What did the declassified documents reveal?

On March twenty-second, nineteen-fifty, a Special Agent in Charge in the FBI's Washington Field Office typed a one-page memo to Director J. Edgar Hoover. It is one page long. Three short paragraphs. And for seventy-five years, it has been one of the most-requested documents in the FBI's public vault. This is Declassified. I'm reading exactly what the government released — including what they redacted, and including what they themselves said the document means. Nothing more. The document is called the Hottel Memo, after the agent who typed it: Guy Hottel, Special Agent in Charge, Washington Field Office. It was declassified and released by the FBI in nineteen seventy-six under the Freedom of Information Act, and posted in full to the Bureau's public records vault. You can read it yourself at vault dot F B I dot gov, slash Hottel underscore Guy. Here is the entire memo, exactly as it was typed. Office Memorandum. United States Government. To: Director, F B I. From: Guy Hottel. Date: March twenty-second, nineteen-fifty. Subject: Flying Saucers. Information Concerning. The following information was furnished to S A — redacted — by — redacted. An investigator for the Air Forces stated that three so-called flying saucers had been recovered in New Mexico. They were described as being circular in shape, with raised centers, approximately fifty feet in diameter. Each one was occupied by three bodies of human shape, but only three feet tall — dressed in metallic cloth of a very fine texture. Each body was bandaged in a manner similar to the blackout suits used by speed flyers and test pilots. According to Mr. — redacted — informant, the saucers were found in New Mexico due to the fact that the Government has a very high-powered radar set-up in that area, and it is believed the radar interferes with the mechanism of the saucers. No further evaluation was attempted by S A — redacted — concerning the above. End of memo. Signed, Guy Hottel. That is the document. Three paragraphs. Three redacted names. No photographs, no diagrams, no follow-up. The F B I itself, on its public-affairs page about the memo, addresses what the document is and isn't. The Bureau writes — and I'm reading this verbatim from their own page — Quote: The Hottel memo does not prove the existence of U F Os. It is simply a second- or third-hand claim that we never investigated. End quote. The agency's own framing, alongside the document the agency released. What we can say with confidence is this. The memo is real. It was typed, signed, filed, and declassified. Guy Hottel was a real Special Agent in Charge of the F B I's Washington Field Office in nineteen-fifty. The Bureau itself reports the source was a private citizen named Rudy Fick, who had heard the story from an oil-and-gas-industry acquaintance, who had heard it from a friend. That's the chain. A memo about a story about a story. The Bureau took no action on it at the time. No saucers, no bodies, no New Mexico recovery operation…

Why was this case declassified?

This material was released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) through the U.S. declassification and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) process. Storyflo narrates it from the public release.

The Hottel Memo · 1950 FBI Memorandum On Flying Saucers

◆ BLUF — The short version

On March twenty-second, nineteen-fifty, a Special Agent in Charge in the FBI's Washington Field Office typed a one-page memo to Director J. Edgar Hoover. It is one page long. Three short paragraphs. And for seventy-five years, it has been one of the most-requested documents in the FBI's public vault.

Agency: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
Date: JUN 14 · 2026
Release: Declassified · U.S. public record (FOIA)

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What was The Hottel Memo · 1950 FBI Memorandum On Flying Saucers about?: On March twenty-second, nineteen-fifty, a Special Agent in Charge in the FBI's Washington Field Office typed a one-page memo to Director J. Edgar Hoover. It is one page long. Three short paragraphs. And for seventy-five years, it has been one of the most-requested documents in the FBI's public vault.
Why was this case declassified?: This material was released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) through the U.S. declassification and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) process.

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The Hottel Memo · 1950 FBI Memorandum On Flying Saucers

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