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In this editor’s opinion, the Roswell incident is the best-known and most well-documented UFO case in history.

It happened during the summer of 1947, a time when the world was gripped with both fascination and fear of extraterrestrial life. After all, the first (publicized) modern UFO sighting had happened just weeks before, in June, when pilot Kenneth Arnold reported seeing nine unidentified flying objects over Mount Rainier, Washington. This event heralded a wave of UFO sightings across the United States, fueling public interest in the possibility of alien visitation.

The Incident

In early July 1947, a rancher named W.W. “Mac” Brazel discovered unusual debris scattered across his property about 75 miles northwest of Roswell, New Mexico. The debris comprised metallic fragments, flexible I-beams bearing strange symbols, and thin, foil-like materials. Brazel reported his findings to the local authorities, who in turn notified the nearby Roswell Army Air Field (RAAF).

An investigation was conducted under the command of Colonel William Blanchard, and, On July 8, 1947, the RAAF issued a press release stating that they had recovered a “flying disc.” The Roswell Record snapped up the story for their front-page headline article, along with a photo of Major Jesse Marcel displaying some of those strange materials. However, the very next day, a higher-ranking officer, General Roger Ramey, held a press conference and retracted the initial statement. Ramey asserted that the debris was, in fact, from a weather balloon, sparking immediate public skepticism.

Explanations and Investigations

Let’s have a look at the possible theories out there:

1. Weather Balloon Theory: The official explanation given by the military at the time, asserting that the debris was from a classified weather balloon used for Project Mogul, a top-secret project designed to detect Soviet nuclear tests.
2. Military Aircraft Accident: Some researchers propose that the debris resulted from a classified military aircraft accident, and the weather balloon explanation served as a convenient cover.
3. Psychological Warfare Experiment: A minority view posits that the incident was an experiment in psychological warfare to gauge public reactions to UFO-related news.
4. UFO Crash: The extraterrestrial hypothesis suggests that an alien spacecraft crashed in Roswell, and the government engaged in a cover-up to hide the truth of alien contact.

In 1994, the U.S. Air Force released a report titled “The Roswell Report: Fact vs. Fiction in the New Mexico Desert,” which concluded that the debris was from Project Mogul and not an extraterrestrial craft because…. Of course, they did!

In 1996, while working on a paranormal television news magazine called Strange Universe, we ran across a new Roswell witness who had been the accountant for the Roswell base. He told us that, as he was in charge of accounts payable, he had authorized payment for “tiny” coffins. This was also confirmed by Roswell mortician, the late Glenn Dennis.

The Roswell UFO incident remains an enduring mystery continuing to attract widespread public interest. Why, indeed, the very name of the town is now and forever linked to the idea that we are indeed being visited.

Something happened out there.

Citations:

1. Randle, K. D., & Schmitt, D. R. (1991). The Truth About the UFO Crash at Roswell. Avon Books.
2. Berlitz, C., & Moore, W. L. (1980). The Roswell Incident. Grosset & Dunlap.
3. McAndrew, J. P. (1999). The Roswell Report: Case Closed. DIANE Publishing.
4. Rudiak, D. (2000). The Roswell UFO Crash: What They Don’t Want You to Know. Paranormal Magazine.
5. Thomas, W. J. (1995). The Roswell Incident and Project Mogul: A Case Closed. Skeptical Inquirer, 19(2).