After Kenneth Arnold's report became international news, he found himself receiving constant visitors, phone calls, and as many as 10,000 letters. This wasn't what he had wanted; he had merely hoped to find an explanation for what he saw. Other pilots didn't know, the Army didn't know or weren't saying, and Arnold's excellent reputation was in peril. But one man offered Arnold a chance to learn more: Raymond Palmer.
Palmer was the editor of Amazing Stories, a science fiction magazine. Two men, Fred Crisman and Harold Dahl, had reached out to him after Arnold's report, claiming to have seen saucers over Maury Island, Washington before Arnold had his encounter. Palmer was not only offering Arnold the chance to learn more, he was also offering $200, or approximately $3,000 in 2025, merely to interview these men and report back. After considering the offer carefully, and receiving encouragement from his family, Arnold accepted and flew to Tacoma, Washington in July of 1947.
Arnold recounts his meeting with the two men in his book The Coming of Saucers. Relevant excerpts are below, as well as matching government reports from interviews conducted after two Military Intelligence Officers died while investigating this incident.
