The Roswell Myth

References

The development of the Roswell alien spaceship crash story is fascinating. There are several good books on the subject; here are three.


There are others, but these three are relatively recent and cover the story rather completely. Careful reading of them is recommended.

The story of whatever happened near Roswell, NM in July of 1947 lay dormant until 1980, when a UFOlogist named Friedman got interested in it and got the help of writer Charles Berlitz in producing a book. Friedman had gotten some information from the former base intelligence officer, who was interviewed in the late 1970's. (Note that this was 30 years after the event!)

The story as told in the 1980 book describes the crash of an alien ship on a ranch northwest of Roswell. What follows is a tabulation of events or "facts" from the story as related by Charles Ziegler in UFO Crash at Roswell. There are several versions of the story as it evolved over time. The sources are books written by UFOlogists.

  1. 1980: The Roswell Incident by Berlitz and Moore
  2. 1988: Derived from documents known as MJ-12 (later proved to be forged)
  3. 1991: UFO Crash at Roswell by Randle and Schmitt
  4. 1992: Crash at Corona by Friedman and Berliner
  5. 1994: The Truth About the UFO Crash at Roswell by Randle and Schmitt
  6. (1994b): Report written by Karl Pflock

Here it is, in concise and abbreviated form. It is broken down into sections to make it easier to follow.


First - something happened near Roswell in early July, 1947.

  1. (1980) Alien spaceships were monitoring the atomic and rocket test sites in New Mexico. On July 2, 1947, one of them flew low over Roswell and then was struck by lightning. The strike blew off some pieces, which landed on a ranch northwest of Roswell. The damaged craft flew on for over 100 miles and finally crashed on the Plains of San Augustin, west of Socorro.
  2. (1988) A flying saucer malfunctioned and exploded over a ranch northwest of Roswell, scattering wreckage.
  3. (1991) An alien ship flew low over Roswell, then malfunctioned over a ranch northwest of Roswell. It touched down briefly and left a blackened circle on the ground. After lifting off again, it bounced on the ground again and left a long gouge. It flew on for a few miles before finally crashing.
  4. (1992) Alien spaceships were monitoring the atomic and rocket test sites in New Mexico. On July 2, 1947, one touched down briefly on a ranch northwest of Roswell and left a blackened and fused circle on the ground. After it took off again, some malfunction caused it to explode, scattering wreckage. While this was happening near Roswell, the wreckage of a second saucer was discovered on the Plains of San Augustin.
  5. (1994) Alien spaceships were monitoring the atomic and rocket test sites in New Mexico. On July 1, 1947, radar operators at White Sands began tracking these ships and identified them as alien because of their maneuvering capability. On July 4, 1947, one of these ships malfunctioned and touched down briefly on a ranch northwest of Roswell. It left a blackened, fused circle in the sand. After lifting off again, it bounced on the ground again and left a long gouge. It then gained some altitude and flew on until it crashed into a cliff 35 miles north of Roswell.
  6. (1994b) In early July, 1947, a large balloon complex and associated instruments crashed on the ranch north of Roswell. An alien spaceship also crashed because of malfunction or collision with the balloon complex. The spaceship crashed at some distance from the balloon debris.

Notice that the San Augustin crash disappears after 1988 and reappears as a second saucer crashing in 1992. Observe the variation in the crash site. Also note that some versions of the story have the alien craft exploding over the ranch and others have it crashing into a cliff. The detail about touching down briefly and scorching the ground appeared in 1991. By 1994, Randle and Schmitt had decided that, without evidence, the entire Plains of San Augustin crash story was not valid.

The balloon angle appears in 1994b. By this time, UFOlogists and Air Force investigators had found the story of Project Mogul, a top-secret cold-war era balloon research operation. A group from NYU was test-flying large balloon trains from Alamogordo Army Air Field (now Holloman AFB). This is about 90 miles SW of Roswell.


Radar operators observe the crash and a search ensues.

  1. (1980) Radar operators at White Sands Missile Test Range observe the crash on their radars. They believe it to be an aircraft crash and order a search at first light.
  2. (1988) There is no mention of radar tracking in this version.
  3. (1991) No mention of radar tracking here either.
  4. (1992) Still no radar tracking.
  5. (1994) On July 4, radar operators at White Sands were observing the ship and saw it disappear from the scope. A search is ordered at first light.
  6. (1994b) No mention of radar tracking.

Observe that, between 1988 and 1994, the radar tracking disappears. It then reappears in the first 1994 version, then is gone again.


Wreckage of the alien craft is found.

  1. (1980) A team of archaeologists working in the Plains of San Augustin accidentally discovered the crashed ship and some alien bodies. Grady Barnett was one of the archaeologists. The military party arrived soon after, ejected the witnesses and collected the wreckage. Some of the wreckage was marked with alien hieroglyphs.
  2. (1988) Mack Brazel, operator of the ranch, found the wreckage and reported it to military authorities. A military party retrieved the wreckage.
  3. (1991) On July 3, 1947, Mack Brazel found the wreckage shed during the bounce on the ground. On Sunday, July 6, Brazel reported the wreckage to Sheriff Wilcox, who then notified military authorities. On July 8, some archaeologists, including Grady Barnett, found the crashed saucer. The military group removed the wreckage and cleaned up all traces of the crash.
  4. (1992) On July 3, 1947, Mack Brazel found the wreckage on the ranch. Some fragments were imprinted with alien hieroglyphs. On Sunday, July 6, Brazel reported the discovery to Sheriff Wilcox, who then notified military authorities. A military party collects the wreckage. On July 8, the crashed saucer itself is located.
  5. (1994) On the morning of July 5, some archaeologists working north of Roswell stumbled on the crash site. Grady Barnett was present. The military search party arrived soon after.
  6. (1994b) Rancher Brazel found the scattered wreckage and reported it to Sheriff Wilcox. Wilcox notified RAAF authorities. The debris included some parchmentlike stuff and sticklike items. Some purplish symbols were seen on some of the pieces. Pflock attributed most, if not all, of this wreckage to an NYU balloon train flown as part of Project Mogul. Shortly after this collection of debris was found, the wreckage of the spaceship and three dead crew were found, either by wider search or independent discovery.

The presence of "alien hieroglyphs" on the wreckage is a historical fact. The only problem is that they weren't alien.


Alien bodies are found.

  1. (1980) The archaeologists who found the wrecked saucer also found alien bodies. They were humanoid and about 4 feet tall. The military search party arrived shortly after, expecting to find an airplane crash.
  2. (1988) The military searchers conducted an aerial search and located four alien bodies about 2 miles east of the crash site. They were small humanoids.
  3. (1991) On July 8, aerial searching located four alien bodies about 2 miles southeast. They were humanoid and about 4 feet tall.
  4. (1992) On July 8, aerial searching located four alien bodies about 2 miles southeast. They were encased in some kind of escape capsule.
  5. (1994) The archaeologists found the remains of the spaceship and four alien bodies. The aliens were humanoid and about 4 feet tall.
  6. (1994b) The bodies of three dead aliens were found with the wreckage of their ship.

The bodies are first reported at San Augustin, then near Roswell. Also - Grady Barnett appears twice in parties of archaeologists. He is supposedly at the San Augustin and Roswell crash sites at the same time! Barnett is discarded from the story in 1994.


The Wreckage and Bodies are Removed

  1. (1980) The military party removed all the wreckage and bodies and cleaned up all traces of the crash. They ordered all witnesses to keep quiet about it.
  2. (1988) A special scientific team removed the bodies and the wreckage was sent to several different places for study.
  3. (1991) The military party collected the wreckage and bodies and cleaned up all traces of the crash. Bodies and wreckage were taken to Roswell Army Air Field.
  4. (1992) The military party collected the wreckage and bodies and cleaned up all traces of the crash. Bodies and wreckage were taken to Roswell Army Air Field. Witnesses were told to keep quiet and were threatened with reprisal if they revealed anything.
  5. (1994) The military party collected the wreckage and bodies and cleaned up all traces of the crash. Bodies and wreckage were taken to Roswell Army Air Field. Witnesses were told to keep quiet and were threatened with reprisal if they revealed anything.
  6. (1994b) Major Jesse Marcel took the balloon wreckage back to RAAF. The military then cordoned off the debris area on the ranch and removed all debris and wreckage. They cleared the site completely. Witnesses were ordered to keep silent and were threatened with reprisal if they did not.


The base PR officer at Roswell Army Air Field issues a press release.

  1. (1980) The base PR officer issued a press release about the flying disk wreckage that had been recovered. It may have been an attempt to divert attention from the San Augustin crash site.
  2. (1988) A cover story ascribed the wreckage to a research balloon.
  3. (1991) The commander of the 509th Bomb Group wanted the local folks to know what was happening, so the base PR officer issued a press release which announced the recovery of flying disk wreckage.
  4. (1992) The base PR officer issued a press release about the flying disk wreckage that had been recovered. Better security would have prevented the issuance of the release.
  5. (1994) The base PR officer issued a press release announcing the recovery of flying saucer debris.
  6. (1994b) As ordered by base commander Blanchard, the base PR officer put out a press release announcing discovery of the wreckage of a flying disk.

The issuance of the press release announcing recovery of flying disk wreckage is a historical fact.


The wreckage is flown out for analysis

  1. (1980) The wreckage was sent to "higher headquarters."
  2. (1988) The wreckage was sent to several locations for study.
  3. (1991) The wreckage was sent to several locations for study. One of those locations was the base in Forth Worth, Texas.
  4. (1992) The wreckage was sent to several locations for study. One of those locations was the base in Forth Worth, Texas.
  5. (1994) The wreckage was sent to several locations for study. One of those locations was the base in Forth Worth, Texas.
  6. (1994b) The bodies and some of the wreckage were taken first to the RAAF hospital. They were later flown to other locations.

Here are some photos taken at Ft. Worth.


The First Press Release is Repudiated

  1. (1980) Within hours, the first press release was repudiated by General Ramey in Fort Worth. He said in an interview that the wreckage was that of a weather balloon.
  2. (1988) A cover story was released describing the wreckage as pieces of a weather balloon.
  3. (1991) Within hours, the first press release was repudiated by General Ramey in Fort Worth. He said in an interview that the wreckage was that of a weather balloon.
  4. (1992) Within hours, the first press release was repudiated by General Ramey in Fort Worth. He said in an interview that the wreckage was that of a radar reflector and weather balloon.
  5. (1994) Within hours, the first press release was repudiated by General Ramey in Fort Worth. He said in an interview that the wreckage was that of a weather balloon.
  6. (1994b) To preserve secrecy around the flying disk recovery, SAC orders General Ramey to put out the cover story that the wreckage is really balloon debris. This was also part of an effort to deflect attention from Project Mogul. This means that there were two cover stories: one concealing Project Mogul and another covering up the discovery of flying disk remains.

The repudiation by Gen. Ramey of the first press release is a historical fact. Also - the 1992 version of this part of the story is accurate. Project Mogul is a historical fact; documents concerning it were declassified in the 1970's and are available from the National Archive.


Contemporary Newspaper Stories (found by Ms. Kristin Mannino)


Funny Business with the Wreckage

  1. (1980) No claims of trickery regarding the wreckage.
  2. (1988) No claims of trickery regarding the wreckage.
  3. (1991) The wreckage that reporters saw in Gen. Ramey's office was fake balloon wreckage substituted for the real flying disk wreckage.
  4. (1992) The wreckage that reporters saw in Gen. Ramey's office was fake balloon wreckage substituted for the real flying disk wreckage.
  5. (1994) The wreckage that reporters saw in Gen. Ramey's office was fake balloon wreckage substituted for the real flying disk wreckage.
  6. (1994b) No mention of a wreckage switch. The cover story is described as covering for Project Mogul.

Notice the appearance in 1991 of the idea of wreckage substitution. This idea disappears as Project Mogul works its way into the story.


Summary

The story has morphed and changed over the years. Later versions contain details not present in the 1980 version. There are a lot more details that make interesting reading, but we can't easily fit them in here.

The switching of the wreckage in Gen. Ramey's office is part of an overall story of a massive government cover-up which includes all sorts of ruses for concealing the truth. This, in fact, makes the alien wreckage story into a non-falsifiable hypothesis. Any evidence or testimony that would show that the events as described did not happen is immediately attributed to the cover-up. Nothing can prove the story false; the cover-up device deals with all unfavorable evidence. The switching of the wreckage is an essential part of the cover-up; if the wreckage was not switched, it really was part of a balloon-borne radar reflector and was not alien.

Most, if not all, of the "evidence" concerning the recovery of saucer wreckage and alien bodies comes from one person - the late Frank J. Kaufmann. His testimony provided the stories that spawned several books about the Roswell incident. Kaufmann passed away in 2001. In 2002, three UFO researchers visited Kaufmann's widow, who allowed them access to his office and papers. In there the three found, finally, some real evidence. Unfortunately, that evidence, in the form of documents, drove them to the conclusion that Kaufmann had forged documents and made up stories for over a decade. None of his testimony is now believable. This discovery was made after Karl Pflock's book was published.

Take out Kaufmann's phoney tales about the recovery of alien spaceships and bodies and the part he had in these operations and there is essentially nothing left of the alien story.

This has been a necessarily abbreviated summary. Nothing beats reading the books yourself. By the way, Pflock's book is interesting. He is a UFOlogist who has thoroughly investigated the Roswell business and concluded that it is a non-event. Nothing alien happened there. The whole myth of aliens and flying saucers is based on Frank Kaufmann's hoaxes plus misinterpretations of what did happen.

Karl Pflock's conclusion is simply that the debris found on the ranch was that of an NYU balloon train (Flight #4) launched on June 4, 1947. There was indeed a cover-up as described in story 1994b; it was to deflect attention from the work associated with Mogul. There were no spaceships and no aliens.

As a last note - keep in mind the low probability that someone (anyone) can really accurately recall many details of events that happened 30 to 40 years earlier.

You can read the report about Frank Kaufmann here. It's worth the read; the report shows images of some of the falsified documents. As a follow-up, read this exchange with Kevin Randle.

Background

In 1947 Roswell Army Air Field was the home of the 509th Bomb Group, which was the direct descendant of the famous 509th Composite Group of the war. That group, commanded by Col. Paul Tibbets, was the outfit that delivered the two atomic bombs in August of 1945.

Resources

Here's a collection of web sites where you can find lots of interesting information on the subject. This is, of course, only a sample. There are LOTS more.







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