From: wilbur@cps.msu.edu (Brick Wilbur) Subject: Handy Roswell Summary(3518) Sun 13 Sep 92 17:50 Date: 20 Nov 1994 08:17:53 GMT Organization: Michigan State University, CPS Department --------------------------------------------------------------------------- @PID: QE 2.75+ [The following is a teletype message from the Dallas, TX, FBI office to the Cincinati, OH, FBI office regarding the event at Roswell. The "xx" means it was scratched out, "??" means I couldn't read it. The following material is from: _The Roswell Report: A Historical Perspective_, George M. Eberhart editor, 1991 the J. Allen Hynek Center for UFO Studies. ISBN 0-929343-59-X.] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- FBI DALLAS 7-8-47 6-17 PM DIRECTOR AND SAC, CINCINNATI URGENT FLYING DISC, INFORMATION CONCERNING. MAJOR CURTAN, HEADQUARTERS EIGHTH AIR FORCE, TELEPHONICALLY ADVISED THIS OFFICE THAT AN OBJECT PURPORTING TO BE A FLYING DISC WAS RE COVERED NEAR ROSWELL, NEW MEXICO, THIS DATE. THE DISC IS HEXAGONAL IN SHAPE AND WAS SUSPENDED FROM A BALLON BY A CABLE, WHICH BALLON WAS APPROXIMATELY TWENTY FEET IN DIAMETER. MAJOR CURTAN 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 xxxxxxxxxx BORNE OUT THIS BELIEF. DISC AND BALLOON BEING TRANSPORTED TO WRIGHT FIELD BY SPECIAL PLANE FOR EXAMIN INFORMATION PROVIDED THIS OFFICE BECAUSE OF NATIONAL INTEREST IN CASE xxxx AND FACT THAT NATIONAL BROADCASTING COMPANY, ASSOCIATED PRESS, A OTHERS ATTEMPTING TO BREAK STORY OF LOCATION OF DISC TODAY. MAJOR CURTAN ADVISED WOULD REQUEST WRIGHT FIELD TO ADVISE CINCINNATI OFFICE RESULTS OF EXAMINATION. NO FURTHER INVESTIGATION BEING CONDUCTED. WYLY END CXXXX ACK IN ORDER WA ?? FBI CI MJW BPI HS S-32 PM O O-22 PM OM FBI WASH DC VH ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ROSWELL ERA REVISITED ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ( ; REDWOOD CITY, Calif., July 4, 1947 (AP) ; ; ; ;- A flight of about 30 flying saucers was observed at 10:35 ; ;a.m. (PST) today over the San Carlos area, Stanley Miramon ; ;and his mother, Mrs. Marie Maranta reported. ; ; ; ; Miramon said the group circled over one spot northeast of ; ;San Carlos, at an altitude of 2,000 feet. They were round, ; ;silvery in color, and "about the size of an automobile." ; ; ; ; He said a two engine transport plane was in the same ; ;general area and it appeared the pilot saw the "things" and ; ;headed toward them. ; ; ; ; Miramon said he ran into the house to telephone a ; ;newspaper, and by the time he returned to the street the ; ;objects were gone. ; ; ; ;=END= ; ; ; ; [From the Norman Transcript, Oklahoma] ; ; ; ; WASHINGTON, July 4 - (UP) - ; ; ; ;Army research experts can't explain the "flying saucers" ; ;reported in several states, but they're investigating, they ; ;said. ; ; ; ;They are even considering the possibility, however remote, ; ;that some foreign power may have something to do with the ; ;flying discs. ; ; ; ;The Army Air Forces checked all of their research ; ;authorities and contractors, but none of them knew or could ; ;suggest anything concrete about the saucers. ; ; ; ;At first Army officers laughed off the reports. Now, they ; ;are beginning to take them at least a little seriously. At ; ;any rate, the Air research center at Wright Field is looking; ;into the reports, and all service intelligence agencies are ; ;at work on them. Army experts suggested - as a bare ; ;possibility - that some civilian investor has been making ; ;some experiments of some kind. ; ; ; ;The possibility that the discs might be of foreign origin ; ;was indirectly put forward by an AAF spokesman who said: ; ; ; ; "If some foreign power is sending flying discs over the ; ; United States, it is our responsibility ; ; to know about it and take proper action." ; ; ; ;=END= ; ; [Provided by Oklahoma MUFON] ; ; [From the Norman Transcript, Oklahoma] ; ; ; ; July 4, 1947 ; ; ; ; MORE FLYING DISCS REPORTED ; ; ; ; by United press ; ; ; ;A flight of "flying saucers" has been reported in eastern ; ;Canada but reaction there to the mystery missiles reported ; ;earlier in nine states of the United States was "they're ; ;probably leftovers from the mad hatter's tea party minus ; ;cups, of course." ; ; ; ;Dr. and Mrs. C.K. Gunn and two friends said they saw strange; ;objects "traveling at great speed high in the sky" last ; ;Tuesday near their home at Summerside on Prince Edward ; ;island. ; ; ; ;Roland Phillipson, one of the four, described the objects as; ;shapeless, but glistening in the sunlight. ; ; ; ;Father Burke-Gaffney, astronomer and dean of engineering at ; ;St. Mary's college at Halifax, said the saucers were ; ;"outside the realm of astronomy." Another Canadian source ; ;said "It's probably a matter for witch doctors." ; ; ; ;Army research experts in Washington said they can't explain ; ;the saucers reported whizzing across the sky by persons in ; ;eight states, but they said they are investigating. ; ; ; ;An Albuquerque, New Mexico Chamber of Commerce official, Max; ;Hood, reported he saw "a disk-like bluish object following a; ;zig-zag path in the northwestern sky" over New Mexico on ; ;July 01. ; ; ; ;Other "saucers" previously were reported seen over a Navajo ; ;Indian reservation in northwestern New Mexico, and over ; ;Gallup, near Silver city, Sante Fe, Elephant Butte and ; ;other points in the state. ; ; ; ;A U.S. meteorologist, E.E. Unger of Louisville, said he saw ; ;a circular object flying through the air Tuesday night as he; ;left a neighborhood theater. He said it was moving about ; ;100 miles an hour, and giving off an orange light. ; ; ; ;Mrs. Louis Goldstein, wife of a deputy sheriff at Monterrey,; ;California, reported she saw one of the "flying saucers" or ; ;discs at 7:45 a.m. (PST) today while looking out a window of; ;her home by Monterrey airport. "I know people will say I'm ; ;crazy, but I saw a quite-rounded flying object, not ; ;circular, with a red glow on one edge." Mrs. Goldstein said.; ;"I saw it for 10 or 15 seconds - then, suddenly it ; ;vanished." ; ; ; ;Airlines reported no planes in flight in the area at the ; ;time. The only plane at the airport was grounded. ; ;The projectiles, variously described as "too fast for an ; ;airplane and not fast enough for a falling star," "not ; ;moving at all," and "traveling at great speed," were ; ;reported seen again Thursday night streaking over Denver. ; ; ; ;It was the third report of the "saucers" this week, while ; ;persons in Idaho, Oregon, California, New Mexico and other ; ;states reported seeing various versions of the unexplained ; ;projectiles last week. ; ; ; ;Mrs. L.M. Wagoner and her eight-year-old son of Sherman, ; ;Texas reported they saw a flying disc about 7 p.m. Sunday ; ;while traveling between Dallas and Corsicana. Mrs. Wagoner ; ;said the disc, about the size of a man's hat, was traveling ; ;northward and disappeared in a few seconds. ; ; ; ;A Dallas man, Tom Dean, said he and his wife and daughter ; ;saw a disc-shaped object "going like blue blazes from ; ;northeast to southwest at cloud level" Tuesday while ; ;traveling between Dallas and Fort Worth. Dean said it ; ;resembled a flattened-out balloon and was in sight for 12 ; ;or 15 seconds. ; ; ; ;A shiny disc, traveling about 150 miles per hour, was seen ; ;over El Paso, Texas, at 3:30 p.m. MST, Sunday, June 22, ; ;(NOTE: before the Kenneth Arnold sighting) by Dr. G. Oliver ; ;Dickson, an optometrist. He said it was shaped a little ; ;like a blimp, coming to a point at each end. The sun's rays; ;were not reflected on it, he added. ; ; ; ;Lt. Gov. Donald S. Whitehead of Idaho said today that he saw; ;a strange comet-like object hanging high in the western sky ; ;on June 24. That was the day Kenneth Arnold, Boise, Idaho, ; ;first reported seeing the projectiles over southeastern ; ;Washington. ; ; ; ;Their stories varied. Arnold had estimated the projectiles ; ;speed at 1,200 miles an hour. Whitehead said the objects he; ;and three other witnesses saw "didn't move, but just seemed ; ;to go below the horizon with the rotation of the earth." ; ;At Denver Henry Martin and Walter Harrod said they caught a ; ;brief glimpse of a group of "bright objects" flying at about; ;5,000 feet Thursday night. Martin said they looked like ; ;coffee can cups. They were traveling in a southwesterly ; ;direction, he said. ; ; ; ;State Highway Patrol Sgt. David Menary, of San Francisco's ; ;Golden Gate Bridge detail, reported seeing a dozen bright ; ;metal objects "about the size of a football" whiz over San ; ;Francisco Bay June 24 and fall into the sea. ; ; ; ;Dick Rankin, former Portland, Oregon flyer, said he saw the ; ;discs high over Bakersfield, California, going from 200 to ; ;400 miles an hour June 23. There were ten of them in a ; ;formation flying north, he said. ; ; ; ;At Bath, South Carolina, Jack Reams reported that last week ; ;he saw a disc 12 inches in diameter, giving off a small ; ;weird light as it whizzed through the sky at a tremendous ; ;speed. ; ; ; ;=END= ; TIME FOR THE TRUTH ABOUT ROSWELL Forty-seven years ago, an incident occurred in the southwestern desert of the United States that could have significant implications for all mankind. The incident was announced by the U.S. military, subsequently denied by the U.S. military, and has remained veiled in government secrecy ever since. Although it is in a category fraught with false claims and hoaxes, it is not a hoax or false claim, but rather a known event that is thoroughly documented. It is the objective here to summarize the details of that event, affirm the right of all people throughout the world to know the truth about what occurred, and propose a course of action that will allow that truth to emerge. The event took place during the first week of July 1947 and involved the recovery of wreckage by the military from a remote ranch northwest of Roswell, New Mexico. There is now considerable testimony from former members of the military known to have been involved, including two brigadier generals, that the recovered material was not of terrestrial origin. Admittedly, such a claim taxes the limits of credibility for discerning and rational individuals. It also tends to evoke a response of immediate dismissal. The preponderance of evidence, however, indicates the event occurred. On January 12, 1994, United States Congressman Steven Schiff of Albuquerque, New Mexico, stated to the press that he had been stonewalled by the Defense Department when requesting information regarding the 1947 Roswell event on behalf of constituents and witnesses. Indicating he was seeking further investigation into the matter, Congressman Schiff called the Defense Department's lack of response "astounding" and concluded it was apparently "another government coverup." Most people are not aware that there exists an event of this nature so well substantiated. In the next year public awareness of the Roswell incident should grow. A new hardcover book has been released, a television movie will premiere, and a serious documentary is forthcoming. Questions, controversy, and a general distrust of U.S. Government policy in this area are bound to increase. Detailed information on the recovery of the wreckage at Roswell and of related events is extensive. Some years ago investigators were able to obtain a copy of the 1947 Roswell Army Air Field yearbook. This enabled them to locate witnesses throughout the country. Newspaper accounts show that during late June and early July 1947, there was a wave of reports of "flying disks" (UFOs) throughout the United States and Canada. Many of those reports came from credible witnesses, including pilots and other trained observers. Sometime during the first week of July 1947, a local New Mexico rancher, Mac Brazel, while riding out in the morning to check his sheep after a night of intense thunderstorms, discovered a considerable amount of unusual debris. It had created a shallow gouge several hundred feet long and was scattered over a large area. Some of the debris had strange physical properties. After taking a few pieces to show his neighbors, Floyd and Loretta Proctor, Brazel drove into Roswell and contacted the sheriff, George Wilcox. Sheriff Wilcox notified authorities at Roswell Army Air Field and with the assistance of his deputies, proceeded to investigate the matter. Shortly after becoming involved, the military closed off the area for a number of days and retrieved the wreckage. It was initially taken to Roswell Army Air Field and eventually flown by B-29 and C-54 aircraft to Wright Field in Dayton, Ohio. Roswell Army Air Field was the home of the 509th Bomb Group, which was an elite outfit -- the only atomic group in the world. On the morning of July 8, 1947, Colonel William Blanchard, Commander of the 509th Bomb Group, issued a press release stating that the wreckage of a "crashed disk" (UFO) had been recovered. The press release was transmitted over the wire services in time to make headlines in over thirty U.S. afternoon newspapers that same day. Within hours, a second press release was issued from the office of General Roger Ramey, Commander of the Eighth Air Force at Fort Worth Army Air Field in Texas, 400 miles from the crash site. It rescinded the first press release and, in effect, claimed that Colonel Blanchard and the officers of the 509th Bomb Group at Roswell had made an unbelievably foolish mistake and somehow incorrectly identified a weather balloon and its radar reflector as the wreckage of a "crashed disk." One of those two press releases had to be untrue. There is now solid testimony from numerous credible military and civilian witnesses who were directly involved, that the "crashed disk" press release issued by Colonel William Blanchard of the 509th Bomb Group from Roswell was true and that the subsequent "weather balloon" press release from Eighth Air Force Headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas, was a hastily contrived cover story. Those who knew and worked with William Blanchard say he was a solid, no-nonsense, businesslike individual, and not someone who would make a fool of himself and the Air Force by ordering a press release about something as out of the ordinary and dramatic as the event at Roswell without being certain he was correct. In other words, if Blanchard issued a press release saying there was a crashed disk, there was a crashed disk. Colonel William Blanchard would later go on to become a four-star general and Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force. The first witness located by investigators who was willing to testify and allow his name to be used was retired Lieutenant Colonel Jesse Marcel, the intelligence officer of the 509th Bomb Group at Roswell. He was a highly competent individual and one of the first two military officers at the actual crash site. In a 1979 videotaped interview, Jesse Marcel stated, "...it was not a weather balloon, nor was it an airplane or a missile." As to the exotic properties of some of the material, he stated, "It would not burn...that stuff weighs nothing, it's so thin, it isn't any thicker than the tinfoil in a pack of cigarettes. So, I tried to bend the stuff. It wouldn't bend. We even tried making a dent in it with a sixteen-pound sledge hammer. And there was still no dent in it." It is inconceivable that a man of Jesse Marcel's qualifications and experience, the intelligence officer of the only atomic-bomb group in the world, would have mistaken any kind of conventional wreckage, much less the remains of a weather balloon and its radar reflector, for that of a craft or vehicle that in his words was "not of this earth." Even if he had initially made such a gross misidentification, he would certainly have been able to see his mistake later after it had been brought to his attention. When returning to the base, he stopped by his house with a few pieces of the unusual wreckage to show his wife and eleven-year-old son. One piece, a small section of I-beam, had strange hieroglyphic like symbols on its surface. His son, Dr. Jesse Marcel, Jr., now a practicing medical doctor and qualified National Guard helicopter pilot and flight surgeon, remembers the incident well. He has been able to produce detailed drawings of some of the symbols. During his career, Jesse Marcel Sr., went on to other important assignments, including the preparation of a report on the first Soviet nuclear detonation, which went directly to President Truman. The late General Thomas DuBose was a colonel and General Ramey's chief of staff at Eighth Air Force Headquarters in Forth Worth, Texas, in 1947. Before his death in 1992, General DuBose testified that he himself had taken the telephone call from General Clements McMullen at Andrews Army Air Field in Washington, D.C., ordering the coverup. The instructions were for General Ramey to concoct a "cover story" to "get the press off our backs." Retired General Arthur E. Exon was stationed at Wright Field in Dayton, Ohio, as a lieutenant colonel in July of 1947 during the time the wreckage from Roswell was brought in. In a 1990 inter- view, General Exon said of the testing, "Everything from chemical analysis, stress tests, compression tests, flexing. It was brought into our material evaluation labs. (Some of it) could be easily ripped or changed...there were other parts of it that were very thin but awfully strong and couldn't be dented with heavy hammers...." Of the men that did the testing, he said, "...the overall consensus was that the pieces were from space." The testimony of Mr. Glenn Dennis leaves little doubt about the nature of what was recovered in 1947. Glenn Dennis still lives in the Roswell, New Mexico, area and is a respected businessman and member of the community. He is down-to-earth and straightforward. In 1947 Glenn Dennis was a young mortician working for the Ballard Funeral Home, which had a contract to provide mortuary and ambulance services for Roswell Army Air Field. Prior to learning about the recovery of the unusual wreckage at Roswell, he received several telephone calls one afternoon from the mortuary officer at the air field. He was asked about the availability of small, hermetically sealed caskets and questioned about how to preserve bodies that had been exposed to the elements for several days. There was concern about possibly altering the chemical composition of the tissue. Later that evening, as a result of unrelated events, he made a trip to the base hospital. Outside the back entrance he observed two military ambulances with open rear doors, from which large pieces of wreckage protruded, including one with a row of unusual symbols on its surface. Once inside, he encountered a young nurse whom he knew. At that same instant, he was noticed by military police, who physically threatened him and forcibly escorted him from the building. He met with the nurse the next day, and she explained what had been going on at the hospital. She was a very religious person and was upset to the point of being in a state of shock. She described how she had been called in to assist two doctors who were doing autopsies on several small nonhuman bodies. She described the terrible smell, how one body was in good shape and the others mangled, and the differences between their anatomy and human anatomy. She also drew a diagram :6 on a napkin showing an outline of their features. That meeting was to be their last -- she was transferred to England a few days later. The main part of the craft apparently came down some distance from the "debris field" at the Brazel ranch. Researchers were only recently able to confirm this second site because few people knew about it. According to witness testimony, this is also the site where the bodies were found. Most of the witnesses to this site have not, in fear of government reprisal, allowed their names to be used. A prestigious law firm has recently been retained to provide legal counsel to any such witnesses who might consider going public with their testimony. Attorneys from the firm have already met with several Roswell witnesses. In addition to Glenn Dennis, other witnesses were physically threatened or intimidated. According to members of Sheriff Wilcox's family, he was told by the military, in the presence of his wife, that he and his entire family would be killed if he ever spoke about what he had seen. The rancher who originally discovered the wreckage, Mac Brazel, was sequestered by the military for almost a week and sworn to secrecy. He never spoke about the incident again, even to his family. In the months following the incident, his son, Bill Brazel, found and collected a few "scraps" of material, which he kept in a cigar box. The material was eventually confiscated by the military. Despite the fact that there has been publicity about the Roswell case since 1980, no witness involved in the recovery has ever come forward to corroborate the "weather balloon" story or to provide some other explanation for the wreckage, such as a V2 Missile or experimental aircraft. (Both possibilities have been thoroughly checked out and eliminated.) If there had been a more mundane explanation for the unusual debris, it seems certain someone would have come forward with it by now. While it is possible that the Roswell witnesses, who live in diverse parts of the country, have been engaged in a perfectly orchestrated, long-term hoax with no clear motive, it is unlikely. It is true there are a few minor gaps and inconsistencies in some of the accounts, but that is to be expected. There were many individuals involved and it has been a long period of time. Human memory is not perfect. For those familiar with the Roswell evidence, however, it would be hard to imagine a scenario in which the core event was not true. With Roswell so well documented, the question that arises is why the mainstream media has not pursued the story. Two factors stand out. The first is that of a negative mindset. There is a tenden- cy in human nature to resist anything that challenges our preconceived perceptions of reality. In most cases, such an attitude serves us well and manifests itself as a healthy skepticism. In other instances, it may result in a close-minded refusal by otherwise intelligent people to consider compelling evidence -- especially when that evidence seems to defy common sense or prevailing scientific theory. Many past revelations of science, for example, have met such resistance -- a round earth, evolution, relativity, continental drift, quantum theory, an expanding universe -- to name a few. The second and most damaging factor is ridicule. Unfortunately, UFOs have long been associated with tabloid stories, hoaxes, and the "lunatic fringe." In addition, people tend to put UFOs in the same category as ghosts, mysticism, magic, and other forms of the occult or the supernatural. As a result, anything even remotely related to the area of UFOs is a difficult subject to broach without risking a loss of credibility. Consequently, members of the mainstream media rarely approach the subject, much less treat it with any degree of seriousness or depth. No one wants to make himself an easy target for cynicism or ridicule. Moreover, it is not necessary to resort to the supernatural to explain UFOs any more than it is necessary to resort to the supernatural to explain the Space Shuttle. UFOs could probably best be looked upon as an extrapolation of where our own technology might be thousands of years from now. A television, jet aircraft, or nuclear bomb would have seemed magical or supernatural to a person from the Middle Ages. Similarly, by virtue of the fact that they apparently violate the laws of known physics, UFOs are perceived by us as an aberration of reality. They are, however, probably quite explainable under laws of science we aren't even close to discovering yet. Further exacerbating the credibility problem has been the extreme negative position taken by the U.S. Government. Almost everyone has heard pronouncements from government officials claiming there is no evidence to support the existence of UFOs or extraterrestrial intelligence. Ironically, no matter how high their rank or position, those touting this line may be uninformed, yet telling the truth as they know it. With the U.S. Government's high degree of compartmentalization and need- to-know philosophy, chances are that few agencies or individuals would be briefed on or have access to such information. Agencies in which something might be known, such as the CIA, have refused to cooperate with investigators. When seeking Roswell or UFO-related documents through the Freedom of Information Act, researchers have been repeatedly stonewalled. Claims are made that documents don't exist or can't be released for national security reasons. The few documents that have been released have often been so blacked out that they are rendered meaningless. By way of contrast, in 1991 the Belgian Ministry of Defense released radar tapes from two Belgian Air Force F-16s that had been scrambled to pursue a UFO detected by four ground-based radar stations and seen by numerous citizens and by police. The tape was impressive -- showing digital readouts of incredible altitude and speed changes made by the UFO. Under present government policy, it is hard to imagine such a scenario ever taking place in the United States. Perhaps the world's greatest democracy could learn a few things about a free and open society from its small NATO ally. There was actually hope at one time that U.S. policy might change. It came when Jimmy Carter was elected President in 1976. In October 1969 while Governor of Georgia, Jimmy Carter had reported a UFO sighting . Later, in 1976 as a presidential candidate, he pledged: "If I become president, I'll make every piece of information this country has about UFOs available to the public and the scientists." He then somewhat mystifyingly never said one more word about it publicly after taking office. If he found there was no information to release, why did he not announce it? Doing so would have been a natural and easy way to honor his commitment. Why the U.S. Government defiantly maintains there is nothing to the UFO phenomenon and why it would want to withhold evidence of extraterrestrial intelligence remain a matter of speculation. Three possible reasons have been suggested: fear of mass panic, perceived national security problems, and concern about offending religious groups. Whether arguments in any of these areas have merit is questionable. Most would agree, however, that whatever reasons there may be for withholding such information, they are far outweighed by those for releasing it. The classic argument for government withholding of information on extraterrestrial intelligence from the public is that it might cause a response similar to that of the famous 1938 Orson Welles War of the Worlds radio broadcast. (The program featured a simulated news broadcast announcing an attack by Martians on Grover's Mill, New Jersey, which panicked a small number of listeners who had tuned in late.) The argument, however, is flawed and the comparison is invalid. It is not realistic to compare a simulated emergency news broadcast graphically describing a devastating, ongoing attack or invasion to a low-key, formal announcement confirming that other intelligent life exists in the universe and occasionally visits earth. Furthermore, we are nearly 35 years into the Space Age and at the brink of the 21st century. This is a generation that until recently lived for years under the threat of nuclear destruction and that now must deal with such threats as AIDS, rising rates of violent crime, international terrorism, etc. The possibility that the confirmation of extraterrestrial intelligence would cause mass panic in this day and age is so remote that it hardly merits mention. The arguments for maintaining secrecy based on national security are just as specious as those based on mass panic. Assuming the wreckage the military retrieved from Roswell was that of an extraterrestrial craft, it would be understandable that the U.S. Government would want to reverse- engineer the technology. It would be reasonable that the government would want to keep certain details of that technology secret. As with any technology with the potential for misuse, such precaution would be prudent and justified. However, the very existence of such a craft would have profound implications. The mere knowledge by the public of that existence would not pose any kind of threat. Denying the public such knowledge would not be justified and would be an abuse of the power entrusted to those who oversee the country's national security. When the Carter campaign pledge was not carried out, it was speculated that concern about offending certain religious groups was the reason. If true, it would represent a violation of the principle of separation of church and state. It would also be placing the interests of a small minority above those of the majority. Like the discoveries of Darwin and Copernicus, the Roswell evidence could have implications that challenge certain religious doctrines. Darwin's theory that there could be fossil evidence linking modern man and other present-day higher primates to a common primate ancestor conflicted with the creationist view on the exalted position of man with respect to other forms of life. Likewise, the Roswell evidence, which would imply the existence of a superior nonhuman intelligence, could be seen as equally threatening to the creationist viewpoint. It could be interpreted as implying that on a scale comparing the evolutionary development of different advanced species throughout :6 the universe, human beings may not rate very high. Such a humbling realization might bother some people, but probably not most. Copernicus' finding that the earth along with the other planets circled the sun contradicted the teachings of the time that the earth was the center of creation. That notion persists today in that many perceive the earth to be the center of intelligent life in the universe. The Roswell evidence could dispel such an ethnocentric view by confirming that the human race is just one single member in a large community of other intelligent races in the universe. Specific effects, if any, that such a revelation might have on society would be purely a matter of speculation. Generally, however, when knowledge replaces ignorance, the long-term result is positive. There is no reason to think that that would not be the case here. If nothing else, the knowledge that it is possible for a civilization to survive the growing pains of becoming technologically advanced, without completely de- stroying itself and its environment in the process, would in a sense provide a renewed hope for the future of man and his environment. Despite the media's inattention to the matter, and contrary to what some in the U.S. Government would like people to think, Roswell is not a figment of someone's imagination or the product of modern folklore. It involves real people and a real event. The man who issued the press release announcing that event, Colonel William Blanchard, was not someone prone to making mistakes, much less monumental blunders. He would go on to achieve the highest peacetime rank attainable in the U.S. military, four-star general. Credible witnesses, including retired generals, have testified that the original press release issued by Blanchard was correct and that the Roswell wreckage was of extraterrestrial origin. A United States Congressman was recently stonewalled by the Defense Department on the matter and has expressed his belief that there is a coverup. Yet the U.S. Government steadfastly maintains it has no evidence indicating extraterrestrial intelligence. Something does not ring true. There is a gross inconsistency here, and it involves an issue of great magnitude, an issue that should transcend domestic politics and that demands an explanation. It is time to lay the cards on the table so that this matter can be resolved, one way or the other. History has shown that unsubstantiated official assurances or denials by government are often meaningless. Nevertheless, there is a logical and straightforward way to ensure that the truth about Roswell will emerge: an Executive Order declassifying any information regarding the existence of UFOs or extraterrestrial intelligence. Because this is a unique issue of universal concern, such an action would be appropriate and warranted. It is essentially what presidential candidate Jimmy Carter promised and then failed to deliver to the American people eighteen years ago in 1976. Additionally, it would cost nothing, offend no one, and be applauded by all. To provide positive assurance for all potential witnesses, the Order would need to be clearly stated and written into law. Security-clearance violations can bring heavy fines and long prison sentences. In addition to the original witnesses from 1947, there are most certainly individuals involved with the Roswell material today who would be affected by such a declassification. Un- doubtedly, many of them, along with the original witnesses, would want to see this information shared with others -- be they friends, family, grandchildren, or all mankind. If, as is officially claimed, no information on Roswell, UFOs, or extraterrestrial intelligence is being withheld, a declassification order would be a mere formality, as there would be nothing for anyone to disclose. What legitimate concern could there be about declassifying "nonexistent" information? If, however, information is being withheld, there could be significant resistance to officially disclosing it. This resistance could range from contriving excuses as to why an Executive Order should not be issued, to ignoring the matter altogether. In the end, however, whether information is being suppressed or whether it is not, the effect of an Executive Order declassifying it would be positive. If nothing is being withheld, the result of such an Order would be to set the record straight once and for all. Years of controversy and suspicion would be ended, both in the eyes of the United States' own citizens and in the eyes of the world. If, on the other hand, the Roswell witnesses are telling the truth and information on extraterrestrial intelligence does exist, it is not something to which a privileged few in the United States Government should have exclusive rights. It is knowledge of profound importance to which all people throughout the world should have an inalienable right. Its release would unquestionably be universally acknowledged as an historic act of honesty and goodwill. -------------------------------------------------------------------- @PID: QE 2.75+ [I have changed slightly the columnar and date formats of what appears below so that it will fit better into an 80-character wide format. All following material is from: _The Roswell Report: A Historical Perspective_, George M. Eberhart editor, 1991 the J. Allen Hynek Center for UFO Studies. ISBN 0-929343-59-X. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- TIMELINE OF THE ROSWELL EVENT Note: Bracketed [] entries are those for which we have only indirect evidence or for which a time slot could not be definately established. This chart is a revised version of the one that appeared in _UFO Crash at Roswell_. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date/Time | Events at Roswell, N.M. | Events elsewhere ----------|--------------------------------------|--------------------------- Tue. 7/1 | | ----------|--------------------------------------|--------------------------- | | Sherman Campbell discovers | | weather balloon debris | | near Circleville, OH. ----------|--------------------------------------|--------------------------- Wed. 7/2 | | ----------|--------------------------------------|--------------------------- Night | 9:50pm. Mr. & Mrs. Dan Wilmot report | | oval-shaped UFO moving NW, toward the| | crash site. William Woody and his | | father also observe a bright, arching| | light with a red contrail as they are| | driving NW of Roswell. | | Mac Brazel and others hear loud | | explosion. | ----------|--------------------------------------|--------------------------- Thu. 7/3 | | ----------|--------------------------------------|--------------------------- Mid- | Mac Brazel, accompanied by 7-year-old| morning | D. Proctor, discovers a large amount | | of light-weight, metallic debris on a| | remote pasture (the debris field). | | | Late | Brazel visits his neighbors, the | Aborted V-2 rocket launch morning | Proctors, and shows them some of the | at White Sands Proving | material. | Grounds, NM. | | Evening | Brazel removes a large, circular | | piece of debris from the debris field| | and stores it in a shed. | ----------|--------------------------------------|--------------------------- Fri. 7/4 | | ----------|--------------------------------------|--------------------------- | Holiday. | 1:00-2:00pm. Flying disks | | observed at Portland, OR. | | 9:12pm. United Air Lines | | flight crew watches 9 | | disks over Emmett, ID. ----------|--------------------------------------|--------------------------- Sat. 7/5 | | ----------|--------------------------------------|--------------------------- | Brazel goes to Corona, NM, and tells | | some acquaintances about the find. | | On the way back he stops again at the| | Proctors. | ----------|--------------------------------------|--------------------------- Sun. 7/6 | | ----------|--------------------------------------|--------------------------- Morning | Brazel drives to Roswell to visit | [Army Air Force captain | Sheriff Wilcox. | sees flying disk near | | Fairfield, CA. | | Early | Brazel and Wilcox call Roswell base | 1:45pm B-25 crew observes afternoon | and report the find. | silvery disk over Clay | | Center, KS. | | | Col. Blanchard, Maj. Marcel, and CIC | | Captain Cavitt arrive at Wilcox's | | office to interview Brazel. | | | Mid- | [Blanchard returns to the base with | [General Ramey alerts the afternoon | a portion of Brazel's debris and | Pentagon about the find. | alerts General Ramey in Fort Worth | The Pentagon orders debris | about the find.] | sent to Fort Worth.] | | Late | Marcel and Cavitt accompany Brazel | afternoon | back to his ranch to go to the debris| | field. | | The two deputies return to Sheriff | | Wilcox, having found an area of | | blackened ground. | | | Evening | 1st flight out. Debris flown to | | Fort Worth. | | | Night | Marcel and Cavitt stay at Brazel's | Col. Alan D. Clark flies | ranch and examine the large piece | debris in a B-26 from Ft. | stored in the shed. | Worth to Washington, DC | | for Gen. McMullen. ----------|--------------------------------------|--------------------------- Mon. 7/7 | | ----------|--------------------------------------|--------------------------- Early | Brazel takes Marcel and Cavitt to | morning | debris field. | | | Daytime | | 11:45am. Koshkonong, WI, | | flying disk sighting. | [General Twining makes an unannounced| 2:30pm. East Troy, WI. case. | visit to Kirtland Air Field, near | 9:00pm. William Rhodes takes | Albuquerque.] | photograph of flying disk | | over Phoenix, AZ. | | Late | Marcel and Cavitt leave for the | [Debris from Washington evening | Roswell base after loading their | is sent to Wright Field, | vehicles with debris. | near Dayton, OH.] ----------|--------------------------------------|--------------------------- Tue. 7/8 | | ----------|--------------------------------------|--------------------------- Very early| Marcel stops at his home (2:00am) and| morning | shows some of the debris to his wife | | and son before proceeding on to the | | base. | | | Early | Blanchard orders Maj. Easley to post | morning | guards on the access roads to the | | debris field. | | [7:30am] Staff meeting held by | | Roswell base officers to discuss | | debris. | | | Mid- | 9:00am Cavitt and his assistant M/Sgt| afternoon | Rickett obtain a staff car and drive | 9:30-11:50am. Series of disk | to Brazel's ranch to pick him up and | sightings by pilots and | return to the debris field. | officers at Muroc Air Base | Troops arrive at debris field to | CA. | begin recovery. | | [11:00am] Blanchard dictates a press | | release on the recovery of a flying | | disk to PIO Walter Haut. | | | Mid-day | Haut goes into town to deliver his | | press release to the radio stations | | and newspapers. His first stop is at| | station KGFL, where he gives the | | release to Frank Joyce. | | Noon. The information is put on the | | AP wire. | | 1st flight in arrives from Washington| | DC, carrying a special team of photo-| | graphers and W/O Robert Thomas. | | William Woody and his father, still | | curious about their sighting, drive | | toward Corona. They are turned away | | by MPs posted on outlying roads. | | | Early | News of the recovery spreads as the | afternoon | story hits the wire services. Phone | | lines at the base, at the sheriff's | | office, and at newspaper and radio | | news offices are tied up. | | Sheriff Wilcox sends two more | | deputies to the debris field; they | | are turned back by MPs. | | Cavitt and Rickett return to the | | Roswell base with Brazel. | | | Mid- | Brazel is flown back to the debris | afternoon | field from the base; other planes | | from Roswell are similarly recon- | | noitering the area. | | The impact site is discovered from | | the air; ground troops are directed | | toward it. | | [Barney Barnett and a group of | | students and archeologists or rock- | | hunters are already at the impact | | site and see debris and bodies; they | | are escorted off by the Army.] | | Col. Blanchard "goes on leave" from | | the base, but he actually leaves to | | visit the debris field. | | Material has been brought from the | | debris field and loaded onto a C-54; | | this 2nd flight out is flown by Capt.| | Pappy Henderson to Wright Field. | J. Bond Johnson, of the | 3rd flight out, a B-29, carries | Fort Worth Star-Telegram, | Marcel to Fort Worth Army Air Field. | is told to go to Fort | A few wrapped packages [of debris] | Worth Army Air Field to | are also on the plane. | cover a flying disk story. | | Late | Clean-up continues at the crash | Marcel arrives in Fort afternoon | sites. | Worth and confers with Gen. | Brazel is flown back to the base, | Ramey; at some point | then leaves and is located by Walt | remnants of a balloon are | Whitmore, Sr., of radio station KGFL,| substituted for the real | who interviews him about the find. | debris. | Blanchard visits the debris field | A press conference is held | and impact site with his staff. | in Ramey's office; Johnson | A 2nd flight from Washington, DC, | photographs Marcel and | arrives at the base; Rickett gives | Ramey with the balloon | the crew a sealed box filled with | remnants; W/O Irving | debris; the plane returns shortly to | Newton identifies the | Washington (4th flight out). | material as a balloon with | The Roswell Daily Record carries | a radar target device | "RAAF Captures Flying Saucer" story. | attached. | | Ramey issues a statement | | claiming that the Roswell | | officers were fooled and | | that the material was from | | a weather balloon. | | Early | Sgt. Melvin Brown looks under a tarp | 6:17pm Memo from FBI Dallas evening | on the back of a truck at the impact | office to SAC regarding | site and sees several alien-looking | weather balloon cover | bodies. | story. | Glenn Dennis, a local mortician, is | Ramey gives an interview | intrigued by several inquiries from | on Fort Worth radio station | the base about tissue preservation | WBAP about the weather | and the smallest caskets he has | balloon cover story. | available. | | Truck carrying the bodies arrives at | | the base. | | A preliminary autopsy is attempted at| | the base hospital by pathologist Dr. | | Jesse Johnson, Jr. | | Dennis tries to visit the base | | hospital but is turned away forcibly;| | a nurse friend warns him to leave | | before he gets in trouble. | | [8:30pm] Barnett returns home to | | Socorro. | | | Night | Capt. John Martin, Sgt. Brown, and | | other MPs guard a crate containing | | the bodies that has been placed | | inside an empty hangar. | ----------|--------------------------------------|--------------------------- Wed. 7/9 | | ----------|--------------------------------------|--------------------------- Early | Troops continue clean-up at the crash| morning | sites. | | At the base, three C-54's begin to be| | loaded with crates filled with debris| | (8:00am). | | [Senator Dennis Chavez calls Walt | | Whitmore Sr. to warn him against | | broadcasting an interview with | | Brazel; a representative of the FCC | | threatens to pull his broadcast | | license.] | | | Mid- | Officers from the base locate Brazel | morning | (who had stayed with Whitmore) and | | return him to the base for | | questioning. | | | Late | Brazel is taken by the military to | morning | the office of the Roswell Daily | | Record, where he gives a revised, | | sanitized version of the story. | | [A special secret service envoy | | representing President Truman arrives| | from Washington (3rd flight in.)] | | | Noon | The crate with bodies is moved from | | the hangar to Bomb Pit Number One. | | [Floyd Proctor, Lyman Strickland, | | and others observe Brazel in town | | escorted by soldiers.] | | | Early | Officers from the base visit | General Schulgen requests afternoon | newspaper and radio offices in town | FBI cooperation in solving | and recover all copies of Haut's | the flying disk problem. | original press release. | The War Department tells | Brazel is taken to radio station | the FBI that the disks | KGFL, where he gives a revised | do not belong to the | version of his story. | Army or Navy. | | Late | Three fully loaded C-54's (5th-7th | afternoon | Flights out) carry debris to Los | | Alamos, NM, via Kirtland Field. | | 4:00pm. The crate from Bomb Pit | | Number One is transferred to a B-29 | | and flown (8th Flight out) to Fort | | Worth. | 5:00pm. Ball of light | The Roswell Daily Record carries a | deposits odd metal on | sanitized version of Barzel's story. | ground near Midland, MI. | | Early | | 6:00pm. Officers and a evening | | mortician in Fort Worth | | meet the incoming B-29 | | from Roswell; the flight | | crew returns to Roswell | | with Marcel. | | Late | 8:00pm. Marcel arrives back in | 11:30pm. Constable in evening | Roswell (4th Flight in). | Grand Falls, Newfoundland, | | observes 4 flying disks. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thu. 7/10 | | ----------|--------------------------------------|--------------------------- | Clean-up continues at the crash | [A flight from Wright Field | sites. | arrives in Fort Worth and | Brazel continues to be interrogated | returns to Wright Field | and held at a guest house on the | with more debris and a | base. | large, metallic container | [Remaining debris confiscated from | on board.] | Sheriff Wilcox by military | FBI memo, Fitch to Ladd. | personnel.] | Aborted V-2 launch at | | White Sands. | | [General Twining stops at | | White Sands before return- | | ing to Wright Field.] | | President Truman derides | | flying disk stories. | | 4:00pm. TWA representative | | sees flying disk at Harmon | | Field, Newfoundland. ----------|--------------------------------------|--------------------------- Fri. 7/11 | | ----------|--------------------------------------|--------------------------- | MPs and others involved in the | | retreival are debriefed and told to | | forget that it happened. | ----------|--------------------------------------|--------------------------- Sat. 7/12 | | ----------|--------------------------------------|--------------------------- | Bill Brazel Jr. returns to his | 6:30pm. Flying disk follows | father's ranch; no evidence of a | a C-47 at Elmendorf Field, | military presence remains. | Alaska. ----------|--------------------------------------|--------------------------- Late July | | ----------|--------------------------------------|--------------------------- | July 15 - Mac Brazel returns to his | | ranch from the Roswell base after his| 7/20- Silver-white disk | interrogation. | moving at great speed | | reported near Cumberland, | | MD. | | 7/26- National Security | | Act passes, which | | coordinates the Army, Navy, | | and Air Force into a single | | national military | | establishment under the | | Secretary of Defense. The | | Army Air Force becomes | | the U.S. Air Force. | | 7/30- The first Air Force | | "estimate" of the nature | | of the flying disks is | | drafted by Gen. Schulgen's | | staff. ----------|--------------------------------------|--------------------------- August '47| | ----------|--------------------------------------|--------------------------- | Mac Brazel and Tommy Tyree spot a | 8/19- FBI memo, Fitch to | piece of debris in a sinkhole near | Ladd. | the debris field. | ----------|--------------------------------------|--------------------------- Sept. '47 | | ----------|--------------------------------------|--------------------------- | Prof. Lincoln LaPaz, secretly charged| 9/5- Gen. Schulgen tells | with reconstructing the object's | the FBI that the disks do | trajectory, arrives from Washington | not belong to the Air | and rediscovers the area of black- | Force. | ened ground with Rickett. | 9/23- Gen. Twining calls | | for an official invest- | | igation of the flying | | disks. | | 9/24- Alleged memo from | | Truman to Forrestal, | | establishing Operation | | Majestic Twelve. Vannevar | | Bush meets with Truman. | | 9/25- FBI memo, Ladd to | | Hoover, advising that FBI | | discontinue flying disk | | investigations. | | 9/26- Sidney Souers named | | head of new National | | Security Council, which | | holds its first meeting. ----------|--------------------------------------|--------------------------- Oct. '47 | | ----------|--------------------------------------|--------------------------- | | 10/1- Truman letter to | | Vannevar Bush, the sig- | | nature of which matches | | the MJ-12 memo of 9/24. | | 10/28- Schulgen issues a | | draft collection memo- | | randum that outlines the | | essential elements of | | information required to | | analyze flying disk | | reports. ----------|--------------------------------------|--------------------------- Sep. '48 | | ----------|--------------------------------------|--------------------------- | LaPaz tells Rickett that he is still | | convinced the Roswell debris was an | | unoccupied probe from another world. | ----------|--------------------------------------|--------------------------- Summer '49| | ----------|--------------------------------------|--------------------------- | The gouge is still visible at the | | debris field. | | Mac Brazel, having found various | | scraps of debris for the past two | | years, mentions in Corona that he | | still has the material. The next day| | a Capt. Armstrong and three others | | from the base confiscate the pieces. | ----------|--------------------------------------|--------------------------- 1978 | | ----------|--------------------------------------|--------------------------- | | Pappy Henderson confides | | to a close friend that he | | had flown wreckage from | | a crashed saucer to Wright | | Field; he still has a | | fragment of the debris. | | Marcel, located by | | researcher Stan Friedman, | | says he is sure the debris | | was nothing from earth. ----------|--------------------------------------|--------------------------- 1980 | | ----------|--------------------------------------|--------------------------- | | In Search Of interviews | | Marcel, who says he is | | sure the Roswell debris | | was nothing from earth. | | Charles Berlitz and William | | L. Moore publish their | | report on the case, The | | Roswell Incident. ----------|--------------------------------------|--------------------------- 1982 | | ----------|--------------------------------------|--------------------------- | | Pappy Henderson tells his | | wife Sappho about his role | | in the recovery. ----------|--------------------------------------|--------------------------- 1988 | | ----------|--------------------------------------|--------------------------- | Oct.- An Air Force pickup truck is | | seen on the Foster Ranch; the driver | | asks ranch hand Jim Parker if the | | Roswell crash site is nearby. | ----------|--------------------------------------|--------------------------- 1989 | | ----------|--------------------------------------|--------------------------- | Sept. 15-19 The Center for UFO | | Studies conducts an expedition to | | the debris field. | ----------|--------------------------------------|--------------------------- 1991 | | ----------|--------------------------------------|--------------------------- | | July- Kevin Randle and | | Donald Schmitt's account | | of the case, UFO Crash | | at Roswell, is published | | by Avon Books. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Please Copy and Circulate AN EXPLANATION OF THE ROWELL DECLARATION The "Roswell Declaration" is part of a worldwide effort to end U.S. Government secrecy surrounding the 1947 Roswell incident. It contains an appeal to the Administration for an Executive Order to declassify any U.S. Government information regarding the existence of UFOs or extraterrestrial intelligence. You can help by signing and returning a copy of the Declaration. The effort is being supported by three independent nonprofit organizations devoted to the serious study of the UFO phenomenon. The membership of the governing committees of these organizations consists primarily of researchers, scientists, and Ph.D.s. The three organizations are the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON), 103 Oldtowne Road, Seguin, Texas 78155; the Center for UFO Studies (CUFOS), 2457 W. Peterson Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60659; and the Fund for UFO Research (FUFOR), P.O. Box 277, Mt. Ranier, Maryland 20712. UFO organizations throughout the world are involved in a drive to obtain signatures from scientists, professionals, and the general public in support of the "Roswell Declaration." On a yet-to- be-determined day later this year, the news media in different countries around the world will be notified and furnished with material about the Roswell incident in an effort to bring international attention to the Roswell case. On that same day, a copy of the "Roswell Declaration," along with a listing of the total number of signatories from each of the fifty states as well as from other countries, will be delivered to the offices of all members of Congress and to the White House. Also on that day, if finances permit, a copy of the "Roswell Declaration" will be placed in the first section of the national edition of a major U.S. newspaper as well as in other major newspapers around the world. Polls have shown that more than fifty percent of the people in the United States believe in the existence of UFOs and extraterrestrial intelligence. Unfortunately, that interest has never been galvanized into a large-scale grassroots movement. With the "Roswell Declaration," this may now become a reality. Since this will be primarily a word-of-mouth, grassroots effort, your help in making copies of the Declaration and distributing them to as many people as possible will be of great importance. The Declaration is being made available on computer bulletin boards throughout the world. A five- page position paper, "Time for the Truth About Roswell," from which the Declaration is derived, will also be made available. The position paper includes a detailed summary of the Roswell event, an analysis of the media and government treatment of it, and arguments for allowing the public to know the truth. The position paper and the Declaration were written by Kent Jeffrey of Fairfax, California. Mr. Jeffrey has researched the Roswell event extensively, worked with several of the leading investi- gators, and interviewed a number of the Roswell witnesses. He is an international airline pilot whose interest in the Roswell case stems in part from the fact that his father, a retired colonel and former air force pilot (and WWII fighter ace), at one time knew and worked with one of the key Roswell figures, General William Blanchard. Although it is felt by the organizers of this effort that there is a high degree of probability the U.S. Government is withholding information regarding the existence of extraterrestrial intel- ligence, the primary goal is to get the matter into the open so that the truth can be conclusively determined, one way or the other. It is hoped, therefore, that all individuals, no matter what their opinion on the subject, will support this effort. ____________________________________________________________ Please send signed Declarations to either organization: CUFOS MUFON 2457 West Peterson Avenue 103 Oldtowne Road Chicago, IL 60659 Seguin, TX 78155 ROSWELL DECLARATION Forty-seven years ago an incident occurred in the southwestern desert of the United States that could have significant implications for all mankind. It involved the recovery by the U.S. Military of material alleged to be of extraterrestrial origin. The event was announced by the U.S. Military on July 8, 1947, through a press release that was carried by newspapers throughout the country. It was subsequently denied by what is now believed to be a cover story claiming the material was nothing more than a weather balloon. It has remained veiled in government secrecy ever since. The press release announcing the unusual event was issued by the Commander of the 509th Bomb Group at Roswell Army Air Field, Colonel William Blanchard, who later went on to become a four- star general and Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force. That the weather balloon story was a coverup has been confirmed by individuals directly involved, including the late General Thomas DuBose who took the telephone call from Washington, D.C., ordering the coverup. Numerous other credible military and civilian witnesses have testified that the original press release was correct and that the Roswell wreckage was of extraterrestrial origin. One such individual was Major Jesse Marcel, the Intelligence Officer of the 509th Bomb Group and one of the first military officers at the scene. On January 12, 1994, United States Congressman Steven Schiff of Albuquerque, New Mexico, announced to the press that he had been stonewalled by the Defense Department when requesting information regarding the 1947 Roswell event on behalf of constituents and witnesses. Indicating that he was seeking further investigation into the matter, Congressman Schiff called the Defense Department's lack of response "astounding" and concluded it was apparently "another government coverup." History has shown that unsubstantiated official assurances or denials by government are often meaningless. Nevertheless, there is a logical and straightforward way to ensure that the truth about Roswell will emerge: an Executive Order declassifying any information regarding the existence of UFOs or extraterrestrial intelligence. Because this is a unique issue of universal concern, such an action would be appropriate and warranted. To provide positive assurance for all potential witnesses, it would need to be clearly stated and written into law. Such a measure is essentially what presidential candidate Jimmy Carter promised and then failed to deliver to the American people eighteen years ago in 1976. If, as is officially claimed, no information on Roswell, UFOs, or extraterrestrial intelligence is being withheld, an Executive Order declassifying it would be a mere formality, as there would be nothing to disclose. The Order would, however, have the positive effect of setting the record straight once and for all. Years of controversy and suspicion would be ended, both in the eyes of the United States' own citizens and in the eyes of the world. If, on the other hand, the Roswell witnesses are telling the truth and information on extraterrestrial intelligence does exist, it is not something to which a privileged few in the United States Government should have exclusive rights. It is knowledge of profound importance to which all people throughout the world should have an inalienable right. Its release would unquestionably be universally acknowledged as an historic act of honesty and goodwill. _______________________________________________________________ I support the request, as outlined above, for an Executive Order declassifying any U.S. Government information regarding the existence of UFOs or extraterrestrial intelligence. Whether such information exists or whether it does not, I feel that the people of the world have a right to know the truth about this issue and that it is time to put an end to the controversy surrounding it. ______________________ ______ _______________________ Signature Date Name (Please print) ___________________________ _________________________ Occupation / Title Street ____________________________ City State Zip ___________________________ ______________________________ Degrees/Credentials (If applicable)U.S. Representative (If known) Keywords: