contained in this letter was 
      received from George Rateman, Resident Engineer, Air Material Command, 
      United States Army, who is the principal army technician at the Nuclear 
      Energy for the Propulsion of Aircraft Research Center at Oak Ridge, 
      Tennessee. 

          Mr. Rateman advised that the attached photographs were taken by ______ 
      in July of 1947.  He stated that interview with _______ revealed that he 
      had been snapping photographs of his family in front of his residence at 
      218 Illinois Avenue, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, late in the afternoon, when he 
      looked into the sky and observed the vapor trail as exhibited by the 
      photograph numbered "1."  __________ stated that he took a snap of this 
      trail, was winding the film to the next number, when he looked into the 
      sky and observed the ball of fire as shown in photograph 2.  _______ made 
      these photographs available to reporters of the Knoxville News-Sentinel 
      and a story concerning them was run in that paper; however, as shown by 
      the photostatic copy of the newspaper clipping, which is also being 
      submitted herewith to the Bureau, the print was very indistinct; the news 
      story did not contain any factual information; and it was regarded 
      generally by the public at the time as a possible trick. 

          Later, it was learned by Rateman and _________ that _________ had 
      made several copies of this photograph and had distributed them among his 
      aquaintances at Oak Ridge, Tennessee.  Upon ___________ finding that the 
      photographs had received some distribution, he requested Rateman as Head 
      of the Compliance and Investigations Division, to recover as many as 
      possible of the photographs, advise the persons in whose possession they 
      were found to say nothing to anyone concerning them, and to return the 
      said photographs to him for transmission to the United States Air Force 
      Intelligence Service.  Rateman advises that he succeeded in rounding up 
      twenty four copies of these photographs, and that, according to the 
      statements of ________, no more copies were made or distributed.  Rateman 
      further stated that _______ had appeared extremely concerned over the 
      matter and seemed quite emphatic that the matter should be given no more 
      publicity than was absolutely necessary.  Rateman also advised that he 
      studied the negatives from which the reproductions were made, and they 
      appeared to be authentic in that trick photography should have been 
      apparent, but from the ______________ ________________. 
 

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                  SYSOP - Jim Klotz  Information Director - Dale Goudie 

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