US: Air Force OSI sends Grudge report on secret Kaplan visit
On May 31, 1949, the Air Force Office of Special Investigations forwarded to Project Grudge a report about Rees's account of Kaplan's arranged visit on April 28. This revealed a plot to conduct a hidden probe bypassing Grudge, though USAF Intelligence's role was omitted.
Background
Background
On May 31, 1949, the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (OSI) passed Project Grudge a copy of a report by Rees. It concerned Kaplan's visit of April 28, 1949, which USAF Intelligence had arranged.
Key Event
The visit was intended to carry out a separate, secret investigation independent of Project Grudge. Through the forwarding of the report, the Air Materiel Command (AMC) learned of this arrangement, which was meant to exclude Grudge. Rees, however, omitted USAF Intelligence's direct involvement from the document.
Witnesses and Evidence
Key figures: Kaplan (visitor), Rees (author of the report), OSI, and USAF Intelligence. The primary evidence is the forwarded report itself, which exposes internal tensions. No direct witnesses to sightings are named; the focus is on administrative manoeuvring.
Significance
This episode points to internal conflicts within the US Air Force over UFO investigation. It shows attempts to bypass Project Grudge, which indicates distrust of its approach and illustrates the fragmentation of official UFO research in 1949.