The Roswell Incident, New Mexico
The summer of 1947 in Roswell, New Mexico, was unusually hot, but the heat wasn’t the only thing making headlines. While Roswell was familiar with its historical tapestry of Native American cultures, Spanish colonial heritage, longhorn cattle ranches, chili pepper farms, and the iconic American cowboy, something unprecedented was about to descend, not along the familiar dusty trails, but from the vast expanse of the sky above. That summer, the skies over Roswell, and indeed across the entire United States, became a stage for a series of perplexing events involving unidentified flying objects – UFOs – capturing the nation’s attention and sparking a debate that continues to this day.
The genesis of this nationwide fascination can be traced back to June 24, 1947, when pilot Kenneth Arnold reported observing a peculiar, disc-shaped object soaring at remarkable speed near Mount Rainier in Washington State. This initial report served as a catalyst, igniting a wave of similar accounts across the country. Hundreds of individuals came forward, claiming to have witnessed "flying saucers," further fueling the burgeoning mystery. However, it was Roswell, New Mexico, that would become inextricably linked to this phenomenon, forever altering its quiet existence and transforming it into a focal point for researchers, military personnel, and curious onlookers – a status it maintains even now.
The date was June 14, 1947. William "Mack" Brazel, the nephew of Wayne Brazel (infamously known for his alleged role in the killing of Pat Garrett), was tending to his duties on the J.B. Foster Ranch, where he worked as a rancher. Accompanied by his neighbor, Floyd Proctor, and Loretta Proctor’s son, Brazel set out to check on the livestock. During their rounds, the group stumbled upon a significant amount of unusual debris scattered across an area spanning approximately 200 yards.
The composition of the debris defied easy explanation. It consisted of brightly shimmering, tinfoil-like material, strips of dark grey, rubber-like substance, and fragments resembling thick paper. A more thorough examination of the site revealed a shallow trench, stretching several hundred feet in length, etched into the landscape. Despite the perplexing nature of the discovery, Brazel had a job to do. He noted the strange fragments and continued his rounds of the ranch.
Upon returning home from work, Brazel shared his discovery with his wife. Several weeks later, on July 4, 1947, Brazel, his wife, and their 14-year-old daughter, Betty, revisited the site. This time, they collected a substantial amount of the debris, transporting it back to their ranch.
The following day, Brazel took a portion of the recovered material to show his neighbors, the Proctors. It was during this exchange that Brazel first learned of the numerous "flying saucer" sightings reported by locals in the area. Mrs. Proctor suggested that the debris might be remnants of one of these mysterious objects. This marked a turning point, prompting Brazel to consider the potential significance of his find.
On Monday, July 7, Brazel traveled to town to conduct business. While there, he decided to inform Sheriff George Wilcox about the unusual debris he had found. Sheriff Wilcox, recognizing the potential importance of the information, promptly contacted the Roswell Army Air Field. In response, the base dispatched two officers: Major Jesse Marcel, the head Intelligence Officer, and Sheridan Cavitt, head of the Roswell Army Counterintelligence Corps, to investigate.
The officers accompanied Brazel back to the ranch, where they collected a portion of the debris before returning to the Roswell base. The Army then proceeded to cordon off the site, restricting access until the wreckage could be thoroughly cleared. The Roswell Incident was now officially on the military’s radar.
The next afternoon, Lieutenant Walter Haut, the Public Information Officer for the Roswell Airfield, acting under the orders of base commander Colonel Blanchard, issued a press release that sent shockwaves across the nation. The release stated that a "flying disk" had been recovered "sometime last week" by a local rancher and that the remains had been secured by the Intelligence Office for transfer to "higher headquarters." Simultaneously, the United Press reported that residents near the ranch had observed "a strange blue light several days ago about 3 a.m." These two reports ignited a media frenzy, inundating phone lines to New Mexico, the Pentagon, and Washington D.C., as reporters clamored for more information about the Roswell Incident.
However, just hours after the initial press release, another statement emerged, this time from Brigadier General Roger Ramey, the head of the Eighth Air Force in Fort Worth, Texas. Ramey claimed that the initial report was inaccurate and that the object recovered was merely a weather balloon equipped with a radar target attachment. This second press release appeared in the press on July 9, attempting to quell the growing excitement and speculation surrounding the Roswell Incident. Ramey later added that the balloon was a foil-covered box kite devoid of any identification markings or instruments.
Brazel, upon hearing this revised explanation, was astounded. He maintained that he had previously found two weather balloons on the ranch, but neither resembled the debris he had discovered in June 1947. In the aftermath, Brazel expressed regret over reporting the find, stating that he would never do so again, save for the discovery of a bomb.
Meanwhile, other peculiar events were unfolding in Roswell. One afternoon, the Ballard Funeral Home received a series of unusual phone calls from the Army Base. A young mortician named Glenn Dennis answered the calls, which came from the Mortuary Officer at the base. The officer inquired about acquiring small, hermetically sealed coffins and posed questions about preserving bodies exposed to the elements for several days without causing tissue contamination.
Dennis, understandably curious, drove to the base hospital that evening. There, he observed several large pieces of wreckage, including strange engravings protruding from the back of a military ambulance. He then visited a nurse he knew at the hospital. Their conversation was abruptly interrupted by military police, who threatened Dennis and forced him to leave the premises.
Undeterred, Dennis arranged to meet with the nurse the following day. She confided in him that several strange, small bodies had been found and even sketched drawings for him. However, just days later, the nurse was allegedly transferred to England, and her current whereabouts remain unknown. This added another layer of intrigue to the already complex Roswell Incident.
Other unusual occurrences were also reported. When Bud Payne, a rancher from Corona, attempted to round up a stray animal in the area where Brazel had discovered the debris, he was intercepted by military personnel and escorted away. Other locals who attempted to approach the debris field were similarly turned away, fueling suspicions of a cover-up surrounding the Roswell Incident.
The mystery surrounding the Roswell Incident and the accompanying controversy began almost immediately, prompting numerous investigations by private citizens, reporters, and, ultimately, the Air Force in 1994.
One report alleged that the military had been monitoring an unidentified flying object on radar for four days in southern New Mexico, eventually detecting that the object had crashed on the ground on July 4, 1947.
William Woody, an eyewitness who lived east of Roswell, corroborated this report, stating that he had seen a brilliant object plummet to the ground on the same evening. When he and his father attempted to locate the crash site, they were stopped by military personnel who had cordoned off the area.
Major Jesse Marcel, the head of Roswell’s Army Counterintelligence Corps, who was sent to investigate Mack Brazel’s story, later remarked that "something must have exploded above the ground and fell." He described the debris, noting that the tinfoil-type substance was indestructible. He further stated, "I didn’t know what we were picking up. I still don’t know what it was… it could not have been part of an aircraft, not part of any weather balloon or experimental balloon… I’ve seen rockets… sent up at the White Sands Testing Grounds. It was not part of an aircraft or missile or rocket."
Brigadier General Thomas DuBose, the chief of staff of the Eighth Air Force, later stated that the weather balloon explanation was a "cover story" and that he personally received the order from Washington to initiate a cover-up.
The inconsistencies in the official accounts are undeniable. Numerous military and civilian witnesses offered conflicting versions of events, none of which supported the Air Force’s weather balloon explanation.
Adding to the complexity, later stories emerged alleging that the military had also recovered an intact alien aircraft, complete with alien bodies. These accounts have become known as the "Area 51 Cover-up."
Several theories are proposed by UFO proponents, including a mid-air collision between two alien spacecraft or the possibility that the craft was struck by lightning.
Despite the U.S. Government’s continued denial of extraterrestrial visitation, a significant portion of the American public believes that aliens have indeed visited Earth and that Roswell is, in fact, the site of a UFO crash.
Regardless of one’s beliefs, the mystery surrounding the Roswell Incident, as well as UFOs in general, remains a source of enduring fascination for people around the world. In 1991, two original witnesses to the Roswell Incident decided to open a museum to share their knowledge with the public. These individuals were Walter Haut, the Public Information Officer at the Army Air Field who issued the initial press release, and Glenn Dennis, the mortician who fielded the strange inquiries from the Army base. They enlisted the help of Max Littell, a local real estate developer, and the three men founded the museum.
The International UFO Museum and Research Center quickly gained popularity, attracting nearly 150,000 visitors during its first four years. The museum is dedicated to the collection and preservation of materials related to the 1947 Roswell Incident and other unexplained phenomena in UFO research. By 1996, it had become the top tourist destination in New Mexico. The museum was rededicated at a new location the following year, with interactive technologies incorporated to enhance the visitor experience.
A visit to the museum offers visitors a comprehensive overview of the event, including alleged debris, accounts of civilians being threatened by the U.S. Army, depictions of UFOs, books, and other research materials.
Roswell, New Mexico, has become synonymous with UFOs and unexplained phenomena. The museum also hosts an annual UFO festival each summer, further cementing its place as a hub for UFO enthusiasts.