Date
September 23, 1947
Document Type
Military Memo
Pages
3
Authentication
DeclassifiedRedaction Status
✓ Fully ReleasedIssuing Authority
Lt. General Nathan F. Twining, Commanding General, Air Materiel Command
Summary
A classified memorandum from Air Materiel Command Commander Lt. General Nathan Twining to Brigadier General George Schulgen of Army Air Forces Intelligence, responding to a formal request for assessment of reported 'flying discs.' Twining concluded that the phenomenon is 'something real and not visionary or fictitious.' He described observed characteristics including extreme acceleration, circular or elliptical shape, and metallic finish. He recommended formal investigation under AAF auspices. This is the first official U.S. military document to formally acknowledge UAP as a genuine national security concern warranting structured investigation.
Significance
The Twining Memo establishes a documented chain of official military UAP concern predating Project Sign, GRUDGE, and Blue Book by months. Its significance lies in its unequivocal language: a senior general unambiguously states the phenomenon is real, not imaginary, and recommends formal investigation. This refutes the narrative that early military UAP acknowledgment was purely dismissive. The memo directly led to the creation of Project Sign in December 1947.