65_HS1-834228961_62-HQ-83894_Section_008

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uNrTEL GOVERNMENT TO DATE: SAC, Cincinnati (65-1994) FLYING DISCS MISCELLANEOUS - INFORMATION CONCERNING Remylet 6/8/54 and Bulet 6/22/54. Attached are five copies of a memorandtnn containing information set out in my letter of June 8, 1954 with additional information furnished by THOMAS On July 2, 1954, although EICKHOFF had been so advised at the time of the original interview with him on June 7, 1954, he was again advised in accordance with instructions in reBulet. REGISTERED MAIL

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TRUMAN BETHURUM Tappan Avenue, Cincinnati 23, Ohio, Operator of Tom's Beauty Salon, Neave Building, Fourth and Race Streets, Cincinnati, Ohio, advised that although he belongs to no organization interested 1n f'lyi saucers or discs, he has been interested in this subject. He said on June 3, 1954 an ad appeared in 'The Cincinnati Enquirt11t"11 a newspaper of general. circu­ lation in Cincinnati, Ohio, to the effect that on June Auditorium in Cincinnati, Ohio on 11 the r aJ. flying saucer story." Mr. Eickhoff advised that this advertise­ ment disclosed no sponsor for this program and it was only noted on the ad that tickets for the program sold for ~2.00 per person and would be on sale at the Central Ticket Off'ice in Cincinnati. Mr. Eickhoff continued that because of his interest in the subject of flying saucers, he desired to know the sponsor of the program and found out fro the Central Ticket Of'fice that the ad had been placed by Henr,....-tmday, 364 West Lewiston Avenue, Ferndale 20, Michigan. He said he telephonically contacted Maday on June 3, 1954 and found that Maday was only the agent having rented the Taft Auditorium and that he was acting on behalf of Truman Bethurum and George Hunt He continued that on June 4, 1954 Maday cal.led him back an told him there had been a dis­ agreement between Maday, Bethurum and filliamson over Maday's arrangement for the sale of tickets of the program and the renting of the auditorium. Eickhoff advised that Maday at no time said anything to discredit either Bethurum or Williamson and indicated that their d.isagreement concerned only Maday's placing the ad in "The Cincinnati Enquirer" prior to having tickets for the program available in Cincinnati .

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Mr. Eickhoff further related that about ten minutes after he had talked to Maday on Friday, June 1954, he received a call from George ffim.t__fillliamson and a Mr.,.....Manspeaker, who conf:l.rmed to him that Maday was no longer associated with them, and asked that Eickhoff meet with them at a luncheon at the Terrace Plaza Hotel, Cincinnati, Ohio on June 7, 1954. Mr. Eickhoff, in explanation of his interest in this matter, advised that he had read such books as "Flying Saucers From Outer Space ," written by Donald E. Kehoe, retired major, U.S. Marine Corps, which book was r,ublished by Harper's Publishers, and a book entitled 'Flying Saucers Have Landed," by George Adamski, which book is published by Werner-Lowery Company in England, and is distributed by the British Book Center in New York City. He said that he has also heard broadcasts by persons he considers reputable news commentators, such as Walter Winchell, Fulton Lewis, Jr., and Frank Edwards, to the effect that reliable persons have reported observing flying discs or saucers. He said contrary to these reports, the U.. Air Force has denied the existence of the flying saucer and he felt that persons such as Truman Bethurum and George Hunt Williamson, in presenting a program such as that contemplated, were either truthful or they were frauds. He stated that if they had a true story to tell, then he felt it was of such nature that it should be given as wide a distribution as possible, so that the people might learn the true facts regarding flying discs. He said, however, if their story was not true, then the hold­ ing of such a meeting as was contemplated would be a fraud on the general public. He estimated that such a meeting in Cincinnati might draw two thousand people , which, at $2.00 apiece, would result in a 4,000.00 take for the To i dentify Truman Bethurum, Mr. Eickhoff had with him two copies of the magazine "Valor, 11 'Which he stated he got from Bethurum, this magazine being self-identified as the 11 Golden Times Weekly," published by Soul Craft Chapels, Post Office Box 192, Noblesville, Indiana. The two issues which Mr. Eickhoff had with him were numbers 15 and 16 of volume 6 of the publication, the number 15 being

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dated February 6, 1954 and number 16 being dated February 13, 1954. The number 15 issue contained an article concerning Truman Bethurum, in which he is identified as a truck driver from Redondo Beach, Calif­ ornia, and it refers to an article dated December 31, 19.53, which appeared in the 11 Daily Breeze, 11 a newspaper at Redondo Beach, California, which allegedly contained a description of an encounter which Truman Bethurum had with a crew of assumed space explorers under the super­ vision of a ravishing woman commandant in the Nevada desert. The article also reflects that Trwnan Bethurum allegedly was aboard flying saucers on eleven occasions. At the bottom of the first page of issue number 15 there appeared in what Mr. Eickhoff stated was the handwriting of Truman Bebhurum the statement "This is a true story, The above mentioned article in "Valor11 also reflected that Truman Bethurum is years of age and that his residence address is .519 North Gertruda Avenue, Redondo Beach, California. Mr. Eickhoff reiterated that he felt Bethurum.1s story, if true, should be given wide publicity, but that if the story was false, then he should be prosecuted for fraud. He stated that he first took his information to the Air Force in the person of Lieutenant Colonel John 01Mara of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, whom Eickhoff visited personally at 01Mara1s home in Fairborn, Ohio, on Sunday, June 6, 1954. Eickhoff indicated that he asked Colonel 01Mara if there were such things as