On June 24, 1997, the U.S. Air Force released a report titled “The Roswell Report: Case Closed,” addressing the mysterious incident near Roswell, New Mexico, that some believe was a UFO crash-landing on Earth. This was the second part of the government’s disclosure about the event, following a report published in 1994. The report, written by Secretary of the Air Force Sheila A. Widnall, aimed to uncover all records related to the incident and provide a complete and open explanation of the events that occurred in the Southwest many years ago.
The incident near Roswell occurred on June 14, 1947, when rancher W.W. (“Mac”) Brazel discovered unusual wreckage on his ranch. The debris consisted of rubber strips, tinfoil, paper, and sticks. Brazel left the finding untouched for about two weeks before collecting the debris on July 4 and eventually bringing it to the sheriff of Roswell. The sheriff, in turn, contacted the commander of the Roswell Army Airfield’s 509th Composite Group, Colonel “Butch” Blanchard, who sought the assistance of General Roger W. Ramey after being unable to identify the strange materials.
As attempts were made to ascertain the nature of the wreckage, Major Jesse Marcel, an intelligence officer, chose to make a public statement, leading to a local newspaper headline proclaiming that the RAAF had captured a flying saucer on a ranch in Roswell. This revelation sparked excitement and speculation, with some suggesting that it was easier for the Air Force to admit to a crashed alien spacecraft than to reveal the truth about Project Mogul, a classified program that operated from 1947-1949. The military later attempted to debunk the flying saucer story and claimed the debris was in fact from a high-altitude weather balloon.
Subsequent investigations revealed that the wreckage found on Brazel’s ranch was part of Project Mogul, a program that involved launching high-altitude balloons into the ionosphere to monitor Russian nuclear tests. Despite this explanation, Roswell has fully embraced the UFO craze, with the city featuring an alien on its official seal and hosting an annual UFO Festival that attracts enthusiasts from around the world. The International UFO Museum & Research Center in Roswell serves as a hub for those interested in extraterrestrial phenomena, and the city caters to visitors with official merchandise featuring flying saucers and other alien motifs.
