| The Roswell UFO incident involved the
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| | and wondered if that was what he had
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| recovery of materials near Roswell, New
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| | picked up. On July 7, Brazel saw Sheriff
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| Mexico in July 1947 which have since
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| | Wilcox and "whispered kinda confidential
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| become the subject of intense speculation
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| | like" that he may have found a flying
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| and research. There are widely divergent
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| | disc. Another account quotes Wilcox as
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| views on what actually happened, and
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| | saying that Brazel reported the object on
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| passionate debate about what evidence can
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| | July 6.
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| be believed. The United States military
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| | Sheriff Wilcox called Roswell Army Air
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| maintains that what was recovered was a
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| | Field. Maj. Jesse Marcel and a "man in
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| top-secret research balloon that had
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| | plainclothes" accompanied Brazel back to
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| crashed. However, many UFO researchers
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| | the ranch where more pieces were picked
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| believe the wreckage was of a crashed
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| | up. "[W]e spent a couple of hours Monday
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| alien craft and that the military covered
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| | afternoon looking for any more parts of
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| up the craft's recovery. The incident has
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| | the weather device," said Marcel. "We
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| evolved into a widely-recognized and
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| | found a few more patches of tinfoil and
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| referenced pop culture phenomenon, and
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| | rubber." They then attempted to
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| for some, Roswell is synonymous with UFO
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| | reassemble the object but Brazel said
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| and likely ranks as the most famous
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| | they couldn't. Marcel took the debris to
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| alleged UFO incident.
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| | Roswell Army Air Field the next morning.
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| Modern background
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| | As described in the July 9, 1947 edition
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| On July 8, 1947, the Roswell Army Air
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| | of the Roswell Daily Record, "The balloon
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| Field (RAAF) issued a press release
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| | which held it up, if that was how it
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| stating that personnel from the field's
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| | worked, must have been 12 feet long,
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| 509th Bomb Group had recovered a crashed
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| | [Brazel] felt, measuring the distance by
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| "flying disc" from a ranch near Roswell,
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| | the size of the room in which he sat. The
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| sparking intense media interest. Later
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| | rubber was smoky gray in color and
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| the same day, the Commanding General of
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| | scattered over an area about 200 yards in
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| the Eighth Air Force stated that in fact,
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| | diameter. When the debris was gathered up
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| a weather balloon had been recovered by
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| | the tinfoil, paper, tape, and sticks made
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| RAAF personnel, rather than a "flying
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| | a bundle about three feet long and 7 or 8
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| disc."[1] A subsequent press conference
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| | inches thick, while the rubber made a
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| was called, featuring debris said to be
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| | bundle about 18 or 20 inches long and
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| the crashed object that seemed to confirm
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| | about 8 inches thick. In all, he
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| the weather balloon description. The case
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| | estimated, the entire lot would have
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| was quickly forgotten and almost
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| | weighed maybe five pounds. There was no
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| completely ignored, even by UFO
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| | sign of any metal in the area which might
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| researchers, for some 30 years. Then, in
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| | have been used for an engine and no sign
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| 1978, ufologist Stanton T. Friedman
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| | of any propellers of any kind, although
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| interviewed Major Jesse Marcel, who was
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| | at least one paper fin had been glued
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| involved with the original recovery of
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| | onto some of the tinfoil. There were no
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| the debris in 1947. Marcel expressed his
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| | words to be found anywhere on the
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| belief that the military had covered up
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| | instrument, although there were letters
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| the recovery of an alien spacecraft. His
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| | on some of the parts. Considerable Scotch
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| story circulated through UFO circles,
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| | tape and some tape with flowers printed
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| being featured in some UFO documentaries
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| | upon it had been used in the
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| at the time. [2] In February 1980, The
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| | construction. No strings or wires were to
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| National Enquirer ran its own interview
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| | be found but there were some eyelets in
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| with Marcel, garnering national and
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| | the paper to indicate that some sort of
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| worldwide attention for the Roswell
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| | attachment may have been used.” A
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| incident.
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| | telex uncovered in the 1990s sent to an
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| Additional witnesses and reports emerged
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| | FBI office from their office in Fort
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| over the following years. They added
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| | Worth, Texas, quoted a major from the
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| significant new details, including claims
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| | Eighth Air Force on July 8th:
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| of a large military operation dedicated
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| | "THE DISC IS HEXAGONAL IN SHAPE AND WAS
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| to recovering alien craft and aliens
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| | SUSPENDED FROM A BALLON [sic] BY CABLE,
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| themselves, as many as 11 crash sites[2],
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| | WHICH BALLON [sic] WAS APPROXIMATELY
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| and alleged witness intimidation. In
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| | TWENTY FEET IN DIAMETER. MAJOR CURTAN
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| 1989, former mortician Glenn Dennis put
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| | FURTHER ADVISED THAT THE OBJECT FOUND
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| forth a detailed personal account,
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| | RESEMBLES A HIGH ALTITUDE WEATHER BALLOON
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| wherein he claimed that alien autopsies
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| | WITH A RADAR REFLECTOR, BUT THAT
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| were carried out at the Roswell
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| | TELEPHONIC CONVERSATION BETWEEN THEIR
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| base.[citation needed]
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| | OFFICE AND WRIGHT FIELD HAD NOT
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| In response to these reports, and after
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| | [unintelligible] BORNE OUT THIS BELIEF."
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| congressional inquiries, the General
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| Accounting Office launched an inquiry and
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| | News reports: "flying disc" becomes
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| directed the Office of the Secretary of
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| | "weather balloon"
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| the Air Force to conduct an internal
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| | A NOAA weather balloon just after
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| investigation. The result was summarized
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| | launch.Early on Tuesday, July 8th, the
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| in two reports. The first was released in
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| | Roswell Army Air Field issued a press
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| 1995, concluded that the reported
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| | release which was immediately picked up
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| recovered material in 1947 was likely
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| | by numerous news outlets: "The many
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| debris from a secret government program
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| | rumors regarding the flying disc became a
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| called Project Mogul. The second report,
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| | reality yesterday when the intelligence
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| released in 1997, addressed the reports
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| | office of the 509th Bomb group of the
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| of recovered alien bodies and concluded
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| | Eighth Air Force, Roswell Army Air Field,
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| these reports were likely transformed
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| | was fortunate enough to gain possession
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| memories of the recovery of
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| | of a disc through the cooperation of one
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| anthropomorphic dummies in military
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| | of the local ranchers and the sheriffs
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| programs like Project High Dive,
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| | office of Chaves County. The flying
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| conducted in the 1950s. The psychological
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| | object landed on a ranch near Roswell
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| effects of time compression and confusion
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| | sometime last week. Not having phone
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| about when events occurred explained the
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| | facilities, the rancher stored the disc
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| discrepancy with the years in question.
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| | until such time as he was able to contact
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| These reports were dismissed by UFO
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| | the sheriff's office, who in turn
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| proponents as being either disinformation
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| | notified Maj. Jesse A. Marcel of the
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| or simply implausible, though significant
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| | 509th Bomb Group Intelligence Office.
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| numbers of UFO researchers discount the
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| | Action was immediately taken and the disc
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| probability that any alien craft was in
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| | was picked up at the rancher's home. It
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| fact involved.[citation needed]
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| | was inspected at the Roswell Army Air
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| Contemporary accounts of a "flying disc"
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| | Field and subsequently loaned by Major
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| at Roswell
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| | Marcel to higher headquarters."
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| The Sacramento Bee article detailing the
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| | Col. William H. Blanchard, commanding
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| RAAF statements.On July 8th, 1947,
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| | officer of the 509th, contacted Gen.
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| reports emerged from the Roswell Army Air
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| | Roger M. Ramey of the Eighth Air Force in
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| Field that a "flying disc" had been
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| | Fort Worth, Texas, and Ramey ordered the
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| recovered. Contemporary accounts of the
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| | object be flown to his base. At the base,
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| sequence of events at Roswell differ; the
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| | Warrant Officer Irving Newton confirmed
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| following reconstructs what happened
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| | Ramey’s preliminary opinion,
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| according to initial accounts of the
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| | identifying the object as being a weather
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| time.
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| | balloon and its "kite." a nickname for a
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| On June 14, farmer William "Mac" Brazel
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| | radar reflector used to track the
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| noticed some strange debris while working
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| | balloons from the ground. Another news
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| on a ranch 70 miles from Roswell. This
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| | release was issued, this time from the
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| exact date (or "about three weeks" before
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| | Fort Worth base, describing the object as
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| July 8) is a point of contention, but is
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| | being a "weather balloon."
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| repeated in several initial accounts, in
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| | Gen. Roger Ramey (kneeling) and chief of
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| particular the stories that quote Brazel
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| | staff Col. Thomas Dubose posed with
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| and in a telex sent a few hours after the
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| | weather balloon and radar reflector, July
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| story broke quoting Sheriff George Wilcox
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| | 8, 1947, Fort Worth, Texas. Some claim
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| (who Brazel first contacted). The initial
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| | text contained on the paper in Ramey's
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| report from the Roswell Army Air Field
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| | hand (boxed) confirms an alien recovery.
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| said the find was "sometime last week,"
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| | See enlargement below.In Fort Worth,
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| but that description may have been a
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| | several news photographs were taken that
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| fourth-hand account of what Brazel
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| | day of debris said to be from the object.
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| actually said, and mentions the sheriff
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| | The debris was consistent with the
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| as the one who contacted them about the
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| | general description of a weather balloon
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| find.[3] Brazel told the Roswell Daily
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| | with a kite. Ramey, Col. Thomas J. Dubose
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| Record that he and his son saw a "large
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| | and Marcel all posed with the debris.
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| area of bright wreckage made up of rubber
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| | Brazel, in interviews that day with the
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| strips, tinfoil, a rather tough paper and
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| | Roswell Daily Record and Associated
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| sticks." He paid little attention to it,
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| | Press, dismissed the military's "weather
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| but returned on July 4 with his son, wife
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| | balloon" assertion. Citing several other
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| and daughter to gather up the material,.
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| | weather balloons he had recovered
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| Some accounts have described Brazel as
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| | previously on the ranch, he said: "I am
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| having gathered some of the material
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| | sure what I found was not any weather
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| earlier, rolling it together and stashing
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| | observation balloon."The incident was
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| it under some brush. The next day,
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| | quickly forgotten.
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| Brazel heard reports about "flying discs"
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|
