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Newly declassified FBI records released as part of the U.S. government’s ongoing PURSUE archive reveal that in July 1949, the Bureau was tracking reports of “flying disks” and a planned convention for individuals who had witnessed the phenomena. The document, titled “65_HS1-834228961_62-HQ-83894_Section_5,” was released by the U.S. Department of War on May 8, 2026, and is part of a larger case file spanning June 1947 to July 1968.
FBI Memorandum Details Convention for Flying Saucer Witnesses
According to the FBI document, an internal memorandum dated July 26, 1949, from the Director of the FBI to the Special Agent in Charge (SAC) in San Antonio, Texas, outlines information received from the Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff, G-2, Fourth Army. The memo, marked “FLYING DISKS — INTERNAL SECURITY — R,” states that on July 15, 1949, military intelligence advised the FBI of a small article that had appeared in the Galveston (Texas) News on July 10, 1949. The article advertised that the Young Men’s Business Club of Alexandria, Louisiana, was planning a convention for “persons from all over the nation who have seen flying saucers.”
The FBI record notes that the convention was planned so that “members may compare notes.” It further states that “flying disks were reported twice in the week preceding the article in Alexandria, Louisiana.” The memorandum concludes by stating that the above information was “furnished as a matter of information.” The document includes distribution instructions, with a carbon copy (cc) sent to the New Orleans field office, referencing file number 100-7545.
The official description of the broader case file, provided by the PURSUE archive, indicates that the FBI’s 62-HQ-83894 case file includes “investigative records, eyewitness testimonies, and public reports concerning Unidentified Flying Objects and flying discs documented between June 1947 and July 1968.” The description notes that the records include “high-profile incident accounts, photographic evidence from sites like Oak Ridge, TN, and technical proposals regarding potential propulsion systems.” The file is partially posted on the FBI’s public Vault website with more redactions and some pages missing, but the version released in the PURSUE archive is described as “the complete case file with several newly declassified pages and only minor redactions.”
Context of the PURSUE Archive Release
The release of this document is part of a broader initiative by the U.S. government. Per a Wikipedia summary of the “United States UFO files” entry, these records are “a collection of declassified United States government records concerning UFOs, also called unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs), released by the administration of Donald Trump beginning on May 8, 2026, and announced to continue as repeated, ongoing, expanding releases of UFO materials.” The Wikipedia entry notes that the files are also referred to as the “UFO files” or the “UAP files.”
The July 1949 memorandum provides a specific, dated example of the type of public interest and organizational activity that the FBI was monitoring during the early years of the “flying saucer” phenomenon. The document shows the Bureau acting on a tip from military intelligence (G-2) about a civilian group’s planned gathering. The memo’s classification as “INTERNAL SECURITY — R” suggests that the FBI viewed the topic of flying disk reports through a national security lens at the time.
The document also includes a separate record of a telephone call, dated July 11, 1949, at 10:54 AM. The record indicates that a Mr. Cuneo called the Director’s office and, when informed that both Director J. Edgar Hoover and a Mr. Ladd were absent, “declined to speak to anyone else and stated that he was just following up on a conversation he had with Mr. Ladd over the weekend.” The note asks that Mr. Ladd be informed of the call. The context of this call in relation to the flying disk investigation is not specified in the provided excerpt.
What Remains Unanswered
While the newly declassified memorandum offers a clear snapshot of FBI interest in a 1949 flying saucer convention, several questions remain unanswered by the provided source material. The document does not specify whether the convention in Alexandria, Louisiana, actually took place, nor does it detail what information, if any, the FBI or military intelligence gathered from it. The official description of the case file mentions photographic evidence from Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and technical proposals for propulsion systems, but these elements are not present in the brief excerpt released.
Readers should watch for future PURSUE archive releases, which the government has announced will be “repeated, ongoing, expanding releases.” Future installments may include the referenced photographic evidence, technical proposals, or additional records from the 62-HQ-83894 case file that could provide further insight into the FBI’s investigative posture regarding UFO reports during the mid-20th century.
