DISCLOSURE / FILE
An FBI file of two correspondence items, a 1967 Chicago memo logging an 11-year-old's UFO report and a 1974 exchange in which the Bureau tells researcher Larry W. Bryant it has no record of an April 8, 1954 occupied-UFO sighting and does not collect UFO reports.
FBI-UAP-D014, Correspondence Relating to UFO Sightings, 1967, 1974
An FBI file of two correspondence items, a 1967 Chicago memo logging an 11-year-old's UFO report and a 1974 exchange in which the Bureau tells researcher Larry W. Bryant it has no record of an April 8, 1954 occupied-UFO sighting and does not collect UFO reports.
The first item, a 9/22/1967 Chicago FBI memo from SA Leonard Treviranus, records that eleven-year-old Tom Mitchell of 7825 South Colfax telephoned to report hearing a "weird" noise and seeing a "flash of light" around 8:30 PM on September 16, 1967, information the Bureau then passed to Sergeant Eugene Ripka of the Army-Air Force 755th Radar Squadron in Arlington Heights, Illinois. The second item is a 9/30/1974 letter from Larry W. Bryant of Arlington, Virginia, asking the FBI's Chicago office for records of an alleged April 8, 1954 sighting of an occupied UFO pursued by U.S. Coast Guard personnel and witnessed by at least three civilians. In an October 10, 1974 reply, Special Agent in Charge Richard G. Held told Bryant the FBI has no information on the sighting and "does not collect information regarding UFO sightings in general." The file establishes that, circa 1974, the Bureau disclaimed any role in collecting UFO reports.
Extracted text · Page 1
Page 1 · born-digital extraction
. l• I ' {MA'fEIRIIAI!.. MllJ~u NJ(Q)u IS~ IRIEM(3-)V[EID) !FIRl©M ©~ .ADJQ)~ID) 'fO YHIIS FiL!E) IFIEDIERAL IBURIEAU I IlNVIE§TilGATilON • 8 ureau File tN umber· ilso Nos. a eclass ification J .• uth ority derived rom FBI Automatic _ eclass ification r uide, issued 24, 2007 j . ---.. f ' • - ,· i < 0 c 3 Cl) z C 3 cr CD ""'I .J NW Docld:M1281ML~~e....::::;!1~~~~:;;:;;::~;::===--~~:-,:---____:__:==:=::===::=::::~:==::~~~::;;;;;;;;~;;;::;:~:;:::=:_ --=-:_ .:::: ..-.=---=- _:_JJl1Page 2 · born-digital extraction
------------ OPTIONAL FORM NO, 10 5010-107-02 MAY 1882 EDITION GSA GEN. REG. NO. 27 UNITED STATES GO ,• .,.,_.~_NMEN;r <· - j , ._, Memorandum TO ~CHICAGO(~ DATE: 9/22/67 FROM SA Co LEONARD TREVIRANUS SUBJECT: U O - -~~G - MISCELLANEOUS ''-.. - '!'OM MITCu(LL, 7825 South Colfax, Chicago (375-9258) telephonically ad/i;~d the writer at 9:110 PM on September 16, 1_967, as follows: He is eleven years of age. Al approximately 8:30 PM he heard a "weird" noise and looked out the window of his resid,ence and saw a "flash of light going north in the skyo" He could furnish no additional information but claimed this to be a UFO. The ab~ve information was furnished to Sergeant EUGENE RIPKA, Army-Air Force 755th Radar Squadron, Arlington, Heights, Illinois, telephone 763-8638. CLT/cah (l)~_ Buy U.S. Savings Bonds Regularly on the Payroll Savings Plan Page2
Page 5 · born-digital extraction
j / \ ~ 219 Soutb Dearborn Street: Chicago, Illinois 60604 ·October 10, 1974 , Mr,. Larry W. Bryant \.., 2904 South Thirteenth Road I .J Apartment 2 .Ar~ington, Virginia 22204 i ·nealr Mr. Bryant: .. . I have received your letter dated Septe~ber 30·,. 1914, regar.ding UFO .sightings. I am sorry to advise you ·\th~t the Federal Bureau. of Investigation (FBI) has ·no .information regarding the UFO sighting you describe in yo"r letter, and, in fact, the FBI does. not collect informa t1Qn regarding UFO sightings in general. As you are prdbably aware, the FBI is the investigative arm of the U'ni\:ted States Department of Justice, and is authorized to .ilnvestigate only those matters .specifically delegated to tt.~y Congress. UFO sightings are not such matters. In a.ddition, our files contai.o no information regii.rding the current residence or telepho~e number of 'Mrs·...Lelah H.. Stoker, mentioned in your letter . . . ' Very R ICHA· D G. HELD Special Agent in Charge N Addressee Chicago (100-44501) I 00 -·l/1/SO I_,3 ~j,, .. ~ .. ~ ,c~ .~:::•· ~--~:.,.,'"~ ~ ·• ., .'}] 1 - 100-36363 !JMF:nss 1(3) . i I . I I I I I Page 5
Concatenated page-by-page transcript. Born-digital pages came through pdf.js; scanned pages were transcribed by Claude vision OCR. Pages marked unreadable failed multiple OCR retries (heavy redaction, microfilm artifacts, or blank separators) and are kept in place for audit.
. l• I ' {MA'fEIRIIAI!.. MllJ~u NJ(Q)u IS~ IRIEM(3-)V[EID) !FIRl©M ©~ .ADJQ)~ID) 'fO YHIIS FiL!E) IFIEDIERAL IBURIEAU I IlNVIE§TilGATilON • 8 ureau File tN umber· ilso Nos. a eclass ification J .• uth ority derived rom FBI Automatic _ eclass ification r uide, issued 24, 2007 j . ---.. f ' • - ,· i < 0 c 3 Cl) z C 3 cr CD ""'I .J NW Docld:M1281ML~~e....::::;!1~~~~:;;:;;::~;::===--~~:-,:---____:__:==:=::===::=::::~:==::~~~::;;;;;;;;~;;;::;:~:;:::=:_ --=-:_ .:::: ..-.=---=- _:_JJl1------------ OPTIONAL FORM NO, 10 5010-107-02 MAY 1882 EDITION GSA GEN. REG. NO. 27 UNITED STATES GO ,• .,.,_.~_NMEN;r <· - j , ._, Memorandum TO ~CHICAGO(~ DATE: 9/22/67 FROM SA Co LEONARD TREVIRANUS SUBJECT: U O - -~~G - MISCELLANEOUS ''-.. - '!'OM MITCu(LL, 7825 South Colfax, Chicago (375-9258) telephonically ad/i;~d the writer at 9:110 PM on September 16, 1_967, as follows: He is eleven years of age. Al approximately 8:30 PM he heard a "weird" noise and looked out the window of his resid,ence and saw a "flash of light going north in the skyo" He could furnish no additional information but claimed this to be a UFO. The ab~ve information was furnished to Sergeant EUGENE RIPKA, Army-Air Force 755th Radar Squadron, Arlington, Heights, Illinois, telephone 763-8638. CLT/cah (l)~_ Buy U.S. Savings Bonds Regularly on the Payroll Savings Plan Page2
' ---- -- -, ·1 w 2904 South 13th Road - Apt 2 Arlington, Virgin~~ f.?.?04 - .. ,· - Special Agent in Charge Federal Bureau of Investigation Chicago, Illinois FIRST CLASS U.S. MAIL -, ______ .......--------•.v •••------- - t...--, ~r_,.....,.,... lg.,, ;::p , /4<.~G TO !\I I , ' , ''- . ,<- 0 {v) • A f\Jl o i,,.-f'"' l\ ~~'.:, 1\) ,~7 , ,-...,. •::, "- 2 (_,"' c:-,, ..... • ·- I', '19 ,. ..., ,,r-..:'. :2:,,. "'·~..- ... ~} 11 .?_., F-~ ~ j(l;,i- -,;_ 4 v1·i,1 n~P ~ --·-' " -1- .. _,j ~ (' ··11 n c hi i, ~d 11! n I i:: n ,~l.JLL.u,__ , 1 f-'ll~,,, ·IL,, ,, ~,-r,::;1-0T c:::r-D\nr., _ '~ ( u (\ C ,) i V [. i"! ,j I !...1 t ~- L'L)lil:HJL i .. .,,.---..,,...___=.,-.._,...,..,~~-....;:.,--~-..-'----.:-.;~-- - 1. - ~ ' r I ,.l l (() l I ] ~-~·' ------------~------~---------~--------------------------------------------------------------~--~~ - '1i1: I"' IArlington,• Virginia/ 22204 ~nft:fflr"':,er,s-1o//t(rljM1-fffil """' ie•D I i t. . ~ C C ~--~~~ • }, / I 2904 South 13th "Road!- Apt 2 I Special Agent in Charge . / Federal Bureau of Investigation I Chicago, Illinois I I I I ! i ' I ! ' I Dear Sir: i j Through inquiry of the Department of the Air Fore~, I 1 ve obta· ed a copy I J of a U.S. Army report of an alleged April 8, 1954 sighting of an : cupied Un - 1 I identified Flying Object (UFO) which was pursued by W- S. Coast Gu d personnel, ,- ·:: I • ' t landed briefly on the ground (discharging the occup1nt, who stroll about and returned to the object), and which was seen by at /east three civi ian observers before it departed. The report's distribution no/ation cites you office as I receiw~ng a copy. I I So that I might complete my research into ubis case, will u please send I mea copy of any documentation of all FBI follr-up actions th may have been taken on the matter? Also, does your office possess any other. UFO-sighting case . - I I I files covering the period January 1, 1954 through December 3, 1954; and, if so, I . I will you please send me a copy of your recor1s of ally, will you please tell,me the current mailing address and/or tk: of the principal observer, Chicago resident Mrs. Lelah H. forementioned sighting of April 8, 1954? ;oo-1/t-JS-Cl I - ;;;)-. • i ours si erely, I{. ~v 10~ -ry, - _,___,,., o u.-~--r sEARCHEo__~-~JNDEXeo.-R/r,_ / Larr W. Bryant SERIALIZED~FILED--- ·---. i• - ➔r ocr 101974 ~l'11 ~v Page4j / \ ~ 219 Soutb Dearborn Street: Chicago, Illinois 60604 ·October 10, 1974 , Mr,. Larry W. Bryant \.., 2904 South Thirteenth Road I .J Apartment 2 .Ar~ington, Virginia 22204 i ·nealr Mr. Bryant: .. . I have received your letter dated Septe~ber 30·,. 1914, regar.ding UFO .sightings. I am sorry to advise you ·\th~t the Federal Bureau. of Investigation (FBI) has ·no .information regarding the UFO sighting you describe in yo"r letter, and, in fact, the FBI does. not collect informa t1Qn regarding UFO sightings in general. As you are prdbably aware, the FBI is the investigative arm of the U'ni\:ted States Department of Justice, and is authorized to .ilnvestigate only those matters .specifically delegated to tt.~y Congress. UFO sightings are not such matters. In a.ddition, our files contai.o no information regii.rding the current residence or telepho~e number of 'Mrs·...Lelah H.. Stoker, mentioned in your letter . . . ' Very R ICHA· D G. HELD Special Agent in Charge N Addressee Chicago (100-44501) I 00 -·l/1/SO I_,3 ~j,, .. ~ .. ~ ,c~ .~:::•· ~--~:.,.,'"~ ~ ·• ., .'}] 1 - 100-36363 !JMF:nss 1(3) . i I . I I I I I Page 5