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December 22, 1987
Dear Mr. Bolland,
As you know, the Navy's Office of Information forwarded your letter to this Archives for reply regarding the so-called
"Philadelphia Experiment" or "Invisible Destroyer."
Over the years we have received numerous inquiries on this alleged experiment which appear to have been generated by
accounts in various books and articles dealing with unidentified flying objects, the Bermuda Triangle, and related subjects.
The records in this office have been checked and re-checked, but they have never yielded the slightest confirmation of this
event or of any interest by the Navy in attempting such a feat.
Since USS Eldridge sometimes has been mentioned as the ship involved in this "experiment," we have reviewed her log for
October and November 1943, which usually is the period given for this incident. This document indicates that the ship was in the
Bermuda area during the first part of October, in the New York vicinity from 18 October to 1 November, in Hampton Roads
from 2-4 November, and that she then sailed for Casablanca as an escort for Convoy USG-23. There is no indication of any
unusual event throughout this period. The ship was not in the Philadelphia area. However, a microfilm containing the World War
II war diary and reports of Eldridge can be provided to you for a fee of $5.00. In case you would like this reel, please forward a
check to our office made payable to the Department of the Navy.
With regard to the scientific aspects of the experiment, the Office of Naval Research has stated that the use of force fields to
make a ship and her crew invisible does "not conform to known physical laws." That office has also commented that Einstein's
Unified Field Theory was never completed. It is a matter of record that Dr. Einstein was a part-time consultant with the Navy's
Bureau of Ordinance during 1943-44. He was undertaking theoretical research on explosives and explosions, but was not
involved in the effort to make a destroyer disappear.
Also enclosed is an
information sheet on this matter prepared by the Office of Naval Research that
may be of additional interest.
I trust this information is of use.
Sincerely,
B.C.
