| Wreckage from the first crash of an Air
| |
| | it. Arnold was upset and suspected a
|
| Force Aircraft on August 1, 1947 seems
| |
| | hidden microphone had been used to obtain
|
| like something that only the military
| |
| | the information. That wasn't the only
|
| might be interested in. Or maybe not.
| |
| | surprise Arnold was to experience during
|
| Much of the original wreckage was left to
| |
| | the next twenty-four hours.
|
| rust in the forest and no recent attempts
| |
| | According to witnesses, Captain Davidson
|
| have been made to relocate or recover it
| |
| | and Lt Brown boarded a B-25 with a box of
|
| by any branch of the Military. Instead,
| |
| | material from their investigation and
|
| civilians have been looking for pieces
| |
| | took off from McChord Field with two
|
| from the crashed B-25 for years. That's
| |
| | other crew members. Shortly afterward,
|
| because the crash site near Kelso,
| |
| | their left engine caught fire and the
|
| Washington, may contain material that's
| |
| | fire fighting system malfunctioned. After
|
| simply out of this world
| |
| | ordering the other crew members to bail
|
| After ten years of searching, Jim Greer
| |
| | out, Davidson and Brown were trapped when
|
| located pieces from the B25 in a ravine
| |
| | the aircraft began to collapse around
|
| near Goble Creek east of Kelso. He has
| |
| | them. Both perished in the crash.
|
| turned some of the material over to the
| |
| | This was the very first crash of an Air
|
| Museum of Mysteries in Seattle. Their
| |
| | Force plane because it happened on the
|
| interest is in the paranormal aspects of
| |
| | day that the Air Force officially
|
| the crash. That's because the aircraft
| |
| | separated from the Army. It's ironic that
|
| was carrying two Officers that
| |
| | the crash may have been directly linked
|
| participated in the investigation of a
| |
| | to the UFO phenomenon. An article in the
|
| Washington UFO incident and material from
| |
| | Tacoma Times claimed that the B-25 was
|
| that investigation.
| |
| | shot down by a 20mm canon or sabotaged to
|
| 1947 is a memorable year for UFO
| |
| | keep the material salvaged from the Maury
|
| enthusiasts. The saucer sightings by
| |
| | Island event from being examined at Fort
|
| Kenneth Arnold in the State of Washington
| |
| | Hamilton.
|
| and UFO crash or crashes in New Mexico
| |
| | After the B-25 crash and the Men in Black
|
| tend to dominate our attention. It's easy
| |
| | incident involving Dahl, the two
|
| to forget that over 850 sightings of a
| |
| | witnesses became concerned for the safety
|
| credible nature were reported by U.S.
| |
| | of their families. When Arnold and Smith
|
| Newspapers. These include amazing events
| |
| | came to view the boat that Dahl said was
|
| alleged to have occurred near Maury
| |
| | damaged by the falling debris, Captain
|
| Island in Washington. Real or imagined,
| |
| | Smith expressed some doubts. He felt that
|
| those events and their aftermath reveal a
| |
| | repairs on the vessel were inconsistent
|
| stunning cover-up that has never been
| |
| | with the kind of damage that was
|
| fully investigated or explained.
| |
| | originally reported.
|
| Harold Dahl, his son Charles, the family
| |
| | Rather than explain that whole sections
|
| dog and two crew members were on a patrol
| |
| | were replaced, Dahl simply told Smith
|
| boat looking for salvage logs in the
| |
| | that he was no longer going to cooperate
|
| Puget Sound on June 21, 1947. They were
| |
| | with the investigation and just wanted to
|
| just off Maury Island (today called
| |
| | be left alone. Some reports say that the
|
| Vashon Island) when the UFO incident
| |
| | two witnesses admitted it was all a hoax,
|
| began. The group witnessed six
| |
| | but neither Dahl or Crisman ever admitted
|
| 'donut-shaped' craft above their
| |
| | making such statements. Another report
|
| position. Harold said that the objects
| |
| | said that the material Dahl and Crisman
|
| were about one hundred feet in diameter
| |
| | presented to the investigators was just
|
| and had a 'bright metallic' appearance.
| |
| | worthless slag from a local smelter.
|
| Five of the crafts were circling a sixth
| |
| | Apart from the fact that there was
|
| which Dahl said was 'wobbling' and seemed
| |
| | nothing in it for Dahl or Crisman to
|
| to be in distress. After some sort of an
| |
| | create a hoax and both had more to lose
|
| explosion, the sixth craft discharged a
| |
| | than gain, there is some evidence to
|
| large quantity of debris. The debris
| |
| | support their side of the story:
|
| resembled cooled volcanic lava, had an
| |
| | - FBI Teletype from J. Edgar Hoover, 8/14
|
| aluminum-like appearance and fell in the
| |
| | 47: "It would also appear that Dahl and
|
| form of large flakes. These flakes hit
| |
| | Crisman did not admit the hoax to the
|
| and damaged their boat, injured Charles
| |
| | army officers..."
|
| and killed the family dog. Afterward, all
| |
| | - Return Teletype to Hoover from Special
|
| the objects rose rapidly into the sky and
| |
| | Agent George Wilcox: "Please be advised
|
| took off in the direction of the ocean.
| |
| | that Dahl did not admit that his story
|
| Dahl headed to Maury Island where he
| |
| | was a hoax but only stated that if
|
| stopped to assess the damage to his boat
| |
| | questioned by authorities he was going to
|
| and take photos. Finding more debris, he
| |
| | say it was a hoax because he did not want
|
| collected it and then proceeded to
| |
| | any further trouble over the matter."
|
| Tacoma. After taking his son to the
| |
| | - In the January 1950 edition of FATE
|
| emergency room, Dahl reported the entire
| |
| | Magazine, Fred Crisman called allegations
|
| incident to Fred Crisman, the harbor
| |
| | that he admitted the case was a hoax a
|
| patrol supervisor. Crisman didn't believe
| |
| | "bald-faced lie."
|
| him, so he returned to the area on Maury
| |
| | - Neither Ray Palmer or Kenneth Arnold
|
| Island which Dahl described.
| |
| | ever said the case was a hoax.
|
| Crisman found what seemed like tons of
| |
| | Even stranger were the events that
|
| the strange material along the shoreline.
| |
| | occurred after the investigation by
|
| While picking up some of it, he said that
| |
| | Arnold, Smith, Davidson and Brown:
|
| an object appeared and dropped more.
| |
| | - The crash of the B25 is surrounded by
|
| Meanwhile, Dahl was visited by a "man in
| |
| | allegations of sabotage or downing by
|
| a dark suit" the next day. The man told
| |
| | friendly fire.
|
| Dahl that he saw something he was not
| |
| | - The crash of Kenneth Arnold's airplane
|
| supposed to see and warned him not to
| |
| | under mysterious circumstances on August
|
| discuss it.
| |
| | 3, 1947. He was almost killed and later
|
| Just three days after the Maury Island
| |
| | claimed his aircraft had been sabotaged.
|
| incident, Kenneth Arnold reported seeing
| |
| | - The untimely and mysterious death of
|
| a formation of strange looking objects
| |
| | Paul Lance, the Tacoma Times Reporter who
|
| traveling at incredible speeds near Mount
| |
| | claimed that the B25 might have been
|
| Rainer, Washington. Because Arnold was a
| |
| | purposely brought down by government
|
| former military aviator and
| |
| | operatives. He died two weeks after the
|
| well-respected private pilot, the press
| |
| | article appeared in print. No actual
|
| jumped all over his sighting. Arnold was
| |
| | cause of death could be determined.
|
| later contacted by Ray Palmer, editor of
| |
| | - The sudden death of Ted Morrello, the
|
| Amazing Stories. The two discussed his
| |
| | United Press reporter who called Arnold
|
| sighting, became friends and forged a
| |
| | just after the Dahl Meeting claiming full
|
| working relationship.
| |
| | knowledge of the proceedings.
|
| United Airlines Captain E. J. Smith was a
| |
| | - The closing of The Tacoma Times which
|
| friend of Kenneth Arnold, but initially
| |
| | went out of business shortly after the
|
| skeptical of his sighting until he had
| |
| | article about the B25 was published.
|
| one of his own. During a flight from
| |
| | Unlike most hoaxes, the Maury Island UFO
|
| Boise, Idaho, to Tacoma, Washington on
| |
| | incident is not unique among sighting or
|
| July 4, 1947, Smith noticed a formation
| |
| | physical evidence cases. The scene
|
| of saucer-shaped objects near his
| |
| | originally described by Dahl has been
|
| aircraft. They first appeared just after
| |
| | repeated many times. Several objects are
|
| 9pm, then vanished and reappeared several
| |
| | seen together, one crashes or is in
|
| times for over forty-five minutes.
| |
| | distress and others assist. Strange
|
| Captain Smith, Co-Pilot Ralph Stevens and
| |
| | material is ejected, dropped or simply
|
| Stewardess Marty Morrow all saw them.
| |
| | deposited. The material can be metallic,
|
| The importance of the Arnold and Smith
| |
| | fibrous or even biological. There are
|
| sightings cannot be stressed enough.
| |
| | many reasons for anyone interested in
|
| These witnesses were experienced pilots,
| |
| | UFOs to take a second look at this case.
|
| not starry-eyed civilians looking at
| |
| | Including the military response to the
|
| something in the sky that a trained
| |
| | crash.
|
| observer might immediately recognize as
| |
| | Robert Davenport of Kelso, Washington,
|
| commonplace. That would make any opinions
| |
| | was one of the first people to view the
|
| they had about the Maury Island UFO
| |
| | B-25 crash site. He said that small fires
|
| incident all the more important.
| |
| | were still burning due to all the unused
|
| Their involvement began with a letter to
| |
| | fuel when he and a few others found the
|
| Ray Palmer from Fred Crisman. Palmer
| |
| | wreckage. When the military arrived they
|
| quickly contacted Arnold and asked him to
| |
| | expelled everyone, sealed 150 acres
|
| investigate the Maury Island story.
| |
| | around the crash site and took over the
|
| Arnold agreed, but asked Smith to help.
| |
| | area for about a week. They used part of
|
| He also contacted the military and
| |
| | Davenport's land as a base camp.
|
| requested that they send investigators to
| |
| | Despite combing through debris and moving
|
| be present during the initial interviews.
| |
| | some larger pieces to an open field for
|
| Arnold and Smith arrived in Tacoma and
| |
| | further inspection, the bulk of the crash
|
| met with Harold Dahl at the Winthrop
| |
| | material was left behind. This seems
|
| Hotel on July 31, 1947. Also present were
| |
| | strange for an investigation involving
|
| a Captain Davidson and 1st Lt. Frank
| |
| | the very first crash of an Air Force
|
| Brown. Crisman showed up with cereal
| |
| | plane. It appeared that they were more
|
| boxes filled with material from the
| |
| | interested in looking for something in
|
| Island which he presented to the Military
| |
| | the aircraft than trying to determine the
|
| Officers. In a hurry to return to
| |
| | cause of the crash.
|
| Hamilton Field for Air Force Inauguration
| |
| | It's doubtful that the validity of the
|
| Day, Davidson and Brown left the hotel
| |
| | Maury Island UFO incident will ever be
|
| just after midnight. Air Force
| |
| | resolved to anyone's satisfaction. It's
|
| Inauguration Day was the day that the Air
| |
| | also unlikely that any of the material
|
| Force officially became a separate branch
| |
| | from that event will ever be recovered
|
| of the military.
| |
| | from the B-25 crash site. However, it's
|
| After the session with Dahl was
| |
| | important to remember that Maury Island
|
| completed, Arnold returned to his hotel
| |
| | occurred before the Arnold sighting,
|
| room. He almost immediately received a
| |
| | before Roswell and is certainly
|
| call from Ted Morello, a United Press
| |
| | surrounded by unusual circumstances and
|
| reporter. Morello seemed to know
| |
| | unresolved issues. Whether the actual
|
| everything that went on in the hotel room
| |
| | sighting occurred or never happened, you
|
| where the impromptu investigative had
| |
| | have to be amazed by the response of the
|
| taken place and wanted a comment about
| |
| | government within a government.
|
