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