Page 32 - Pierce County Lawyer - September October 2025

Shortly into the flight, one of the plane’s engines burst into
flames. Taff was given a parachute and brief instructions
and then pushed off the plane.7 In subsequent newspaper
interviews, Taff said he watched the plane slowly spiral down in
flames and then crash into the ground, eight miles east of Kelso,
Washington. The crew chief also bailed with a parachute, but
sustained serious injuries. At no time did anyone make a call or
request for help on the plane’s radio.
The News Breaks
A SAUCERFUL A SAUCERFUL
OF SECRETS OF SECRETS
AND THE SHOCKING AND THE SHOCKING
CONCLUSION CONCLUSION
IN THE NEXT ISSUE! IN THE NEXT ISSUE!
When Arnold fell asleep in the early hours of August 1, 1947,
he must have been relieved knowing that Military Intelligence
was taking control of the investigation which he knew had
gotten out of hand. He was ready to take his own next plane
back to Boise.
At 9:00 am the phone rang waking Arnold from a deep
slumber. It was Chrisman and he said there was a plane crash
and I think you know who was on it. The hotel workers had gone
on strike and the Winthrop was being picketed. Arnold recalls
it was as if the whole town of Tacoma “had gone haywire,” and
“everything was topsy turvy.” Arnold walked onto the street
and bought a copy of the Tacoma Times newspaper. As he was
reading the headlines he broke into a sweat and his blood ran
cold:
SABOTAGE HINTED IN CRASH OF ARMY BOMBER AT
KELSO — Plane May Hold Flying Disk Secrets
Arnold’s mind was racing a mile a minute. Was he unwittingly
involved in a hoax, a criminal conspiracy or a psychological
operation that just ended in murder?
TO BE CONTINUED...
Primary Sources
Arnold, Kenneth and Palmer, Ray, The Coming of the Saucers,
February 1956; Kenneth Arnold, I Did See The Flying Disks, FATE
magazine, January 1948; Report of FBI Special Agent, Jack B.
Wilcox, to FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, entitled “Flying Discs
Sighted by REDACTED Tacoma, Washington,” August 18, 1947.
Secondary Sources
Lacitis, Erik. Flying saucers became a thing 70 years ago Saturday
with sighting near Mount Rainier. Seattle Times, 24 June 2017;
Sutherland, Ariana. How Washington State Spawned the Men
in Black; Humanities Washington, June 6 2024; Linder, Robert,
The Positively True Story of Kenneth Arnold; Saturday Night
Uforia, June 27, 2004, www.saturdaynightuforia.com/html/articles/
articlehtml/positivelytruestoryofkennetharnold10.html. Haines,
Gerald K. CIA's Role in the Study of UFOs, 1947–1990: Studies
in Intelligence, 1997; https://www.cia.gov/resources/csi/studies-in-
intelligence/studies-in-intelligence-1997/cias-role-in-the-study-of-
ufos-1947-1990/
FBI Records: The Vault, Project Blue Book (UFO). https://vault.fbi.
gov/Project%20Blue%20Book%20%28UFO%29%20
List of accidents and incidents involving military aircraft (1945–
1949), Wikipedia, last modified August 28, 2024.
7 Estimates of the plane’s altitude when Taff was pushed out vary between a high of
10,000 and a low of 1,000 feet. Either way, Taff landed safely with no serious injury. A
remarkable feat considering it was his first ever ride in a plane let alone his first jump
from one in darkness.
Nigel Malden is an attorney in Tacoma Washington and can be
reached at nm@nigelmaldenlaw.com
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