The Untold Story of the Roswell Incident

At Fort Worth Army Airfield, Brig. General Roger Ramey, holding telegram, inspects debris brought back from Roswell.
At Fort Worth Army Airfield, Brig. General Roger Ramey, holding telegram, inspects debris brought back from Roswell.

The Roswell incident was an alleged UFO crash that happened in Roswell, New Mexico, in July 1947. According to some accounts, a UFO landed near Roswell, and the US military collected the wreckage. 

The military eventually stated that the wreckage was from a weather balloon. Still, many people feel that the military was attempting to conceal the truth that they had discovered an alien spaceship.

Several conspiracy theories and claims have been made regarding the occurrence, but no substantial proof has been found to support the premise that an extraterrestrial spacecraft landed at Roswell. Nevertheless, the occurrence has become one of the most well-known and contentious UFO stories in history, and it remains a source of fascination for many people.

Roswell crash site - map
Roswell crash site – map

Roswell Incident – What Happened?

The Roswell Army Airfield (RAAF) released a news statement on July 7, 1947, reporting that a “flying disc” had been retrieved from a ranch near Roswell, New Mexico. The news statement sparked widespread speculation that the military had discovered an extraterrestrial spaceship.

A news conference was conducted at the RAAF base on July 8 to discuss the recovery of the “flying disc.” Major Jesse Marcel, the intelligence officer for the 509th Bomb Group, presented reporters with bits of metal debris he alleged were from the “disc” at the news conference. Marcel reported that the metal was unlike anything he had ever seen before and that the debris was exceedingly odd and adorned with bizarre symbols.

Sacramento Bee article from July 8, 1947, about the Roswell UFO incident
Sacramento Bee article from July 8, 1947, about the Roswell UFO incident

The news statement sparked widespread speculation that the military had discovered an extraterrestrial spaceship. However, the RAAF published a second statement a few days later, claiming that the debris was from a weather balloon and that the previous news release had been a mistake.

Regardless of the military’s explanation, many individuals remained dubious, believing that the government was concealing the actual nature of the incident. In the years after that, several claims have been made by those claiming to have been engaged in the wreckage retrieval or to have knowledge of the occurrence. Some of these allegations were eventually refuted, while others could not be verified independently.

Maj Jesse A Marcel with Rocwell debris Courtesy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram Photograph Collection, Special Collections, The University of Texas at Arlington Library, Arlington, Texas.
Maj Jesse A Marcel with Roswell debris – Courtesy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram Photograph Collection, Special Collections, The University of Texas at Arlington Library, Arlington, Texas.

In the 1990s, the US military investigated the Roswell event and decided that the wreckage was likely from Project Mogul, a top-secret military project that deployed high-altitude balloons to observe Soviet nuclear testing. Many individuals, however, remain persuaded that the encounter featured an extraterrestrial spaceship, and the Roswell incident remains a source of controversy and curiosity.

The Eyewitnesses of the Incident and What They Said

Several persons claim to have been eyewitnesses or had information about the Roswell incident. However, these eyewitness stories are frequently conflicting and must be independently validated. Here are a few instances of claims made by eyewitnesses:

Mac Brazel, the ranch foreman, discovered the debris on a property outside Roswell. He immediately informed authorities about the debris and was questioned by the military and the press. Brazel initially claimed that the wreckage was from a “flying disc” but revised his tale later and stated that it was only a weather balloon.

Major Jesse Marcel, the intelligence officer for the 509th Bomb Group, was involved in the wreckage recovery. Marcel remarked that the wreckage was unusual and unlike anything he had ever seen. He further stated that the metal was light, readily bent or broken, and bore weird markings.

Glenn Dennis is a mortician who was there at the Roswell facility when the extraterrestrial remains were brought in. Dennis stated he was instructed to produce miniature air-tight coffins for the deceased and that he had seen one of the bodies up close. The body, he said, had a huge head and little, skinny limbs and legs.

In 1997, retired Lt. Col. Philip J. Corso said in his autobiographical book The Day After Roswell that the Roswell Crash did happen and that when he was sent to Fort Riley (Kansas) in July 1947, a Sergeant showed him purportedly-nonhuman remains that were from an “air crash.” 

Brig. Gen. Brown (left) shakes the hand of Maj. Philip Corso, when he received his bronze star
Brig. Gen. Brown (left) shakes the hand of Maj. Philip Corso, when he received his bronze star.

Corso further stated that years later, he assisted in overseeing a project to reverse engineer retrieved crash wreckage. Philip Klass examined his allegations line by line, revealing several contradictions and factual inaccuracies.

William Brazel, Mac Brazel’s son, claimed to have witnessed the wreckage on the property with his father. Brazel stated the wreckage belonged to a “flying saucer” and was constructed of lightweight metal, unlike anything he had ever seen before.

The Conspiracy Theories Behind the Incident 

Many conspiracy theories emerged after the Roswell incident, and these hypotheses have grown and altered through time. Here are a few examples of popular conspiracy theories:

It is an alien spacecraft: The most well-known conspiracy theory is that an extraterrestrial spaceship landed near Roswell, and the military covered up the actual nature of the incident. However, according to this story, the military collected the aliens’ debris and remains and has been conducting secret studies on the aliens’ technology and biology ever since.

Roswell Incident is a government cover-up: Some people feel that the government is intentionally attempting to conceal the true nature of the incident and that they have been lying about what happened at Roswell. According to this idea, the military’s statement that a weather balloon caused the wreckage is a hoax designed to divert attention away from reality.

Roswell incident reported in the paper Roswell Daily Record
Roswell incident reported in the paper Roswell Daily Record

Roswell is a failed military experiment: Another idea holds that the Roswell incident was the product of a botched military experiment. According to this idea, the military was testing with sophisticated technology or weaponry at the time of the disaster, and the failure of the experimental equipment was to blame.

It never happened: Some individuals believe the entire episode was a fraud and that no UFO crashed at Roswell. According to this idea, those who claimed to have observed or known about the accident were lying or part of a planned event.

Conclusion

The Roswell incident is highly contentious and debatable and has garnered much attention. Unfortunately, while many ideas and claims have been made concerning the occurrence, much of the material that has been circulated must be substantiated by solid evidence.

Despite the numerous explanations and assertions, the exact nature of the event remains a mystery and will most likely continue to be the topic of curiosity and controversy. Therefore, when analyzing allegations concerning the Roswell incident, it is critical to be careful and seek out many sources of information to have a more balanced and accurate view of the event. As a result, it is impossible to draw firm conclusions regarding what occurred at Roswell in 1947.

Numerous books, articles, and movies have been written on the Roswell incident, which has become one of the most well-known UFO accounts in popular culture. Yet, despite all of the attention, the real nature of the incident remains a mystery and will most likely continue to be the topic of discussion and controversy.

Sources

https://vault.fbi.gov/Roswell%20UFO/Roswell%20UFO%20Part%201%20of%201/view