Brigadier General George Francis Schulgen (1900-1955)
Born 22 April 1900 in Traverse City, Michigan to Louis Francis Schulgen, native of Michigan or Illinois (records vary) and his Austrian born wife. He would lead a long career in the military as pilot and intelligence officer.
He attended Michigan A and M achieving an M.E., prior he had earned a B.S. at attended various pilot and flight schools.
In 1928 he sets sail from Manilla, Philippine Islands on the U.S. Grant heading to California. He gives Wright Field as his residence and indicates he is a Lieutenant.
According to the 1930 Federal Census he was staying at the Burbank Arms Hotel in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He is listed as an “officer, Army Air.” He may have been pursuing training, engaged in some mundane task but it is interesting that in this window of time Donald H. Menzel was spending summers as at the observatory as a student and that nearby is both Harvard and M.I.T. A lot of innovative thinking was going on in both locations at the time. A lot of work that would have invovled potential intelligence or security tasks.
In 1931, he married and in 1935 he was living with his wife at Langley Army Air Field, Hampton, Virginia. Langley would be the first air field dedicated to the concept of air power.
The 1940 Census shows him living in Greene Co., Ohio. Several address notations after that indicate he was at Wright Airfield in Dayton, Ohio.
One military directory entry indicates he entered service 5 December 1941. His photo is included in many of the records of the Truman Archives and indicate he was a part of the U.S. Reparation Mission that made the determination about how much each allied nation might be able to pay to support victims of the 2nd WW. On that May 1946 mission he was in - according to the photos - Vienna, Manchuria, Germany, among other places (Photographs - Search | Harry S. Truman (trumanlibrary.gov)).
He is part of a memo of a 9 July 1947 meeting with FBI agents in regard to the 'flying discs' of the day. He had met with agents 9 July 1947. He was described as "Brigadier General, Chief of Requirements Intelligence Branch of Army Air Corps Intelligence. "
Special Agent E.G. Fitch wrote up the meeting and submitted it to his superior D.M. Ladd on 24 July 1947. The subject was "flying discs." The memo is found in the FBI archival files (see pg 44 of section 1 at FBI Records: The Vault — UFO Part 1 of 16). At that time, he is listed as part of Army Air Corps Intelligence. There is another memo of the conversation of 9 July 1947 that provides even more details on Schulgen's ideas about the source and the role the FBI might play.
Brig. Gen. Schulgen is then forwarded the famous "Twining Memo", by General Nathan F. Twining, that asserts that things being seen at the time are real. This is followed by a "Collection Memorandum" of 28 Oct 1947 where outlines some potential avenues of investigation, correlates sightings to provide guidelines for what investigators should look for and some people (Russian and German designers of aircraft) who should be located and interviewed. His task as Chief of Requirements of the Intelligence Branch was to assess, organize and provide information as to what "to be on the look out for" when seeing things in the sky.
Elements of the October memo are very informative and include:
Object: This memo sets out the current intelligence requirements in the field of flying saucer type aircraft.
General: "An alleged "flying saucer" type aircraft or object in flight , approximately the shape of a disc, has been reported by many objservers from widely scattered places, such as the United States, Alaska, Canada, Hungary, the Island of Guam, and Japan. This object has been reported by many competentent observers, including USAF rated officers. Sightings have been made from the ground as well as from the air." This statement is followed by "Commonly reported features that are very significant and which may aid in the investigation are as follows.
Those important aspects were : flat bottom with extreme light reflecting ability; absence of sound (a faint roar when operating under super performance conditions); extreme maneuverability and apparent ability to hover; a plan form approximating ...oval or disc with a dome shape on surface; the absence of exhaust trail except in a few instances when it was reported to have a bluish color, like a diesel exhaust, which persisted for approximately an hour. Other reports indicated a brownish smoke trail that could be the results of a special catalyst or chemical agent for extra power; the ability to quickly disappear by high speed or complete disintegration; ability to suddenly appear without warning as if from extremely high altitude; size most represented approximated that of C-54 or Constellation type aircraft; the ability to group together very quickly in a tight formation when more than one aircraft are together; Evasive action ability indicates possibility of being manually operated or possibly by electronic or remote control devices; under certain power conditions, the craft seems to have the ability to cut a clear path through clouds - - width of path estimated to be approximately one-half mile. Only one incident indicated this phenomenon.
Of note is one statement in the preface and introductory material: "The first sightings in the U.S. were reported around the middle of May. The last reported sighting took place in Toronto, Canada, 14 September. The greatest activity in the U.S. was during the last week of June and the first week of July."
"Research and Development" : where he cites activities by the Russians, the potential role the Horton Brothers and their sister might be playing in designing an innovative disc craft, etc. "Control" provides descriptions - based on the "good reports" they had collected - of technical aspects and requirements of control of such a craft. "Items of Construction" - types of materials, construction and fabrication requirements. "Items of Arrangement" details such retractable domes, crew member space needs, cabin pressure equipment, towing, bomb bay use etc. "Landing Gear" what type was used (conventional, tricycle, multiple wheels, etc.), retractable, jettison, features for a hand gear. Provisions required for ice, snow or water take off. Skid arrangements, etc. "Power Plant" was information on the propulsion system: reciprocating (piston), jet propulsion (rockets, jets, ramjets, pulse jets or combinations); nuclear (atomic power). He notes this type of aircraft would be characterized by lack of fuel systems and fuel storage place.
According to other biographical information he retired in 1948 (New York Times bio) and died in 1955.
Military Directory:
Born 23 April 1900, Michigan.
Pvt. S.A.T.C. 2 Oct. 1918 to 21 Dec 1918
A – Michigan G.S.C. 2 Dec 1941. Grad.: C and G.S.Sch., 39
Air Service Primary Flying School ,24,
Flying Cadet A.S., 11 March 1924-7 July 1924
2nd Lt. A.S. 15 June 1924
1st Lt. 31 May 1930
Capt (temp) 20 April 1935
Major (Temp) 11 March 1936
Lt. Col. 5 Dec 1941
Air Service advanced Flying School, Pursuit Course 25,
A.C Engr, School, 29
Major 31 Jan 1941
A.C. Tactical School., 38
B.S. in M.E. Michigan Agricultural College., 22
Rated: cam. Plt; C. Obsr.
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