Return to the main index
Early this year, the GAO was asked by Congressman Steven Shiff (R-NM) to
look into "Records Management Procedures Dealing With Weather Balloon,
Unknown Aircraft, and Similar Crash Incidents". Although unstated, of
primary interest was the Roswell Incident in which the US Army Air
Force, in 1947, allegedly recovered a crashed flying saucer and covered
it up. The GAO notified the Air Force (and other agencies) that it
intended to comply with Schiff's request and look into the matter.
Although the GAO is currently looking into the records of various
agencies, the Air Force, on its own, launched a parallel investigation,
and released this report. The GAO will still continue with its own
investigation and will release its own report at some (uncertain) future
date.
This report refers to attachments which are (reportedly) multiple large
three-ring binders of related information. The attachments are publicly
viewable in Washington (in the Pentagon library, I think) but have not
been pubically distributed. However, there is talk that the information
will be duplicated and released to the public in the near future.
The report included below was received on 9/19 and scanned. I tried to
catch all the typos resulting from the scanning process, but some may
have slipped through. Spelling / punctuation errors are probably the
result of the scanning process and incomplete checking (my fault).
Having done some work with/for Kevin Randle and Don Schmitt, I have
personal opinions about the information in this report, but rather than
comment / editorialize, the report is being posted without change,
editing or comment EXCEPT in three instances, where the AF underlined
words for emphasis, I substituted capital letters to preserve the
emphasis. There were no figures in the official document, so what you
see is what was released.
Enjoy.... John Kirby, Portland, Oregon
==============================================================
Cover Letter
==============================================================
No. 235-M
Sept. 8, 1994
MEMORANDUM FOR CORRESPONDENTS
Secretary of the Air Force Sheila E. Widnall today announced the
completion of an Air Force study to locate records that would explain an
alleged 1947 UFO incident. Pro-UFO researchers claim an
extraterrestrial spacecraft and its alien occupants were recovered near
Roswell, N.M., in July 1947 and the fact was kept from the public.
At the request of Congressman Steven H. Schiff (R-NM), the General
Accounting Office in February 1994 initiated an audit to locate all
records related to the Roswell incident and to determine if such records
were properly handled. The GAO audit entitled "Records Management
Procedures Dealing With Weather Balloon, Unknown Aircraft, and Similar
Crash Incidents" is not yet complete.
The GAO audit involved a number of government agencies but focused on
the Air Force. In support of the GAO effort, the Air Force initiated a
systematic search of current Air Force offices as well as numerous
archives and records centers that might help explain the incident. Air
Force officials also interviewed a number of persons who might have had
knowledge of the events. Prior to the interviews, Secretary Widnall
released those persons from any previous security obligations that might
have restricted their statements.
The Air Force research did not locate or develop any information that
the "Roswell Incident" was a UFO event nor was there any indication of a
"cover-up" by the Air Force. Information obtained through exhaustive
records searches and interviews indicated the material recovered near
Roswell was consistent with a balloon device of the type used in a then
classified project. No records indicated or even hinted at the recovery
of "alien" bodies or extraterrestrial materials.
All documentation related to this case is now declassified and the
information is in the public domain. All documentation has been turned
over to the Air Force Historian. The Air Force report without
attachments may be obtained by contacting Major Thurston, Air Force
Public Affairs, (703) 695-0640. The report with all 33 attachments is
available for review in the Pentagon Library in Room lA518.
-END-
===============================================================
( Start Main Document)
[DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE SEAL ]
REPORT OF AIR FORCE RESEARCH REGARDING THE "ROSWELL INCIDENT"
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The "Roswell Incident" refers to an event that supposedly happened in
July, 1947, wherein the Army Air Forces (AAF) allegedly recovered
remains of a crashed "flying disc" near Roswell, New Mexico. In
February, 1994, the General Accounting Office (GAO), acting on the
request of a New Mexico Congressman, initiated an audit to attempt to
locate records of such an incident and to determine if records regarding
it were properly handled. Although the GAO effort was to look at a
number of government agencies, the apparent focus was on the Air Force.
SAF/AAZ , as the Central Point of Contact for the GAO in this matter,
initiated a systematic search of current Air Force offices as well as
numerous archives and records centers that might help explain this
matter. Research revealed that the "Roswell Incident" was not even
considered a UFO event until the 1978-1980 time frame. Prior to that,
the incident was dismissed because the AAF originally identified the
debris recovered as being that of a weather balloon. Subsequently,
various authors wrote a number of books claiming that, not only was
debris from an alien spacecraft recovered, but also the bodies of the
craft's alien occupants. These claims continue to evolve today and the
Air Force is now routinely accused of engaging in a "cover-up" of this
supposed event.
The research located no records at existing Air Force offices that
indicated any "coverup" by the USAF or any indication of such a
recovery. Consequently, efforts were intensified by Air Force
researchers at numerous locations where records for the period in
question were stored. The records reviewed did not reveal any increase
in operations, security, or any other activity in July, 1947, that
indicated any such unusual event may have occurred. Records were
located and thoroughly explored concerning a then-TOP SECRET balloon
project, designed to attempt to monitor Soviet nuclear tests, known as
Project Mogul. Additionally, several surviving project personnel were
located and interviewed, as was the only surviving person who recovered
debris from the original Roswell site in 1947, and the former officer
who initially identified the wreckage as a balloon. Comparison of all
information developed or obtained indicated that the material recovered
near Roswell was consistent with a balloon device and most likely from
one of the Mogul balloons that had not been previously recovered. Air
Force research efforts did not disclose any records of the recovery of
any "alien" bodies or extraterrestrial materials.
INTRODUCTION
Air Force involvement in the alleged UFO-related incident popularly
known as the "Roswell Incident" began as the result of a January 14,
1994, Washington Post article (Atch 1) which announced Congressman
Steven Schiff's intent to initiate a General Accounting Office (GAO)
effort to resolve this controversial matter. Having previously been
involved in numerous Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Congressional
requests on "unusual aircraft," to include Unidentified Flying Objects
(UFOs), The Director, Security and Special Program Oversight, Office of
the Secretary of the Air Force, (SAF/AAZ) believed the Air Force would
become involved in any GAO effort involving this subject.
Thus, in late January, 1994, SAF/AAZ directed its research/
declassification to SAF/AAZD, to attempt to locate any official records
relative to this matter. These initial research efforts focused on
records at the Air Force Historical Research Agency (AFHRA), Maxwell
AFB, AL, the Air Force Safety Agency (AFSA) at IGrtiand AFB, NM and the
National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).
On February 15, 1994, the GAO officially notified Secretary of Defense
William J. Perry that, it was initiating an audit of the Department of
Defense (DoD) policies and procedures for acquiring, classifying,
retaining, and disposing of official government documents dealing with
weather balloon, aircraft, and similar crash incidents (Atch 2). This
notification was subsequently passed to the Department of Defense
Inspector General who in turn officially notified the Secretaries of the
Services and other affected parties of the audit in a February 23, 1994,
memo (Atch 3). This memorandum indicated that the "GAO is anxious to
respond to Representative Schiff's request and to dispel any concerns
that the DoD is being unresponsive." These were the first official US
Government documents that indicated that the purpose of the GAO was to
review "crash incidents involving weather balloons and unknown aircraft,
such as UFOs and foreign aircraft, and (2) the facts involving the
reported crash of an UFO in 1949 (sic, 1947) at Roswell, New Mexico ...
(and an) alleged DoD cover-up."
An entrance meeting of potentially concerned parties was held in the
offices of the DoD Inspector General on February 28, 1994. During this
meeting it was learned that, while the audit officially would be
reviewing the records of a number of DoD (and possibly other Executive
Branch entities), the bulk of the effort would be focused on Air Force
records and systems. The audit was officially given the GAO code
701034, and entitled "Records Management Procedures Dealing With Weather
Balloon, Unknown Aircraft, and Similar Crash Incidents." Although this
official title appeared rather broad, there was no misunderstanding that
the real purpose was to attempt to locate records and/or information on
the "Roswell Incident." This incident, explained later in more detail,
generally dealt with the claim that in July of 1947, the US Army Air
Forces (USAAF) recovered a flying saucer and /or its alien occupants
which supposedly crashed near Roswell, New Mexico. When the USAAF
ultimately became the United States Air Force (USAF) in September, 1947,
the USAF inherited equipment, personnel, records, policies, and
procedures from the AAF. In this particular case, the Air Force also
inherited the allegation that it had "covered up" the "Roswell Incident"
and has continued to do so for the next 47 years.
Within the Air Force, the Office of the Administrative Assistant to the
Secretary of the Air Force (SAF/AA) is responsible both for information
management procedures (SAF/AAI) and security policy and oversight
(SAF/AAZ). Because of this organization, SAF/AA was the logical entity
to assist the GAO in its audit and SAF/AAZ was officially named as the
Central Point of Contact for this endeavor (Atch 4). Subsequently, the
then Administrative Assistant, W. Robert J. McCormick, issued a tasking
memorandum dated March 1, 1994 (Atch 5), to a number of current Air
Staff and Secretariat offices that might possibly have records related
to such an incident it indeed, something had actually occurred. This
search for records was purposely limited to Air Force records and
systems since:
(a) The Air Force had no authority to compel other agencies to review
their records;
(b) The Air Force would have no way to monitor the completeness of
their efforts if they
did; and
(c) the overall effort was the task and responsibility of the GAO-not
the Air Force.
During the in-briefing process with GAO, it was learned that this audit
was, indeed, generated at the specific request of Congressman Steven
Schiff of New Mexico. Earlier, Congressman Schiff had written to the
Department of Defense Legislative Liaison Office for information on the
"Roswell Incident" and had been advised that it was part of the former
UFO "Project Bluebook" that had previously been turned over to NARA by
the Air Force. Congressman Schiff subsequently learned from NARA that,
although they did, indeed, have the "Bluebook" materials, the "Roswell
Incident" was not part of that report. Congressman Schiff, apparently
perceiving that he had been "Stonewalled" by the DoD, then generated the
request for the aforementioned audit.
It is within this context that the following research and assistance
efforts were conducted in support of the GAO. This report is intended
to stand as the final official Air Force response regarding this matter.
THE "ROSWELL INCIDENT" - WHAT WAS ORIGINALLY REPORTED IN 1947
The modem preoccupation with what ultimately came to be called
Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) actually began in June, 1947.
Although some pro-UFO researchers argue that sightings of UFOs go back
to Biblical times, most researchers will not dispute that anything in
UFO history can compare with the phenomenon that began in 1947. What
was later characterized as "the UFO Wave of 1940" began with 16 alleged
sightings that occurred between May 17 and July 12, 1947, (although some
researchers claim there were as many as 800 sightings during that
period). Interestingly, the "Roswell Incident" was not considered one
of these 1947 events until the 1978-1980 time frame. There is no
dispute, however, that something happened near Roswell in July, 1947,
since it was reported in a number of contemporary newspaper articles;
the most famous of which were the July 8 and July 9 editions of the
Roswell Daily Record. The July 8 edition reported "RAAF Captures Flying
Saucer On Ranch In Roswell Region," while the next day's edition
reported, "Ramey Empties Roswell Saucer" and "Harassed Rancher Who
Located 'Saucer' Sorry He Told About It."
The first story reported that the Intelligence Officer of the 509th Bomb
Group, stationed at Roswell AAF, Major Jesse A- Marcel, had recovered a
"flying disc" from the range lands of an unidentified rancher in the
vicinity of Roswell and that the disc had been "flown to higher
headquarters." That same story also reported that a Roswell couple
claimed to have seen a large unidentified object fly by their home on
July 2, 1947.
The July 9 edition of the paper noted that Brigadier General Roger
Ramey, Commander of the Eighth Air Force at Forth Worth, Texas, stated
that upon examination the debris recovered by Marcel was determined to
be a weather balloon. The wreckage was described as a "...bundle of
tinfoil, broken wood beams, and rubber remnants of a balloon...." The
additional story of the "harassed rancher' identified him as W.W. Brazel
of Lincoln County, New Mexico. He claimed that he and his son, Vernon,
found the material on June 14, 1947, when they "came upon a large area
of bright wreckage made up of rubber strips, tinfoil, a rather tough
paper, and sticks." He picked up some of the debris on July 4 and
."..the next day he first heard about the flying discs and wondered if
what he had found might have been the remnants of one of these." Brazel
subsequently went to Roswell on July 7 and contacted the Sheriff, who
apparently notified Major Marcel. Major Marcel and "a man in plain
clothes" then accompanied Brazel home to pick up the rest of the pieces.
The article further related that Brazel thought that the material:
"..might have been as large as a table top. The balloon which held it
up, if that is how it worked, must have been about 12 feet long, he
felt, measuring the distance by the size of the room in which he sat.
The rubber was smoky gray in color and scattered over an area about 200
yards in diameter. When the debris was gathered up the tinfoil, paper,
tape, and sticks made a bundle about three feet long and 7 or 8 inches
thick, while the rubber made a bundle about 18 or 20 inches long and
about 8 inches thick. In all, he estimated, the entire lot would have
weighed maybe five pounds. There was no sign of any metal in the area
which might have been used for an engine and no sign of any propellers
of any kind. Although at least one paper fin had been glued onto some
of the tinfoil. There were no words to be found anywhere on the
instrument although there were letters on some of the parts.
Considerable scotch tape and some tape with flowers printed upon it had
been used in the construction. No string or wire were to be found but
there were some eyelets in the paper to indicate that some sort of
attachment may have been used. Brazel said that he had previously found
two weather balloons on the ranch, but that what he found this time did
not in any way resemble either of these."
EVOLUTION OF THE EVENT FROM 1947 TO THE PRESENT
General Ramey's press conference and rancher Brazel's statement
effectively ended this as a UFO-related matter until 1978, although some
UFO researchers argue that there were several obtuse references to it in
1950's em literature. Roswell, for example, is not referred to in the
official USAF investigation of UFOs reported in Project Bluebook or its
predecessors, Project Sign and Project Grudge, which ran from 1948-1969
(which Congressman Schiff subsequently learned when he made his original
inquiry).
In 1978, an article appeared in a tabloid newspaper, the National
Inquirer, which reported the former intelligence officer, Marcel,
claimed that he had recovered UFO debris near Roswell in 1947. Also in
1978, a UFO researcher, Stanton Friedman, met with Marcel and began
investigating the claims that the material Marcel handled was from a
crashed UFO. Similarly, two authors, William L. Moore and Charles
Berlitz, also engaged in research which led them to publish a book, The
Roswell Incident, in 1980. In this book they reported they interviewed
a number of persons who claimed to have been present at Roswell in 1947
and professed to be either first or second hand witnesses to strange
events that supposedly occurred. Since 1978-1980, other UFO
researchers, most notably Donald Schmitt and Kevin Randle, claim to have
located and interviewed even more persons with supposed knowledge of
unusual happenings at Roswell. These included both civilian and former
military persons.
Additionally, the Robert Stack-hosted television show "Unsolved
Mysteries' devoted a large portion of one show to a "re-creation" of the
supposed Roswell events. Numerous other television shows have done
likewise, particularly during the last several years and a made-for-TV
movie on the subject is due to be released this summer. The overall
thrust of these articles, books and shows is that the "Roswell Incident"
was actually the crash of a craft from another world, the US Government
recovered it, and has been "covering up" this fact from the American
public since 1947, using a combination of disinformation, ridicule, and
threats of bodily harm to do so. Generally, the US Air Force bears the
brunt of these accusations.
From the rather benign description of the "event" and the recovery of
some material as described in the original newspaper accounts, the
"Roswell Incident" has since grown to mythical (if not mystical)
proportions in the eyes and minds of some researchers, portions of the
media and at least part of the American public. There are also now
several major variations of the "Roswell story." For example, it was
originally reported that there was only recovery of debris from one
site. This has since grown from a minimal amount of debris recovered
from a small area to airplane loads of debris from multiple huge "debris
fields." Likewise, the relatively simple description of sticks, paper,
tape and tinfoil has since grown to exotic metals with hieroglyphics and
fiber optic-like materials. Most versions now claim that there were two
crash sites where debris was recovered; and at the second site, alleged
bodies of extraterrestrial aliens were supposedly retrieved. The number
of these "alien bodies' recovered also varied. These claims are further
complicated by the fact that UFO researchers are not in agreement among
themselves as to exactly where these recovery sites were located or even
the dates of the alleged crash(es).
Consistently, however, the AAF was accused of securing these Sites,
recovering all the material therefrom, keeping locals away, and
g the recovered wreckage (and bodies) to Roswell under extremely tight
security for further processing and later exploitation.
Once back at Roswell AAF, it is generally alleged that special measures
were taken to notify higher headquarters and arrangements made to have
recovered materials shipped to other locations for analysis. These
locations include Ft. Worth, Texas, the home of the Eighth Air Force
Headquarters; possibly Sandia Base (now Kirtland AFB), New Mexico;
possibly Andrews AAF, Maryland, and always to Wright Field, now known as
Wright Patterson AFB, Ohio. The latter location was the home of "T-2"
which later became known as the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC)
and the Air Materiel Command (AMC), and would, in fact, be a logical
location to study unknown materials from whatever origin. Most of the
Roswell stories that contain the recovery of alien bodies also show them
being shipped to Wright Field. Once the material and bodies were
dispersed for further analysis and/or exploitation, the government in
general, and the Army Air Forces in particular, then engaged in covering
up all information relating to the alleged crash and recovery, including
the use of security oaths to military persons and the use of coercion
(including alleged death threats) to others. This, as theorized by some
UFO researchers, has allowed the government to keep the fact that there
is intelligent extraterrestrial life from the American public for 47
years. It also supposedly allowed the US Government to exploit
recovered extraterrestrial materials by reverse engineering them,
ultimately providing such things as fiber optic and stealth technology.
The "death threats," oaths, and other forms of coercion alleged to have
been meted out by the Army Air Forces personnel to keep people from
talking have apparently not been very effective, as several hundred
people are claimed to have come forward (without harm) with some
knowledge of the "Roswell Incident" during interviews with non-
government researchers and the media.
Adding some measure of credibility to the claims that have arisen since
1978 is the apparent depth of research of some of the authors and the
extent of their efforts. Their claims are lessened somewhat, however,
by the fact that almost all their information came from verbal reports
many years after the alleged incident occurred. Many of the persons
interviewed were, in fact, stationed at, or lived near Roswell during
the time in question, and a number of them claim military service.
Most, however, related their stories in their older years, well after
the fact. In other cases, the information provided is second or third-
hand, having been passed through a friend or relative after the
principal had died. What is uniquely lacking in the entire exploration
and exploitation of the "Roswell Incident" is official positive
documentary or physical evidence of any kind that supports the claims of
those who allege that something unusual happened. Conversely, there has
never been any previous documentary evidence produced by those who would
debunk the incident to show that something did not happen; although
logic dictates that bureaucracies do not spend time documenting non-
events.
SEARCH STRATEGY AND METHODOLOGY
To insure senior Air Force leadership that there were no hidden or
overlooked files that night relate to the "Roswell Incident;" and to
provide the GAO with the best and most complete information available,
SAF/AAZ constructed a strategy based on direct tasking from the Office
of the Secretary, to elicit information from those functional offices
and organizations where such information might logically be contained.
This included directing searches at current offices where special or
unusual projects night be carried out, as well as historical
organizations, archives, and records centers over which the Air Force
exerted some degree of control. Researchers did not, however, go to the
US Army to review historical records in areas such as missile launches
from White Sands, or to the Department of Energy to determine if its
forerunner, the Atomic Energy Commission, had any records of nuclear-
related incidents that might have occurred at or near Roswell in 1947.
To do so would have encroached on GAO's charter in this matter. What
Air Force researchers did do, however, was to search for records still
under Air Force control pertaining to these subject areas.
In order to determine parameters for the most productive search of
records, a review was first conducted of the major works regarding the
"Roswell Incident" available in the popular literature. These works
included: The Roswell Incident, (1980) by William Moore and Charles
Berlitz; "Crashed Saucers: Evidence in Search of Proof," (1985) by
Moore; "The UFO Crash at Roswell", (1991) by Kevin Randle and Donald
Schmitt; "The Truth About the UFO Crash at Roswell", (1994) also by
Randle and Schmitt; "The Roswell Report: A Historical Perspective",
(1991), George M. Eberhart, Editor; "The Roswell Events," (1993)
compiled by Fred Whiting; Crash at Corona (1992) by Stanton T. Friedman
and Don Berliner, as well as numerous other articles written by a
combination of the above and other researchers. Collectively, the above
represent the "pro" UFO writers who allege that the government is
engaged in a conspiracy. There are no specific books written entirely
on the theme that nothing happened at Roswell. However, Curtis Peebles
in Watch the Skies! (1994) discussed the development of the UFO story
and growth of subsequent claims as a phenomenon. There has also been
serious research as well as a number of detailed articles written by so-
called "debunkers" of Roswell and other incidents, most notably Philip
J. Klass who writes "The Skeptical Inquirer" newsletter, and Robert
Todd, a private researcher. The concerns and claims of all the above
authors and others were considered in conducting the USAF records
search.
It was also decided, particularly after a review of the above popular
literature, that no specific attempt would be made to try to refute,
point by point, the numerous claims made in the various publications.
Many of these claims appear to be hearsay, undocumented, taken out of
context, self-serving, or otherwise dubious. Additionally, many of the
above authors are not even in agreement over various claims. Most
notable of the confusing and now ever-changing claims is the controversy
over the date(s) of the alleged incident, the exact location(s) of the
purported debris and the extent of the wreckage. Such discrepancies in
claims made the search much more difficult by greatly expanding the
volume of records that had to be searched.
An example of trying to deal with questionable claims is illustrated by
the following example: One of the popular books mentioned that was
reviewed claimed that the writers had submitted the names and serial
numbers of "over two dozen" personnel stationed at Roswell in July,
1947, to the Veterans Administration and the Defense Department to
confirm their military service. They then listed eleven of these
persons by name and asked the question: "Why does neither the Defense
Department nor the Veteran's Administration have records of any of these
men when we can document that each served at Roswell Army Air Field."
That claim sounded serious so SAF/AAZD was tasked to check these eleven
names in the Personnel Records Center in St. Louis. Using only the
names (since the authors did not list the serial numbers) the researcher
quickly found records readily identifiable with eight of these persons.
The other three had such common names that there could have been
multiple possibilities. Interestingly, one of the listed "missing"
persons had a casualty report in his records reflecting that he died in
1951, while the writers claimed to have interviewed him (or a person of
the exact same name) in 1990.
While the historical document search was in progress, it was decided to
attempt to locate and interview several persons identified as still
living who could possibly answer questions generated by the research.
This had never been officially done before, although most of the persons
contacted reported that they had also been contacted in the past by some
of the listed authors or other private researchers. In order to counter
possible future arguments that the persons interviewed were still
"covering up" material because of prior security oaths, the interviewees
were provided with authorization from either the Secretary of the Air
Force or the Senior Security Official of the Air Force that would
officially allow discussion of classified information, if applicable, or
free them from any prior restriction in discussing the matter, if such
existed. Again, the focus was on interviewing persons that could
address specific issues, raised by research and no consideration was
given to try and locate every alleged witness claimed to have been
contacted by the various authors. For example, one of the interviewees
thought vital to obtain an official signed, sworn statement from was
Sheridan Cavitt, Lt. Col, USAF (Retired) who is the last living member
of the three persons universally acknowledged to have recovered material
from the Foster Ranch. Others were also interviewed as information
developed (discussed in detail later). Additionally, in some cases
survivors of deceased persons were also contacted in an attempt to
locate various records thought to have been in the custody of the
deceased.
Even though Air Force research originally started in January, 1994, the
first official Air Force-wide tasking was directed by the March 1, 1994,
memorandum from SAF/AA, (Atch 5) and was addressed to those current Air
Staff elements that would be the likely repository for any records,
particularly if there was anything of an extraordinary nature involved.
This meant that the search was not limited to unclassified materials,
but also would include records of the highest classification and
compartmentation.
The specific Air Staff/Secretariat offices queried included the
following:
(a) SAF/AAI, Directorate of Information Management
(b) SAF/AQL, Directorate of Electronics and Special Programs
(c) AF/SE, Air Force Safety
(d) AF/HO, Air Force Historian
(e) AF/IN, Air Force Intelligence (including Air Force Intelligence
Agency-AFIA, and the National Air Intelligence Center, NAIC)
(f) AF/XOW, Directorate of Weather
(g) (added later) The Air Force Office of Special Investigations
(AFOSI)
In addition to the above Air Staff and Secretariat offices, SAF/AAZ also
reviewed appropriate classified records for any tie-in to this matter.
With regards to highly classified records, it should be noted that any
program that employ enhanced security measures or controls are known as
a Special Access Programs (SAPs). The authority for- such programs
comes from Executive Order 12356 and flows from the Department of
Defense to the Services via DoD Directive 5205.7. These programs are
implemented in the Air Force by Policy Directive 16-7, and Air Force
Instruction 16-701. These directives contain detailed requirements for
controlling and reporting, in a very strict manner, all SAPs. This
includes a report from the Secretary of the Air Force to the Secretary
of Defense (and ultimately to Congress) on all SAPs submitted for
approval, and a certification that there are no "SAP-like" programs
being operated. These reporting requirements are stipulated in public
law.
It followed then, that if the Air Force had recovered some type of
extraterrestrial spacecraft and/or bodies and was exploiting this for
scientific and technology purposes, then such a program would be
operated as a SAP. SAF/AAZ, the Central Office for all Air Force SAPs,
has knowledge of, and security oversight over, all SAPs. SAF/AAZ
categorically stated that no such Special Access Program(s) exists that
pertain to extraterrestrial spacecraft/aliens.
Likewise, the Secretary of the Air Force and the Chief of Staff, who
head the Special Program Oversight Committee which oversees all
sensitive programs in the Air Force, had no knowledge of the existence
of any such program involving, or relating to the events at Roswell or
the alleged technology that supposedly resulted therefrom. Besides the
obvious irregularity and illegality of keeping such information from the
most senior Air Force officials, it would also be illogical, since these
officials are responsible for obtaining funding for operations,
research, development, and security. Without funding such a program,
operation, or organization could not exist. Even to keep such a fact
"covered up" in some sort of passive "caretaker status" would involve
money. More importantly, it would involve people and create paperwork.
The aforementioned March 1, 1994, SAF/AA tasking generated negative
responses (Atch 6-12) from all recipients; i.e. all offices reported
that they had no information that would explain the incident.
Consequently, these negative responses led to an increase in the
already on-going historical research at records centers and archives.
The extensive archival and records center search was systematically
carried out at by the SAF/AAZD Declassification Review Team. This team
is composed entirely of Air Force Reserve personnel who have extensive
training and experience in large scale review of records. (Previous
efforts include the Southeast Asia Declassification Review,
declassification of POW/MIA records, and the review of the Gulf War Air
Power Survey records). The team members all had the requisite security
clearances for classified information and had the authority of the
Secretary of the Air Force to declassify any classified record they
found that might be related to Roswell. SAF/AAZD conducted reviews at a
number of locations, including: the National Archives in Washington, DC;
the National Personnel Records Center, St. Louis, MO; the National
Archives, Suitland MD; the National Records Center, Suitland, MD; Naval
Research Laboratory, Washington, DC; Federal Records Center, Ft Worth,
TX; the INSCOM Archives, Ft. Meade, MD; National Air and Space Museum,
Washington, DC; Air Force Historical Research Agency, Maxwell AFB, AL;
Center for Air Force History, Bolling AFB, DC; Phillips Laboratory,
Hanscom AFB, MA and Kirtland AFB, NM; Rome Laboratory, Griffiss AFB, NY;
and the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
A listing of the specific record areas searched is appended as Atch 13.
The areas included all those subject areas logically believed to
possibly contain any reference to activities at Roswell AAF during the
period of time in question. It is anticipated that detractors from this
effort will complain that "they did not search record group x, box y, or
reel Z, etc.; that's where the real records are!" Such complaints are
unavoidable and there is no possible way that the millions of records
under Air Force control could be searched page by page. The team
endeavored to make logical searches in those places where records would
likely be found. They were assisted in this task by archivists,
historians, and records management specialists, including experienced
persons who have continually worked in Army and Air Force records
systems since 1943. The team also searched some record areas that were
recommended by serious private researchers such as Robert Todd, who had
independently obtained almost encyclopedic knowledge of the complexities
of Air Force records systems, particularly as related to this subject
area.
Not surprisingly, the research team found the usual number of problems
in many of the records centers (particularly St. Louis) with misfiling,
lost or misplaced documents, mismarking of documents, or the breaking up
of record groups over the years and refiling in different systems. This
included, for example, a small amount of missing "decimal files' from
the 509th Bomb Group at Roswell that covered the years 1945-1949, that
were marked on the index as "destroyed." The researchers noted that
there was no pattern to any anomalies found and that most discrepancies
were minor and consistent with what they had found in the past on
similar projects.
WHAT THE ROSWELL INCIDENT WAS NOT
Before discussing specific positive results that these efforts revealed,
it is first appropriate to discuss those things, as indicated by
information available to the Air Force, that the "Roswell incident" WAS
NOT:
An Airplane Crash
Of all the things that are documented and tracked within the Air Force,
among the most detailed and scrupulous are airplane crashes. In fact,
records of air crashes go back to the first years of military flight.
Safety records and reports are available for all crashes that involved
serious damage, injury, death, or a combination of these factors. These
records also include incidents involving experimental or classified
aircraft. USAF records showed that between June 24, 1947, and July 28,
1947, there were five crashes in New Mexico alone, involving A-26C, P-5
IN, C-82A, P-BOA and PQ-14B aircraft; however, none of these were on the
date(s) in question nor in the area(s) in question.
One of the additional areas specifically set forth by GAO in its efforts
was to deal with how the Air Force (and others) specifically documented
."..weather balloon .. and other crash incidents." In this area, the
search efforts revealed that there are no AIR safety records pertaining
to weather balloon crashes (all weather balloons "crash" sooner or
later); however, there are provisions for generating reports of
"crashes" as ground safety incidents in the unlikely chance that a
balloon injures someone or causes damage. However, such records are
only maintained for five years.
A Missile Crash
A crashed or en-ant missile, usually described as a captured German V-2
or one of its variants, is sometimes set forth as a possible explanation
for the debris recovered near Roswell. Since much of this testing done
at nearby White Sands was secret at the time, it would be logical to
assume that the government would handle any missile mishap under tight
security, particularly if the mishap occurred on private land. From the
records reviewed by the Air Force, however, there was nothing located to
suggest that this was the case. Although the bulk of remaining testing
records are under the control of the US Army, the subject has also been
very well documented over the years within Air Force records. There
would be no reason to keep such information classified today. The USAF
found no indicators or even hints that a missile was involved in this
matter.
A Nuclear Accident
One of the areas considered was that whatever happened near Roswell may
have involved nuclear weapons. This was a logical area of concern since
the 509th Bomb Group was the only military unit in the world at the time
that had access to nuclear weapons. Again, reviews of available records
gave no indication that this was the case. A number of records still
classified TOP SECRET and SECRET-RESTRICTED DATA having to do with
nuclear weapons were located in the Federal Records Center in St. Louis,
MO. These records, which pertained to the 509th, had nothing to do with
any activities that could have been misinterpreted as the "Roswell
Incident." Also, any records of a nuclear related incident would have
been inherited by the Department of Energy (DOE), and, had one occurred,
it is likely DOE would have publicly reported it as part of its recent
declassification and public release efforts. There were no ancillary
records in Air Force files to indicate the potential existence of such
records within DOE channels, however.
An Extraterrestrial Craft
The Air Force research found absolutely no indication that what happened
near Roswell in 1947, involved any type of extraterrestrial spacecraft.
This, of course, is the crux of this entire matter. "Pro-UFO" persons
who obtain a copy of this report, at this point, most probably begin the
"cover-up is still on" claims. Nevertheless, the research indicated
absolutely no evidence OF ANY KIND that a spaceship crashed near Roswell
or that any alien occupants were recovered therefrom, in some secret
military operation or otherwise. This does not mean, however, that the
early Air Force was not concerned about UFOs. However, in the early
days, "UFO" meant Unidentified Flying Object, which literally translated
as some object in the air that was not readily identifiable. It did not
mean, as the term has evolved in today's language, to equate to alien
spaceships. Records from the period reviewed by Air Force researchers
as well as those cited by the authors mentioned before, do indicate that
the USAF MM seriously concerned about the inability to adequately
identify unknown flying objects reported in American airspace. All the
records, however, indicated that the focus of concern was not on aliens,
hostile or otherwise, but on the Soviet Union. Many documents from that
period speak to the possibility of developmental secret Soviet aircraft
overlying US airspace. This, of course, was of major concern to the
fledgling USAF, whose job it was to protect these same skies.
The research revealed only one official AAF document that indicated that
there was any activity of any type that pertained to UFOs and Roswell in
July, 1947. This was a small section of the July Historical Report for
the 509th Bomb Group and Roswell AAF that stated: "The Office of Public
Information was quite busy during the month answering inquiries on the
'flying disc,' which was reported to be in possession of the 509th Bomb
Group. The object turned out to be a radar tracking balloon" (included
with Atch I 1). Additionally, this history showed that the 509th
Commander, Colonel Blanchard, went on leave on July 8, 1947, which would
be a somewhat unusual maneuver for a person involved in the supposed
first ever recovery of extraterrestrial materials. (Detractors claim
Blanchard did this as a ploy to elude the press and go to the scene to
direct the recovery operations). The history and the morning reports
also showed that the subsequent activities at Roswell during the month
were mostly mundane and not indicative of any unusual high level
activity, expenditure of manpower, resources or security.
Likewise, the researchers found no indication of heightened activity
anywhere else in the military hierarchy in the July, 1947, message
traffic or orders (to include classified traffic). There were no
indications and warnings, notice of alerts, or a higher tempo of
operational activity reported that would be logically generated if an
alien craft, whose intentions were unknown, entered US territory. To
believe that such operational and high-level security activity could be
conducted solely by relying on unsecured telecommunications or personal
contact without creating any records of such activity certainly
stretches the imagination of those who have served in the military who
know that paperwork of some kind is necessary to accomplish even
emergency, highly classified, or sensitive tasks.
An example of activity sometimes cited by pro-UFO writers to illustrate
the point that something unusual was going on was the travel of Lt.
General Nathan Twining, Commander of the Air Materiel Command, to New
Mexico in July, 1947. Actually, records were located indicating that
Twining went to the Bomb Commanders' Course on July 8, along with a
number of other general officers, and requested orders to do so a month
before, on June 5, 1947 (Atch 14).
Similarly, it has also been alleged that General Hoyt Vandenberg, Deputy
Chief of Staff at the time, had been involved directing activity
regarding events at Roswell. Activity reports (Atch 15), located in
General Vandenberg's personal papers stored in the Library of Congress,
did indicate that on July 7, he was busy with a "flying disc" incident;
however this particular incident involved Ellington Field, Texas and the
Spokane (Washington) Depot. After much discussion and information
gathering on this incident, it was learned to be a hoax. There is no
similar mention of his personal interest or involvement in Roswell
events except in the newspapers.
The above are but two small examples that indicate that if some event
happened that was one of the "watershed happenings" in human history,
the US military certainly reacted in an unconcerned and cavalier manner.
In an actual case, the military would have had to order thousands of
soldiers and airman, not only at Roswell but throughout the US, to act
nonchalantly, pretend to conduct and report business as usual, and
generate absolutely no paperwork of a suspicious nature, while
simultaneously anticipating that twenty years or more into the future
people would have available a comprehensive Freedom of Information Act
that would give them great leeway to review and explore government
documents. The records indicate that none of this happened (or if it
did, it was controlled by a security system so efficient and tight that
no one, US or otherwise, has been able to duplicate it since. If such a
system had been in effect at the time, it would have also been used to
protect our atomic secrets from the Soviets, which history has showed
obviously was not the case). The records reviewed confirmed that no
such sophisticated and efficient security system existed.
WHAT THE "ROSWELL INCIDENT" WAS
As previously discussed, what was originally reported to have been
recovered was a balloon of some sort, usually described as a "weather
balloon," although the majority of the wreckage that was ultimately
displayed by General Ramey and Major Marcel in the famous photos (Atch
16) in Ft. Worth, was that of a radar target normally suspended from
balloons. This radar target, discussed in more detail later, was
certainly consistent with the description of July 9 newspaper article
which discussed "tinfoil, paper, tape, and sticks." Additionally, the
description of the "flying disc" was consistent with a document
routinely used by most pro-UFO writers to indicate a conspiracy in
progress-the telegram from the Dallas FBI office of July 8, 1947. This
document quoted in part states: ."...The disc is hexagonal in shape and
was suspended from a balloon by a cable, which balloon was approximately
twenty feet in diameter. ...the object found resembles a high altitude
weather balloon with a radar reflector. ...disc and balloon being
transported..."
Similarly, while conducting the popular literature review, one of the
documents reviewed was a paper entitled "The Roswell Events" edited by
Fred Whiting, and sponsored by the Fund for UFO Research (FUFOR).
Although it was not the original intention to comment on what commercial
authors interpreted or claimed that other persons supposedly said, this
particular document was different because it contained actual copies of
apparently authentic sworn affidavits received from a number of persons
who claimed to have some knowledge of the Roswell event. Although many
of the persons who provided these affidavits to the FUFOR researchers
also expressed opinions that they thought there was something
extraterrestrial about this incident, a number of them actually
described materials that sounded suspiciously like wreckage from
balloons. These included the following:
Jesse A. Marcel, MD (son of the late Major Jesse Marcel; 11 years old at
the time of the incident). Affidavit dated May 6, 199 1. " ... There
were three categories of debris: a thick, foil like metallic gray
substance; a brittle, brownish-black plastic-like material, like
Bakelite; and there were fragments of what appeared to be 1-beams. On
the inner surface of the I-beam, there appeared to be a type of writing.
This writing was a purple-violet hue, and it had an embossed appearance.
The figures were composed of curved, geometric shapes. It had no
resemblance to Russian, Japanese or any other foreign language. It
resembled hieroglyphics, but it had no animal-Eke characters..."
Loretta Proctor (former neighbor of rancher W. W. Brazel). Affidavit
dated May 5, 1991. ."..Brazel came to my ranch and showed my husband and
me a piece of material he said came from a large pile of debris on the
property he managed. The piece he brought was brown in color, similar
to plastic...'Mac' said the other material on the property looked like
aluminum foil. It was very flexible and wouldn't crush or bum. There
was also something he described as tape which had printing on it. The
color of the printing was a kind of purple..."
Bessie Brazel Schreiber (daughter of W.W. Brazel; 14 years old at the
time of the incident). Affidavit dated September 22, 1993. ."..The
debris looked like pieces of a large balloon which had burst. The
pieces were small, the largest I remember measuring about the same as
the diameter of a basketball. Most of it was a kind of double-sided
material, foil-like on one side and rubber-like on the other. Both
sides were grayish silver in color, the foil more silvery than the
rubber. Sticks, like kite sticks, were attached to some of the pieces
with a whitish tape. The tape was about two or three inches wide and
had flower-like designs on it. The 'flowers' were faint, a variety of
pastel colors, and reminded me of Japanese paintings in which the
flowers are not all connected. I do not recall any other types of
material or markings, nor do I remember seeing gouges in the ground or
any other signs that anything may have hit the ground hard. The foil-
rubber material could not be tom like ordinary aluminum foil can be
torm..."
Sally Strickland Tadolini (neighbor of WW Brazel; nine years old in
1947). Affidavit dated September 27, 1993. ."..What Bill showed us was
a piece of what I still think as fabric. It was something like aluminum
foil, something like satin, something like well-tanned leather in its
toughness, yet was not precisely like any one of those materials. ...It
was about the thickness of very fine kidskin glove leather and a dull
metallic grayish silver, one side slightly darker than the other. I do
not remember it having any design or embossing on it..."
Robert R. Porter (B-29 flight Engineer stationed at Roswell in 1947).
Affidavit dated June 7, 1991. ."..On this occasion, I was a member of
the crew which flew parts of what we were told was a flying saucer to
Fort Worth. The people on board included ... and Maj Jesse Marcel.
Capt. William E. Anderson said it was from a flying saucer. After we
arrived, the material was transferred to a B-25. I was told they were
going to Wright Field in Dayton, Ohio. I was involved in loading the B-
29 with the material, which was wrapped in packages with wrapping paper.
One of the pieces was triangle-shaped, about 2 1/2 feet across the
bottom. The rest were in small packages, about the size of a shoe box.
The brown paper was held with tape. The material was extremely
lightweight. When I picked it up, it was just like picking up an empty
package. We loaded the triangle shaped package and three shoe box-sized
packages into the plane. All of the packages could have fit into the
trunk of a car. ...When we came back from lunch, they told us they had
transferred the material to a B-25. They told us the material was a
weather balloon, but I'm certain it wasn't a weather balloon..."
In addition to those persons above still living who claim to have seen
or examined the original material found on the Brazel Ranch, there is
one additional person who was universally acknowledged to have been
involved in its recovery, Sheridan Cavitt, Lt. Col, USAF, (Ret) . Cavitt
is credited in all claims of having accompanied Major Marcel to the
ranch to recover the debris, sometimes along with his Counter
Intelligence Corps (CIC) subordinate, William Rickett, who, like Marcel,
is deceased. Although there does not appear to be much dispute that
Cavitt was involved in the material recovery, other claims about him
prevail in the popular literature. He is sometimes portrayed as a
closed-mouth (or sometimes even sinister) conspirator who was one of the
early individuals who kept the "secret of Roswell" from getting out.
Other things about him have been alleged, including the claim that he
wrote a report of the incident at the time that has never surfaced.
Since Lt. Col Cavitt, who had first-hand knowledge, was still alive, a
decision was made to interview him and get a signed sworn statement from
him about his version of the events. Prior to the interview, the
Secretary of the Air Force provided him with a written authorization and
waiver to discuss classified information with the interviewer and
release him from any security oath he may have taken. Subsequently,
Cavitt was interviewed on May 24, 1994, at his home. Cavitt provided a
signed, sworn statement (Atch 17 ) of his recollections in this matter.
He also consented to having the interview tape-recorded. A transcript
of that recording is at Atch 18. In this interview, Cavitt related that
he had been contacted on numerous occasions by UFO researchers and had
willingly talked with many of them; however, he felt that he had
oftentimes been misrepresented or had his comments taken out of context
so that their true meaning was changed. He stated unequivocally,
however, that the material he recovered consisted of a reflective sort
of material like aluminum foil, and some thin, bamboo-like sticks. He
thought at the time, and continued to do so today, that what he found
was a weather balloon and has told other private researchers that. He
also remembered finding a small "black box" type of instrument, which he
thought at the time was probably a radiosonde. Lt. Col Cavitt also
reviewed the famous Ramey/Marcel photographs (Atch 16) of the wreckage
taken to Ft. Worth (often claimed by UFO researchers to have been
switched and the remnants of a balloon substituted for it) and he
identified the materials depicted in those photos as consistent with the
materials that he recovered from the ranch. Lt. Col Cavitt also stated
that he had never taken any oath or signed any agreement not to talk
about this incident and had never been threatened by anyone in the
government because of it. He did not even know the "incident" was
claimed to be anything unusual until he was interviewed in the early
1980's.
Similarly, Irving Newton, Major, USAF, (Ret) was located and
interviewed. Newton was a weather officer assigned to Fort Worth, who
was on duty when the Roswell debris was sent, there in July, 1947. He
was told that he was to report to General Ramey's office to view the
material. In a signed, sworn statement (Atch 30) Newton related that
."..I walked into the General's office where this supposed flying saucer
was lying all over the floor. As soon as I saw it, I giggled and asked
if that was the flying saucer ... I told them that this was a balloon
and a RAWIN target..." Newton also stated that ."..while I was examining
the debris, Major Marcel was picking up pieces of the target sticks and
trying to convince me that some notations on the sticks were alien
writings. there were figures on the sticks, lavender or pink in color,
appeared to be weather faded markings, with no rhyme or reason (sic).
He did not convince me that these were alien writings." Newton concluded
his statement by relating that ."..During the ensuing years I have been
interviewed by many authors, I have been quoted and misquoted. The
facts remain as indicated above. I was not influenced during the
original interview, nor today, to provide anything but what I know to be
true, that is, the material I saw in General Ramey's office was the
remains of a balloon and a RAWIN target."
Balloon Research
The original tasking from GAO noted that the search for information
included "weather balloons." Comments about balloons and safety reports
have already been made, however the SAF/AAZ research efforts also
focused on reviewing historical records involving balloons, since, among
other reasons, that was what was officially claimed by the AAF to have
been found and recovered in 1947.
As early as February 28, 1994, the AAZD research team found references
to balloon tests taking place at Alamogordo AAF (now Holloman AFB) and
White Sands during June and July 1947, testing "constant level balloons"
and a New York University (NYU)/Watson Labs effort that used
"...meteorological devices ... suspected for detecting shock waves
generated by Soviet nuclear explosions --a possible indication of a cover
story associated with the NYU balloon project. Subsequently, a 1946 HQ
AMC memorandum was surfaced, describing the constant altitude balloon
project and specified that the scientific data be classified TOP SECRET
Priority IA. Its name was Project Mogul (Atch 19).
Project Mogul was a then-sensitive, classified project, whose purpose
was to determine the state of Soviet nuclear weapons research. This was
the early Cold War period and there was serious concern within the US
government about the Soviets developing a weaponized atomic device.
Because the Soviet Union's borders were closed, the US Government sought
to develop a long range nuclear explosion detection capability. Long
range, balloon-borne, low frequency acoustic detection was posed to
General Spaatz in 1945 by Dr. Maurice Ewing of Columbia University as a
potential solution (atmospheric ducting of low frequency pressure waves
had been studied as early as 1900).
As part of the research into this matter, AAZD personnel located and
obtained the original study papers and reports of the New York
University project. Their- efforts also revealed that some of the
individuals involved in Project Mogul were still living. These persons
included the NYU constant altitude balloon Director of Research, Dr.
Athelstan F. Spilhaus; the Project Engineer, Professor Charles B. Moore;
and the military Project Officer, Colonel Albert C. Trakowski.
All of these persons were subsequently interviewed and signed sworn
statements about their activities. A copy of theses statements are
appended at Atch 20-22. Additionally, transcripts of the interview with
Moore and Trakowski are also included (equipment malfunctioned during
the interview of Spilhaus) (Atch 23-24). These interviews confirmed
that Project Mogul was a compartmented, sensitive effort. The NYU group
was responsible for developing constant level balloons and telemetering
equipment that would remain at specified altitudes (within the acoustic
duct) while a group from Columbia was to develop acoustic sensors.
Doctor Spilhaus, Professor Moore, and certain others of the group were
aware of the actual purpose of the project, but they did not know of the
project nickname at the time. They handled casual inquiries and/or
scientific inquiries/papers in terms of "unclassified meteorological or
balloon research." Newly hired employees were not made aware that there
was anything special or classified about their work; they were told only
that their work dealt with meteorological equipment.
An advance ground team, led by Albert P. Crary, preceded the NYU group
to Alamogordo AAF, New Mexico, setting up ground sensors and obtaining
facilities for the NYU group. Upon their arrival, Professor Moore and
his team experimented with various configurations of neoprene balloons;
development of balloon "trains" (see illustration, Atch 25); automatic
ballast systems; and use of Naval sonobuoys (as the Watson Lab
acoustical sensors had not yet arrived). They also launched what they
called "service flights." These "service flights" were not logged nor
fully accounted for in the published Technical Reports generated as a
result of the contract between NYU and Watson Labs. According to
Professor Moore, the "service flights' were composed of balloons, radar
reflectors and payloads specifically designed to test acoustic sensors
(both early sonobuoys and the later Watson Labs devices). The "payload
equipment" was expendable and some carried no "REWARD" or "RETURN TO..."
tags because there was to be no association between these flights and
the logged constant altitude flights which were fully acknowledged. The
NYU balloon flights were listed sequentially in their reports (i.e.,
A,B, 1,5,6,7,8,10 ... ) yet gaps existed for Flights 2-4 and Flight 9.
The interview with Professor Moore indicated that these gaps were the
unlogged "service flights."
Professor Moore, the on-scene Project Engineer, gave detailed
information concerning his team's efforts. He recalled that radar
targets were used for tracking balloons because they did not have all
the necessary equipment when they first arrived in New Mexico. Some of
the early developmental radar targets were manufactured by a toy or
novelty company. These targets were made up of aluminum "foil" or foil-
backed paper, balsa wood beams that were coated in an "Elmer's-type"
glue to enhance their durability, acetate and/or cloth reinforcing tape,
single stand and braided nylon twine, brass eyelets and swivels to form
a multi-faced reflector somewhat similar in construction to a box kite
(see photographs, Atch 26). Some of these targets were also assembled
with purplish-pink tape with symbols on it (see drawing by Moore with
Atch 21).
According to the log summary (Atch 27) of the NYU group, Flight A
through Flight 7 (November 20, 1946-July 2, 1947) were made with
neoprene meteorological balloons (as opposed to the later flights made
with polyethylene balloons). Professor Moore stated that the neoprene
balloons were susceptible to degradation in the sunlight, turning from a
milky white to a dark brown. He described finding remains of balloon
trains with reflectors and payloads that had landed in the desert: the
ruptured and shredded neoprene would "almost look like dark gray or
black flakes or ashes after exposure to the sun for only a few days.
The plasticizers and antioxidants in the neoprene would emit a peculiar
acrid odor and the balloon material and radar target material would be
scattered after returning to earth depending on the surface winds." Upon
review of the local newspaper photographs from General Ramey's press
conference in 1947 and descriptions in popular books by individuals who
supposedly handled the debris recovered on the ranch, Professor Moore
opined that the material was most likely the shredded remains of a
multi-neoprene balloon train with multiple radar reflectors. The
material and a "black box," described by Cavitt, was, in Moore's
scientific opinion, most probably from Flight 4, a "service flight" that
included a cylindrical metal sonobuoy and portions of a weather
instrument housed in a box, which was unlike typical weather radiosondes
which were made of cardboard. Additionally, a copy of a professional
journal maintained at the time by A.P. Crary, provided to the Air Force
by his widow, showed that Flight 4 was launched on June 4, 1947, but was
not recovered by the NYU group. It is very probable that this TOP
SECRET project balloon train (Flight 4), made up of unclassified
components; came to rest some miles northwest of Roswell, NM, became
shredded in the surface winds and was ultimately found by the rancher,
Brazel, ten days later. This possibility was supported by the
observations of Lt. Col Cavitt (Atch 17-18), the only living eyewitness
to the actual debris field and the material found. Lt. Col Cavitt
described a small area of debris which appeared, "to resemble bamboo
type square sticks one quarter to one half inch square, that were very
fight, as well as some sort of metallic reflecting material that was
also very light ... I remember recognizing this material as being
consistent with a weather balloon."
Concerning the initial announcement, "RAAF Captures Flying Disc,"
research failed to locate any documented evidence as to why that
statement was made. However, on July 10, 1947, following the Ramey
press conference, the Alamogordo News published an article with
photographs demonstrating multiple balloons and targets at the same
location as the NYU group operated from at Alamogordo AAF. Professor
Moore expressed surprise at seeing this since his, was the only balloon
test group in the area. He stated, "It appears that there was some type
of umbrella cover story to protect our work with Mogul." Although the
Air Force did not find documented evidence that Gen. Ramey was directed
to espouse a weather balloon in Ws press conference, he may have done so
because he was either aware of Project Mogul and was trying to deflect
interest from it, or he readily perceived the material to be a weather
balloon based on the identification from his weather officer, Irving
Newton. In either case, the materials recovered by the AAF in July,
1947, were not readily recognizable as anything special (only the
purpose was special) and the recovered debris itself was unclassified.
Additionally, the press dropped its interest in the matter as quickly as
they had jumped on it. Hence, there would be no particular reason to
further document what quickly became a "non-event."
The interview with Colonel Trakowski (Atch 23-24) also proved valuable
information. Trakowski provided specific details on Project Mogul and
described how the security for the program was set up, as he was
formerly the TOP SECRET Control Officer for the program. He further
related that many of the original radar targets that were produced
around the end of World War H were fabricated by toy or novelty
companies using a purplish-pink tape with flower and heart symbols on
it. Trakowski also recounted a conversation that he had with his
friend, and superior military officer in his chain of command, Colonel
Marcellus Duffy, in July, 1947. Duffy, formerly had Trakowski's
position on Mogul, but had subsequently been transferred to Wright
Field. He stated: ."..Colonel Duffy called me on the telephone from
Wright Field and gave me a story about a fellow that had come in from
New Mexico, woke him up in the middle of the night or some such thing
with a handful of debris, and wanted him, Colonel Duffy, to identify it.
... He just said 'it sure looks like some of the stuff you've been
launching at Alamogordo' and he described it, and I said 'yes, I think
it is.' Certainly Colonel Duffy knew enough about radar targets,
radiosondes, balloon-borne weather devices. He was intimately familiar
with all that apparatus."
Attempts were made to locate Colonel Duffy but it was ascertained that
he had died. His widow explained that, although he had amassed a large
amount of personal papers relating to his Air Force activities, she had
recently disposed of these items. Likewise, it was learned that A.P.
Crary was also deceased; however his surviving spouse had a number of
his papers from his balloon testing days, including his professional
journal from the period in question. She provided the Air Force
researchers with this material. It is discussed in more detail within
Atch 32. Overall, it helps fill in gaps of the Mogul story.
During the period the Air Force conducted this research, it was
discovered that several others had also discovered the possibility that
the "Roswell Incident" may have been generated by the recovery of a
Project Mogul balloon device. These persons included Professor Charles
B. Moore, Robert Todd, and coincidentally, Karl Pflock, a researcher who
is married to a staffer who works for Congressman Schiff. Some of these
persons provided suggestions as to where documentation might be located
in various archives, histories and libraries. A review of Freedom of
Information Act (FOIA) requests revealed that Robert Todd, particularly,
had become aware of Project Mogul several years ago and had doggedly
obtained from the Air Force, through the FOIA, a large amount of
material pertaining to it; long before the AAZD researchers
independently seized on the same possibility.
Most interestingly, as this report was being written, Pflock published
his own report of this matter under the auspices of FUFOR, entitled
"Roswell in Perspective" (1994). Pflock concluded from his research
that the Brazel Ranch debris originally reported as a "flying disc!" was
probably debris from a Mogul balloon; however, there was a simultaneous
incident that occurred not far away, that caused an alien craft to crash
and that the AAF subsequently recovered three alien bodies therefrom.
Air Force research did not locate any information to corroborate that
this incredible coincidence occurred, however.
In order to provide a more detailed discussion of the specifics of
Project Mogul and how it appeared to be directly responsible for the
"Roswell Incident," a SAF/AAZD researcher prepared a more detailed
discussion on the balloon project which is appended to this report as
Atch 32.
Other Research
In the attempt to develop additional information that could help explain
this matter, a number of other steps were taken. First, assistance was
requested from various museums and other archives (Atch 28) to obtain
information and/or examples of the actual balloons and radar targets
used in connection with Project Mogul and to correlate them with the
various descriptions of wreckage and materials recovered. The
blueprints for the "Pilot Balloon Target ML307C/AP Assembly"
(generically, the radar target assembly) were located at the Army Signal
Corps Museum at Fort Monmouth and obtained. A copy is appended as Atch
29. This blueprint provides the specification for the foil material,
tape, wood, eyelets, and string used and the assembly instructions
thereto. An actual device was also obtained for study with the
assistance of Professor Moore. (The example actually procured was a
1953-manufactured model "C" as compared to the Model B which was in use
in 1947. Professor Moore related the differences were minor). An
examination of this device revealed it to be simply made of aluminum-
colored foil-like material over a stronger paper-like material, attached
to balsa wood sticks, affixed with tape, glue, and twine. When opened,
the device appears as depicted in Atch 31 (contemporary photo) and Atch
25 (1947 photo, in a "balloon train"). When folded, the device is in a
series of triangles, the largest being four feet by two feet ten inches.
The smallest triangle section measures two feet by two feet ten inches.
(Compare with descriptions provided by Lt. Col Cavitt and others, as
well as photos of wreckage).
Additionally, the researchers obtained from the Archives of the
University of Texas-Arlington (UTA), a set of original (i.e. first
generation) prints of the photographs taken at the time by the Fort
Worth Star-Telegram, that depicted Ramey and Marcel with the wreckage.
A close review of these photos (and a set of first generation negatives
also subsequently obtained from UTA) revealed several infesting
observations. First, although in some of the literature cited above,
Marcel allegedly stated that he had his photo taken with the "real" UFO
wreckage and then it was subsequently removed and the weather balloon
wreckage substituted for it, a comparison shows that the same wreckage
appeared in the photos of Marcel and Ramey. The photos also depicted
that this material was lying on what appeared to be some sort of
wrapping paper (consistent with affidavit excerpt of crew chief Porter,
above). It was also noted that in the two photos of Ramey he had a
piece of paper in his hand. In one, it was folded over so nothing could
be seen. In the second, however, there appears to be text printed on
the paper. In an attempt to read this text to determine if it could
shed any further light on locating documents relating to this matter,
the photo was sent to a national level organization for digitizing and
subsequent photo interpretation and analysis. This organization was
also asked to scrutinize the digitized photos for any indication of the
flowered tape (or "hieroglyphics, depending on the point of view) that
were reputed to be visible to some of the persons who observed the
wreckage prior to it getting to Fort Worth. This organization reported
on July 20, 1994, that even after digitizing, the photos were of
insufficient quality to visualize either of the details sought for
analysis. This organization was able to obtain measurements from the
"sticks"' visible in the debris after it was ascertained by an interview
of the original photographer what kind of camera he used. The results
of this process are provided in Atch 33, along with a reference diagram
and the photo from which the measurements were made. All these
measurements are compatible with the wooden materials used in the radar
target previously described.
CONCLUSION
The Air Force research did not locate or develop any information that
the "Roswell Incident" was a UFO event. All available official
materials, although they do not directly address Roswell per se,
indicate that the most likely source of the wreckage recovered from the
Brazel Ranch was from one of the Project Mogul balloon trains. Although
that project was TOP SECRET at the time, there was also no specific
indication found to indicate an official pre-planned cover story was in
place to explain an event such as that which ultimately happened. It
appears that the identification of the wreckage as being part of a
weather balloon device, as reported in the newspapers at the time, was
based on the fact that there was no physical difference in the radar
targets and the neoprene balloons (other than the numbers and
configuration) between Mogul balloons and normal weather balloons.
Additionally, it seems that there was over-reaction by Colonel Blanchard
and Major Marcel, in originally reporting that a "flying disc" had been
recovered when, at that time, nobody for sure knew what that term even
meant since the it had only been in use for a couple of weeks.
Likewise, there was no indication in official records from the period
that there was heightened military operational or security activity
which should have been generated if this was, in fact, the first
recovery of materials and/or persons from another world. The post-War
US Military (or today's for that matter) did not have the capability to
rapidly identify, recover, coordinate, cover-up, and quickly public
scrutiny of such an event. The claim that they did so without leaving
even a little bit of a suspicious paper trail for 47 years is
incredible.
It should also be noted here that there was little mentioned in this
report about the recovery of the so-called "alien bodies." This is for
several reasons: First, the recovered wreckage was from a Project Mogul
balloon. There were no "alien" passengers therein. Secondly, the pro-
UFO groups who espouse the alien bodies theories cannot even agree among
themselves as to what, how many, and where, such bodies were supposedly
recovered. Additionally, some of these claims have been shown to be
hoaxes, even by other UFO researchers. Thirdly, when such claim are
made, they are often attributed to people using pseudonyms or who
otherwise do not want to be publicly identified, presumably so that some
sort of retribution cannot be taken against them (notwithstanding that
nobody has been shown to have died, disappeared or otherwise suffered at
the hands of the government during the last 47 years). Fourth, many of
the persons making the biggest claims of "alien bodies" make their
living from the "Roswell Incident." While having a commercial interest
in something does not automatically make it suspect, it does raise
interesting questions related to authenticity. Such persons should be
encouraged to present their evidence (not speculation) directly to the
government and provide all pertinent details and evidence to support
their claims if honest fact-finding is what is wanted. Lastly, persons
who have come forward and provided their names and made claims, may
have, in good faith but in the "fog of time," misinterpreted past
events. The review of Air Force records did not locate even one piece
of evidence to indicate that the Air Force has had any part in an
"alien" body recovery operation or continuing cover-up.
During the course of this effort, the Air Force has kept in close touch
with the GAO and responded to their various queries and requests for
assistance. This report was generated as an official response to the
GAO, and to document the considerable effort expended by the Air Force
on their behalf It is anticipated that that they will request a copy of
this report to help formulate the formal report of their efforts. It is
recommended that this document serve as the final Air Force report
related to the Roswell matter, for the GAO, or any other inquiries.
/s/ RICHARD L. WEAVER, COL, USAF
DIRECTOR, SECURITY AND SPECIAL
PROGRAM OVERSIGHT
Attachments
1. Washington Post Article, "GAO Turns to Alien Turf in New Probe,"
January 14, 1994
2. GAO Memo, February 15, 1994
3. DoD/IG Memo, February 23, 1994
4. SAF/FM Memo, February 24, 1994, w/Indorsement
5. SAF/AA Memo, March 1, 1994, w/ March 16, 1994 Addendum
6. AF/IN Memo, March 14, 1994
7. AF/SE Memo, March 14, 1994
S. SAF/AQL Memo, March 22,1994
9. AF/XOWP Memo, March 9,1994
10. SAF/AAI Memo, March 10, 1994
11. AFHRA/CC Memo, March 8, 1994
12. AFOSI/HO Memo, May 11, 1994
13. List of Locations and Records Searched
14. HQ AAF "Issuance of Orders," June 5, 1947
15. Copy of Vandenberg's Appointment Book and Diary, July 7-9, 1947
16. July 9, 1947 Photos of Balloon Wreckage, Ft Worth Star Telegram
17. Signed Sworn Statement of Cavitt, May 24, 1994
18. Transcript of Cavitt Interview, May 24, 1994
19. Letter, July 8, 1946, Project Mogul
20. Signed Sworn Statement of Spilhaus, June 3, 1994
21. Signed Sworn Statement of Moore, June 8, 1994
22. Signed Sworn Statement of Trakowski, June 29, 1994
23. Transcript of Interview with Moore, June 8, 1994
24. Transcript of Interview with Trakowski, June 29, 1994
25. Illustration of Project Mogul "Balloon Trains"
26. Two Photos of Project Mogul "Balloon Trains"
27. Log Summary, NYU Constant Level Balloon Flights
28. List of Museums Contacted
29. Copy of Blueprint for "Pilot Balloon Target, NIL-307C/AP Assembly"
30. Signed Sworn Statement of Newton, July 21, 1994
31. Photos of UL-307C/AP Device, With Vintage Neoprene Balloon and
Debris
32. Synopsis of Balloon Research Findings by 1LT James McAndrew
33. "Mensuration Working Paper," With Drawing and Photo
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