Within 1947 Disc
Was Byron Savage a credible early witness?
Savage's aviation background made his brief May 1947 report harder to dismiss, but it still depends on one unconfirmed observation.
On this page
- Who Savage was and why it mattered
- What he said he saw over Oklahoma City
- Credibility, limits and missing confirmation
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Introduction
Byron B. Savage occupies a small but significant place in Oklahoma UFO history because his account predates the moment when “flying saucers” became a national obsession. Savage, an Oklahoma City resident, private pilot and field engineer for the Radio Corporation of America (RCA), said he saw a fast-moving, disc-shaped object over the city in May 1947, several weeks before Kenneth Arnold’s famous Mount Rainier sighting brought the subject into newspapers across the United States. Later military and intelligence records preserved an interview with Savage, helping make his report one of the earliest Oklahoma cases to enter the documentary record. Yet the case remains difficult to verify. It rests on a single witness, no photographs, no radar evidence and no independent confirmation. The question is therefore not whether Savage proved anything extraordinary, but whether his background made his testimony more credible than many other early saucer reports. [U.S. Department of War]war.gov65 hs1 834228961 62 hq 83894 section 3Department of War65_HS1-834228961_62-HQ-83894_Section_329th Street, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, relating to his alleged viewing of a flying… [beannames.com]beannames.comvault62 — FBI UFO FilesThis file is partially posted on FBI vault… Savage Flying Disc Sighting, Oklahoma City. 1947… Reports an int…
Who Savage was and why it mattered
Savage was not presented in official summaries as a casual observer. Military records identified him as a 38-year-old RCA field engineer living at 416 N.W. 29th Street in Oklahoma City and noted that he held a private pilot’s licence. A Counter Intelligence Corps memorandum recorded an interview conducted on 23 July 1947 concerning his earlier sighting. [beannames.com]beannames.comFBI UFO FilesUFO checklist form and continuation page for Incident #82, reporting a sighting by Byron B. Savage, a Field Engineer for RCA… [U.S. Department of War]war.gov65 hs1 834228961 62 hq 83894 serial 13065 hs1 834228961 62 hq 83894 serial 130
That aviation background is the main reason his account continues to receive attention in histories of the 1947 flying-disc wave. Early investigators often distinguished between reports from experienced pilots and reports from people with no aviation knowledge. Savage was accustomed to looking at aircraft, estimating altitude and judging flight behaviour. That did not make him infallible, but it reduced the likelihood that he would mistake an ordinary aeroplane for something entirely unfamiliar. Later UFO historians repeatedly highlighted the fact that he was both a businessman and a private pilot, drawing a parallel with Kenneth Arnold, whose own credibility rested partly on aviation experience. [dokumen.pub]dokumen.pubreport on the ufo wave of 1947In city after city I discovered the same extraordinary fact: that UFOs… northwest, that opened the first chapter in the modern record… [2kirkmcd.princeton.edu]kirkmcd.princeton.edubloecher 67Oklahoma City – like Arnold, a businessman and private pilot. He had seen an.Read more…
His case also matters because of timing. Many accounts from the summer of 1947 emerged only after Arnold’s report became front-page news. Savage nevertheless claimed the observation itself occurred around 17 or 18 May, more than a month earlier. If accurate, that places the sighting among a small group of reports retrospectively linked to the opening phase of the modern UFO era. [dokumen.pub]dokumen.pubreport on the ufo wave of 1947In city after city I discovered the same extraordinary fact: that UFOs… northwest, that opened the first chapter in the modern record… [NICAP]nicap.orgReportUFOWave1947 SectionIReport on UFO Wave of 1947 Section IAnother early sighting in the official files is the report by Byron Savage of Oklahoma City – like A…
What he said he saw over Oklahoma City
According to later summaries derived from military files, Savage was outside his Oklahoma City home at dusk when he noticed an unusual object crossing the sky. He described it as round, flat and metallic-looking, travelling from roughly the south or south-east toward the north. He estimated that it was at a considerable altitude and moving at a speed far beyond that of conventional aircraft known to him. [U.S. Department of War]war.gov65 hs1 834228961 62 hq 83894 serial 13065 hs1 834228961 62 hq 83894 serial 130 [U.S. Department of War]war.gov65 hs1 834228961 62 hq 83894 serial 13065 hs1 834228961 62 hq 83894 serial 130
Several details appeared repeatedly in later retellings:
- The object appeared circular or disc-like when viewed overhead.
- It was described as shiny, silvery or frosty white.
- Savage reported no engine noise.
- He saw no exhaust plume, smoke trail or vapour trail.
- The observation lasted only seconds before the object disappeared from view. [KOCO]koco.comKOCODeclassified files detail UAP sightings in Oklahoma City4 days ago — The documents said Savage had his private pilot's license, and h… [2dokumen.pub]dokumen.pubreport on the ufo wave of 1947In city after city I discovered the same extraordinary fact: that UFOs… northwest, that opened the first chapter in the modern record…
The report gained attention after Arnold’s sighting entered national headlines on 25 and 26 June 1947. Newspaper coverage of the emerging “flying saucer” story quickly collected similar accounts from around the country, and Savage became one of the earliest witnesses cited in support of Arnold. An American Heritage history of the period notes that Savage publicly backed Arnold’s credibility, reportedly saying that he believed Arnold genuinely saw something unusual. [American Heritage]americanheritage.comAmerican Heritage Was This the First Reported UFO?AMERICAN HERITAGEThe first was from a private pilot named Byron Savage, who claimed to see a saucer flying high above his yard in Oklahom…
For Oklahoma, that connection is important. The state was not merely reacting to the national flying-saucer craze after it had fully developed. Instead, one of Oklahoma City’s earliest recorded cases became woven into the first wave of reports that helped define the phenomenon itself. [dokumen.pub]dokumen.pubreport on the ufo wave of 1947In city after city I discovered the same extraordinary fact: that UFOs… northwest, that opened the first chapter in the modern record…
Why investigators took notice
The surviving paperwork shows that Savage’s statement was considered worthy of recording by military intelligence personnel during the summer of 1947. The existence of a formal interview distinguishes the case from many newspaper anecdotes that vanished without documentation. The memorandum preserved his occupation, address and basic account, indicating that officials at least considered the report relevant to the broader flying-disc investigations then underway. [beannames.com]beannames.comvault62 — FBI UFO FilesThis file is partially posted on FBI vault… Savage Flying Disc Sighting, Oklahoma City. 1947… Reports an int… [U.S. Department of War]war.gov65 hs1 834228961 62 hq 83894 serial 13065 hs1 834228961 62 hq 83894 serial 130
That should not be overstated. There is no indication that investigators obtained physical evidence, recovered material, photographs or corroborating witnesses. Nor is there evidence that the case produced a definitive conclusion. The importance of the file lies more in its existence than in any investigative breakthrough. It demonstrates that Savage’s report entered the same emerging intelligence stream that would eventually lead to formal Air Force UFO programmes. [Wikipedia]Wikipedia1947 flying disc craze1947 flying disc craze
The case has occasionally resurfaced in modern reporting because recently released government files again highlighted the interview and Savage’s aviation credentials. Those releases have renewed local interest, but they have not added decisive new evidence about what crossed the sky over Oklahoma City in May 1947. [RadioOklahomaNetwork-Oklahoma News]radiooklahomanews.comRadioOklahomaNetwork-Oklahoma NewsDeclassified Oklahoma City UFO Files Released3 days ago — According to the newly released documents, Sa…
Credibility, limits and missing confirmation
The strongest argument in Savage’s favour remains straightforward: he had experience around aircraft and consistently described a specific object rather than a vague light or fleeting flash. Historians of the 1947 wave often mention him precisely because he fits the profile of a witness investigators were more inclined to treat seriously. [dokumen.pub]dokumen.pubreport on the ufo wave of 1947In city after city I discovered the same extraordinary fact: that UFOs… northwest, that opened the first chapter in the modern record… [2kirkmcd.princeton.edu]kirkmcd.princeton.edubloecher 67Oklahoma City – like Arnold, a businessman and private pilot. He had seen an.Read more…
The weaknesses are equally clear.
First, the sighting was solitary. No independent observer is known to have confirmed the object over Oklahoma City. Second, the report became public only after Arnold’s widely publicised encounter had created a national framework for interpreting unusual aerial observations. Critics have long noted that many people retrospectively connected earlier memories to the new flying-saucer narrative once it entered the headlines. [Wikipedia]WikipediaTable of reports during the 1947 flying disc crazeTable of reports during the 1947 flying disc craze
Third, the observation was brief. Estimating the altitude, speed and size of an unknown object seen for only a few seconds is inherently difficult, even for trained observers. Without a reliable distance estimate, claims about extraordinary speed become impossible to verify. A small nearby object and a larger distant object can produce similar visual impressions. [dokumen.pub]dokumen.pubreport on the ufo wave of 1947In city after city I discovered the same extraordinary fact: that UFOs… northwest, that opened the first chapter in the modern record…
Finally, no accepted explanation emerged. The surviving records do not conclusively identify an aircraft, balloon, meteorological phenomenon or hoax. At the same time, they do not provide enough evidence to support extraordinary conclusions either. The case therefore sits in the large middle category that characterises much of early UFO history: intriguing, documented and unresolved, but evidentially limited. [U.S. Department of War]war.gov65 hs1 834228961 62 hq 83894 serial 13065 hs1 834228961 62 hq 83894 serial 130 [beannames.com]beannames.comFBI UFO FilesUFO checklist form and continuation page for Incident #82, reporting a sighting by Byron B. Savage, a Field Engineer for RCA…
What Savage’s testimony means in Oklahoma UFO history
Savage’s significance comes less from the sighting itself than from what it represents. He is one of the earliest named Oklahoma witnesses connected to the birth of the modern flying-saucer era. His report linked Oklahoma City to the national wave of 1947 sightings and provided the state with a case that appeared in later military and UFO research files rather than disappearing into local folklore. [Wikipedia]WikipediaUnidentified flying objectUnidentified flying object
At the same time, the case illustrates a recurring pattern seen throughout Oklahoma’s UFO history and the wider American record. A witness may appear credible, the observation may be sincere and the documentation may be genuine, yet the available evidence can still fall short of proving what was actually seen. Byron Savage remains a noteworthy early witness because his account survives in official records and came from someone with aviation experience. He does not remain noteworthy because the case was ever conclusively solved—or conclusively demonstrated to be something beyond ordinary explanation. [beannames.com]beannames.comFBI UFO FilesUFO checklist form and continuation page for Incident #82, reporting a sighting by Byron B. Savage, a Field Engineer for RCA… [U.S. Department of War]war.gov65 hs1 834228961 62 hq 83894 serial 13065 hs1 834228961 62 hq 83894 serial 130
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Further Reading
Books and field guides related to Was Byron Savage a credible early witness?. Use these as the next step if you want deeper reading beyond the article.
The Report on Unidentified Flying Objects
Examines witness credibility and official evaluation of reports.
The Hynek UFO Report
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Endnotes
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Source: war.gov
Title: 65 hs1 834228961 62 hq 83894 section 3
Link: https://www.war.gov/medialink/ufo/release_1/65_hs1-834228961_62-hq-83894_section_3.pdfSource snippet
Department of War65_HS1-834228961_62-HQ-83894_Section_329th Street, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, relating to his alleged viewing of a flying...
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Source: beannames.com
Link: https://beannames.com/sections/1108Source snippet
vault62 — FBI UFO FilesThis file is partially posted on FBI vault... Savage Flying Disc Sighting, Oklahoma City. 1947... Reports an int...
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Source: dokumen.pub
Title: report on the ufo wave of 1947
Link: https://dokumen.pub/report-on-the-ufo-wave-of-1947.htmlSource snippet
In city after city I discovered the same extraordinary fact: that UFOs... northwest, that opened the first chapter in the modern record...
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Source: war.gov
Title: 65 hs1 834228961 62 hq 83894 serial 130
Link: https://www.war.gov/medialink/ufo/release_1/65_hs1-834228961_62-hq-83894_serial_130.pdf -
Source: kirkmcd.princeton.edu
Title: bloecher 67
Link: https://kirkmcd.princeton.edu/JEMcDonald/bloecher_67.pdfSource snippet
Oklahoma City -- like Arnold, a businessman and private pilot. He had seen an.Read more...
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Source: nicap.org
Title: ReportUFOWave1947 SectionI
Link: https://nicap.org/waves/Wave47Rpt/ReportUFOWave1947_SectionI.htmSource snippet
Report on UFO Wave of 1947 Section IAnother early sighting in the official files is the report by Byron Savage of Oklahoma City -- like A...
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Source: Wikipedia
Title: 1947 flying disc craze
Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1947_flying_disc_craze -
Source: koco.com
Link: https://www.koco.com/article/declassified-pentagon-files-uap-sightings-oklahoma-city-ufo/71403117Source snippet
KOCODeclassified files detail UAP sightings in Oklahoma City4 days ago — The documents said Savage had his private pilot's license, and h...
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Source: beannames.com
Link: https://beannames.com/documents/2315Source snippet
FBI UFO FilesUFO checklist form and continuation page for Incident #82, reporting a sighting by Byron B. Savage, a Field Engineer for RCA...
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Source: Wikipedia
Title: Table of reports during the 1947 flying disc craze
Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Table_of_reports_during_the_1947_flying_disc_craze -
Source: Wikipedia
Title: Unidentified flying object
Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unidentified_flying_object -
Source: americanheritage.com
Title: American Heritage Was This the First Reported UFO?
Link: https://www.americanheritage.com/was-first-reported-ufoSource snippet
AMERICAN HERITAGEThe first was from a private pilot named Byron Savage, who claimed to see a saucer flying high above his yard in Oklahom...
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Source: radiooklahomanews.com
Link: https://www.radiooklahomanews.com/post/declassified-oklahoma-city-ufo-files-releasedSource snippet
RadioOklahomaNetwork-Oklahoma NewsDeclassified Oklahoma City UFO Files Released3 days ago — According to the newly released documents, Sa...
Additional References
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Source: reddit.com
Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/UfoUapNews/comments/1toxxho/declassified_oklahoma_city_ufo_files_under_pursue/Source snippet
Two Cold War UAP Cases and Cross-Agency InvestigationsDeclassified Oklahoma City UFO Files Under PURSUE: Two Cold War UAP Cases and Cross...
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Source: scribd.com
Link: https://www.scribd.com/doc/275519727/Alfred-Loedding-The-Great-Flying-Saucer-Wave-of-1947-Michael-D-Connors-Wendy-A-Hall-pdfSource snippet
ScribdAlfred Loedding and the 1947 UFO Wave | PDFthe witness, Byron Savage. A businessman and private pilot from Oklahoma City, Savage ob...
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Source: pierrelagrangesociologie.files.wordpress.com
Link: https://pierrelagrangesociologie.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/lagrange-impossiblebut-spencerevans-1988.pdfSource snippet
flying saucers to ufos - forty years of facts and researchOn Tuesday 24 June 1947, Kenneth Arnold – a business and private pilot...
Published: June 1947
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Source: public-library.uk
Title: Two days later, another fast-flying saucer was reported at.Read more
Link: https://www.public-library.uk/pdfs/9/145.pdfSource snippet
The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Flying Saucers are...by D Keyhoe · Cited by 85 — longer than its diameter was sighted by Byron Savage...
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Source: sandiegoreader.com
Title: unforgettable thinking flashes sky part 1
Link: https://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2013/sep/11/unforgettable-thinking-flashes-sky-part-1/Source snippet
Disc-Like Objects Noted in Wide Areas.” Five or six weeks before Arnold's sighting, Byron Savage of Oklahoma City watched a flat disk sha...
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Source: upload.wikimedia.org
Title: Keyhoe The Flying Saucers Are Real
Link: [https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6e/Keyhoe_-The_Flying_Saucers_Are_Real.pdf](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6e/Keyhoe-_The_Flying_Saucers_Are_Real.pdf)Source snippet
FLyING SAucERs ARE REALAbout the seventeenth of May 1947, a huge oval shaped saucer ten times longer than its diameter was sighted by Byr...
Published: May 1947
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Source: factrepublic.com
Link: https://factrepublic.com/facts/50378/Source snippet
1947 Flying Disc Craze | Fact | FactRepublic.comOn June 26, press reported that Byron Savage of Oklahoma City had seen a flying disc abou...
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Source: youtube.com
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bretHCA89bQSource snippet
10 Cases From Project Blue Book: The CIA's Hunt For UFOs...
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Source: youtube.com
Title: Kenneth Arnold and the First UFOs
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdXNAOxs6moSource snippet
Project Blue Book: The Government's Failed War on Flying Saucers...
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Source: youtube.com
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QD_Nvm4x6nwSource snippet
BW - EP129—001: Radio, Roswell And The Flying Saucer Craze—Kenneth Arnold And The...
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