First Words About Roswell

Continuing this focus on the anniversary of this watershed event of the 20th century:

Sometimes in research it is best to plod through the modern verbosity and head right to the source. A novel idea, but one so many seem to avoid. So what was said in those early days, other than the well documented Marcel, Blanchard, etc. ? Since it my blog - read the comments after each.

FBI Teletype dated 7/6/47“an object purporting to be a flying disc as recovered near Roswell, New Mexico, this date. The disc is hexagonal in shape and was suspended from a ballon (sic) by cable, which ballon (sic) was approximately twenty feet in diameter. [blacked out] further advised that the object found resembles a high altitude weather balloon with a radar reflector, but that telephonic conversation between their office and Wright field had not [blacked out]borne out this belief. Disc and balloon being transported this office because of national interest in case,…no further investigation being conducted.” It would be very interesting to see who advised the object looked like a balloon. What office communicated with Wright?

Roswell Daily Record, July 8, 1947, “Roswell Man and Wife Report Disk Seen”“Mr. and Mrs. Dan Wilmot apparently were the only persons in Roswell who saw what they thought was a flying disk…..a large glowing object zoomed out of the sky from the southeast, going in a northeasterly direction at a high rate of speed…it was in sight less than a minute….in appearance it looked oval in shape like two inverted saucers, faced mouth to mouth…. (http://www.grassyhill.com/Roswell/Articles?pressReports.htm accessed 5/5/2001).

Note the speed, direction, and behavior - do these jibe with Project Mogul?

The Wyoming Eagle, July 9, 1947 , McMenamin, William F. “Only Meager Details of Flying Disc Given”“AAF spokesman would only say that the “saucer” was a flimsily-constructed, kite-like object measuring about 25 feet in diameter and covered with a material resembling tin foil.” A phone call to Ft Worth and general Ramey revealed “ It bore no identification marks and Ramey emphasized that no one had seen it in flight….AAF sources ruled out the possibility that it might have been an army weather-kite. Helium balloons have been used for weather recording for the past eight years…AAF commanders in New Mexico refused to permit the object to be photographed on the grounds it was “high level stuff”…Ramey was reported to have said he was not attaching too much import to it… Note that Ramey underlines no one saw it in flight - despite the Wilxoc report of (article above) seeing something. This so easily mis-identifed object was a weather balloon used for 8 years. Roswell personnel thought it was "high level stuff" not to be photographed and yet Ramey will do just that in a matter of hours....

Ceylon Observer, July 9, 1947“Flying Saucer” over S. Africa, Canada and Austrailia?A Reuters report indicated that 41 states had reported mysterious objects….and they had been also seen in Canada, South Africa, and Australia. Witnesses saw silver “donuts” and objects in a v formation and some that glowed. Note that these balloons must have really gotten around, especially since there were only 10 flights in Project Mogul.

Roswell Daily Record, July 9, 1947, “Harassed Rancher who Located ‘Saucer’ Sorry he told about it”“Brazel said that he had previously fund two weather balloons on the ranch, but that what he found this did not in any way resemble either of these. “I am sure what I found was not any weather observation balloon, “ he said.” The farmer had previous experience with balloons - the components were basically the same components as evidenced by the Project descriptions -so what was so unusaul that Brazel, once he heard reports of flying discs, thought he should report it?

Las Vegas Review, July 8, 1947 a UP story reported that the Army and the Navy “began a concentrated campaign to stop the rumors” and that as a result flying saucer reports “fell sharply”. A little reactionary is it? They had the cover, balloons, but they now felt a need to clamp down on it?

--Spellbound Stories, used with permission