June 24, 1997, marked an important day in history as the U.S. Air Force released a comprehensive 232-page report titled “The Roswell Report: Case Closed.” This report shed light on a mysterious incident near Roswell, New Mexico, that has sparked speculations of a UFO crash-landing on Earth. This release served as the second part of the government’s disclosure regarding the events that took place in rural New Mexico during the 1940s. Preceding this report, in 1994, the government released another document titled “The Roswell Report: Fact vs. Fiction in the New Mexico Desert.”
Secretary of the Air Force Sheila A. Widnall, in her foreword for the 1997 report, acknowledged the central place that the “Roswell Incident” holds in American folklore. She mentioned the Air Force’s participation in these events and highlighted their commitment to uncovering all records related to the incident, in response to the General Accounting Office’s tasking. Their objective was simple and unwavering: to uncover all facts and bring them into the light. If there were classified documents, they aimed to declassify them, and if dispersed, consolidate them for public review.
Secretary Widnall believed that with the publication of “The Roswell Report: Case Closed,” they had accomplished their goal of providing a complete and transparent explanation of the events that occurred in the Southwest many years ago. The report’s findings centered around a rancher named W.W. (“Mac”) Brazel, who made an unusual discovery on his ranch in June 1947, approximately 80 miles northwest of Roswell. The scene consisted of a large area of bright wreckage composed of rubber strips, tinfoil, tough paper, and sticks. Uncertain about the significance of his finding, Brazel left it undisturbed for about two weeks before reporting it to the sheriff of Roswell on July 4. The sheriff, George Wilcox, subsequently contacted Colonel “Butch” Blanchard, the commander of the Roswell Army Airfield’s (RAAF) 509th Composite Group.
Blanchard, just as perplexed by the discovery, reached out to his superior, General Roger W. Ramey of the 8th Air Force based in Fort Worth, Texas. In addition to General Ramey, Blanchard sought the expertise of Major Jesse Marcel, an intelligence officer. Together with Brazel and Wilcox, they returned to the ranch to investigate further. While attempting to identify the materials, Marcel made a public statement, which garnered attention when it appeared in the local afternoon newspaper, the Roswell Daily Record, on July 8. The headline boldly proclaimed, “RAAF Captures Flying Saucer on Ranch in Roswell,” further fueling the frenzy surrounding the incident.
The revelation that the RAAF possessed an extraterrestrial object triggered widespread excitement. Some skeptics suspected a government cover-up of extraterrestrial life. Roger Lanius, former curator of Space History at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, highlighted the Air Force’s preference for the existence of a crashed “alien” spacecraft over revealing the truth, referring to the classified Project Mogul. The military attempted to downplay the flying saucer story the following day, but it was too late. Eventually, it was revealed that the peculiar wreckage was part of Project Mogul, a classified program involving the launching of high-altitude balloons into the ionosphere for monitoring Russian nuclear tests. One of these balloons had crashed on Brazel’s ranch.
Roswell has wholly embraced the UFO craze that stemmed from this incident. The city’s official seal depicts an alien, while the “Welcome to Roswell” sign showcases a cow being abducted by a flying saucer. Tourism in Roswell capitalizes on the extraterrestrial theme, offering official merchandise featuring flying saucers and other relevant motifs. The city hosts an annual “UFO Festival,” attracting UFO enthusiasts from far and wide. Additionally, Roswell is home to the International UFO Museum & Research Center.
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