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The Air Force Roswell Report
Air Force Roswell Report
This heavily researched account of the Roswell incident by Col.
Richard L. Weaver is excerpted from the 1995 Air Force
publication, "The Roswell Report: Fact Versus Fiction in the New
Mexico Desert." It is the lengthiest official document on the topic,
and makes the case that the debris recovered by the Army Air Force
was in fact the remains of top secret balloon operation, Project MOGUL.
REPORT OF AIR FORCE RESEARCH REGARDING THE "ROSWELL INCIDENT"
July 1994
____________________________________________________
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 "cover-up" 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 team, 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 Kirtland 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 sub-
sequently 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, Mr. 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 if, 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
© 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 modern 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
1947" 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, Vemon, 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 night 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 era 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 returning 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
extra-terrestrial 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 thirdhand, 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 might 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 might 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, (I 99 1) 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 195 1, 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
© 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 programs 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 "cover-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-
80A 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 errant 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 was 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 overflying 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, NM (son of the late Major Jesse Marcel; 11 years
old at the time of the incident). Affidavit dated May 6, 1991. " ...
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 I-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-like characters ......
Loretta Proctor (former neighbor of rancher W.W. Brazel).
Affidavit dated May 5, 199 1. ."..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 flowerlike 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 torn like
ordinary aluminum foil can be torn..."
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 welltanned
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 LITO 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 strand 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 light, 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 his 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 II 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. I-Es 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 minimize 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 claims 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.
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
8. 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, NM-307C/AP
Assembly"
30. Signed Sworn Statement of Newton, July 21, 1994
31. Photos of NM-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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