WHAT THE "ROSWELL INCIDENT" WAS
As previously discussed, what was originally reported to have
been recovered was a balloon of some sort, usually described as a
"weather balloon," although the majority of the wreckage that was
ultimately displayed by General Ramey and Major Marcel in the
famous photos (Atch 16) in Ft. Worth, was that of a radar target
normally suspended from balloons. This radar target, discussed
in more detail later, was certainly consistent with the
description of July 9 newspaper article which discussed "tinfoil,
paper, tape, and sticks." Additionally, the description of the
"flying disc" was consistent with a document routinely used by
most pro-UFO writers to indicate a conspiracy in progress -- the
telegram from the Dallas FBI office of July 8, 1947. This
document quoted in part states: "...The disc is hexagonal in
shape and was suspended from a balloon by a cable, which balloon
was approximately twenty feet in diameter. ...the object found
resembles a high altitude weather balloon with a radar reflector.
...disc and balloon being transported..."
Similarly, while conducting the popular literature review, one of
the documents reviewed was a paper entitled "The Roswell Events"
edited by Fred Whiting, and sponsored by the Fund for UFO
Research (FUFOR). Although it was not the original intention to
comment on what comrnercial authors interpreted or claimed that
other persons supposedly said, this particular document was
different because it contained actual copies of apparently
authentic sworn affidavits received from a number of persons who
claimed to have some knowledge of the Roswell event. Although
many of the persons who provided these affidavits to the FUFOR
researchers also expressed opinions that they thought there was
something extraterrestrial about this incident, a number of them
actually described materials that sounded suspiciously like
wreckage from balloons. These included the following:
Jesse A. Marcel, MD (son of the late Major Jesse Marcel; 11 years
old at the time of the incident). Affidavit dated May 6, 1991.
"...There were three categories of debris: a thick, foil like
metallic gray substance; a brittle, brownish-black plastic-like
material, like Bakelite; and there were fragments of what
appeared to be I-beams. On the inner surface of the I-beam,
there appeared to be a type of writing. This writing was a
purple-violet hue, and it had an embossed appearance. The
figures were composed of curved, geometric shapes. It had no
resemblance to Russian, Japanese or any other foreign language.
It resembled hieroglyphics, but it had no animal-like
characters...."
Loretta Proctor (former neighbor of rancher W.W. Brazel).
Affidavit dated May 5, 1991. "...Brazel came to my ranch and
showed my husband and me a piece of material he said came from a
large pile of debris on the property he managed. The piece he
brought was brown in color, similar to plastic... 'Mac' said the
other material on the property looked like aluminum foil. It was
very flexible and wouldn't crush or burn. There was also
something he described as tape which had printing on it. The
color of the printing was a kind of purple..."
Bessie Brazel Schreiber (daughter of W.W. Brazel; 14 years old at
the time ofthe incident). Affidavit dated September 22, 1993.
"...The debris looked like pieces of a large balloon which had
burst. The pieces were small, the largest I remember measuring
about the same as the diameter of a basketball. Most of it was a
kind of double-sided material, foil-like on one side and rubber-
like on the other. Both sides were grayish silver in color, the
foil more silvery than the rubber. Sticks, like kite sticks,
were attached to some of the pieces with a whitish tape. The
tape was about two or three inches wide and had flower-like
designs on it. The 'flowers' were faint, a variety of pastel
colors, and reminded me of Japanese paintings in which the
flowers are not all connected. I do not recall any other types
of material or markings, nor do I remember seeing gouges in the
ground or any other signs that anything may have hit the ground
hard. The foil-rubber material could not be torn like ordinary
aluminum foil can be torn..."
Sally Strickland Tadolini (neighbor of WW Brazel; nine years old
in 1947). Affidavit dated September 27, 1993. "...What Bill
showed us was a piece of what I still think as fabric. It was
something like aluminum foil, something like satin, something
like well -- tanned leather in its toughness, yet was not
precisely like any one of those materials. ...It was about the
thickness of very fine kidskin glove leather and a dull metallic
grayish silver, one side slightly darker than the other. I do
not remember it having any design or
embossing on it..."
Robert R. Porter (B-29 flight Engineer stationed at Roswell in
1947). Affidavit dated June 7, 1991. "...On this occasion, I
was a member of the crew which flew parts of what we were told
was a flying saucer to Fort Worth. The people on board
included...and Maj Jesse Marcel. Capt. William E. Anderson said
it was from a flying saucer. After we arrived, the material was
transferred to a B-25. I was told they were going to Wright
Field in Dayton, Ohio. I was involved in loading the B-29 with
the material, which was wrapped in packages with wrapping paper.
One of the pieces was triangle-shaped, about 2 1/2 feet across
the bottom. The rest were in small packages, about the size of a
shoe box. The brown paper was held with tape. The material was
extremely lightweight. When I picked it up, it was just like
picking up an empty package. We loaded the triangle shaped
package and three shoe box-sized packages into the plane. All of
the packages could have fit into the trunk of a car. ...When we
came back from lunch, they told us they had transferred the
material to a B-25. They told us the material was a weather
balloon, but I'm certain it wasn't a weather balloon..."
In addition to those persons above still living who claim to have
seen or examined the original material found on the Brazel Ranch,
there is one additional person who was universally acknowledged
to have been involved in its recovery, Sheridan Cavitt, Lt Col,
USAF, (Ret). Cavitt is credited in all claims of having
accompanied Major Marcel to the ranch to recover the debris,
sometimes along with his Counter Intelligence Corps (CIC)
subordinate, William Rickett, who, like Marcel, is deceased.
Although there does not appear to be much dispute that Cavitt was
involved in the material recovery, other claims about him prevail
in the popular literature. He is sometimes portrayed as a
closed-mouth (or sometimes even sinister) conspirator who was one
of the early individuals who kept the "secret of Roswell" from
getting out. Other things about him have been alleged, including
the claim that he wrote a report of the incident at the time that
has never surfaced.
Since Lt Col Cavitt, who had first-hand knowledge, was still
alive, a decision was made to interview him and get a signed
sworn statement from him about his version of the events. Prior
to the interview, the Secretary of the Air Force provided him
with a written authorization and waiver to discuss classified
information with the interviewer and release him from any
security oath he may have taken. Subsequently, Cavitt was
interviewed on May 24, 1994, at his home. Cavitt provided a
signed, sworn statement (Atch 17 ) of his recollections in this
matter. He also consented to having the interview tape-recorded.
A transcript of that recording is at Atch 18. In this interview,
Cavitt related that he had been contacted on numerous occasions
by UFO researchers and had willingly talked with many of them;
however, he felt that he had oftentimes been misrepresented or
had his comments taken out of context so that their true meaning
was changed. He stated unequivocally, however, that the material
he recovered consisted of a reflective sort of material like
aluminum foil, and some thin, bamboo-like sticks. He thought at
the time, and continued to do so today, that what he found was a
weather balloon and has told other private researchers that. He
also remembered finding a small "black box" type of instrument,
which he thought at the time was probably a radiosonde. Lt Col
Cavitt also reviewed the famous Ramey/Marcel photographs (Atch
16) of the wreckage taken to Ft. Worth (often claimed by UFO
researchers to have been switched and the remnants of a balloon
substituted for it) and he identified the materials depicted in
those photos as consistent with the materials that he recovered
from the ranch. Lt Col Cavitt also stated that he had never
taken any oath or signed any agreement not to talk about this
incident and had never been threatened by anyone in the
government because of it. He did not even know the "incident"
was claimed to be anything unusual until he was interviewed in
the early 1980's.
Similarly, Irving Newton, Major, USAF, (Ret) was located and
interviewed. Newton was a weather officer assigned to Fort
Worth, who was on duty when the Roswell debris was sent there in
July, 1947. He was told that he was to report to General Ramey's
office to view the material. In a signed, sworn statement (Atch
30) Newton related that "...I walked into the General's office
where this supposed flying saucer was Iying all over the floor.
As soon as I saw it, I giggled and asked if that was the flying
saucer...I told them that this was a balloon and a RAWIN
target..." Newton also stated that "...while I was examining the
debris, Major Marcel was picking up pieces ofthe target sticks
and trying to convince me that some notations on the sticks were
alien writings. there were figures on the sticks, lavender or
pink in color, appeared to be weather faded markings, with no
rhyme or reason (sic). He did not convince me that these were
alien writings." Newton concluded his statement by relating that
"...During the ensuing years I have been interviewed by many
authors, I have been quoted and misquoted. The facts remain as
indicated above. I was not influenced during the original
interview, nor today, to provide anything but what I know to be
true, that is, the material I saw in General Ramey's office was
the remains of a balloon and a RAWIN target."
Balloon Research
The original tasking from GAO noted that the search for
information included "weather balloons." Comments about balloons
and safety reports have already been made, however the SAF/AAZ
research efforts also focused on reviewing historical records
involving balloons, since, among other reasons, that was what was
officially claimed by the AAF to have been found and recovered in
1947.
As early as February 28, 1994, the AAZD research team found
references to balloon tests taking place at Alamogordo AAF (now
Holloman AFB) and White Sands during June and July 1947, testing
"constant level balloons" and a New York University (NYU)/Watson
Labs effort that used "...meteorological devices...suspected for
detecting shock waves generated by Soviet nuclear explosions" --
a possible indication of a cover story associated with the NYU
balloon project. Subsequently, a 1946 HQ AMC memorandum was
surfaced, describing the constant altitude balloon project and
specified that the scientific data be classified TOP SECRET
Priority 1A. Its name was Project Mogul (Atch 19).
Project Mogul was a then-sensitive, classified project, whose
purpose was to determine the state of Soviet nuclear weapons
research. This was the early Cold War period and there was
serious concern within the US government about the Soviets
developing a weaponized atomic device. Because the Soviet
Union's borders were closed, the US Government sought to develop
a long range nuclear explosion detection capability. Long range,
balloon-borne, low frequency acoustic detection was posed to
General Spaatz in 1945 by Dr. Maurice Ewing of Columbia
University as a potential solution (atmospheric ducting of low
frequency pressure waves had been studied as early as 1900).
As part of the research into this matter, AAZD personnel located
and obtained the original study papers and reports of the New
York University project. Their efforts also revealed that some
of the individuals involved in Project Mogul were still living.
These persons included the NYU constant altitude balloon Director
of Research, Dr. Athelstan F. Spilhaus; the Project Engineer,
Professor Charles B. Moore; and the military Project Officer,
Colonel Albert C. Trakowski .
All of these persons were subsequently interviewed and signed
sworn statements about their activities. A copy of these
statements are appended at Atch 20-22. Additionally, transcripts
of the interview with Moore and Trakowski are also included
(equipment malfunctioned during the interview of Spilhaus) (Atch
23-24). These interviews confirmed that Project Mogul was a
compartmented, sensitive effort. The NYU group was responsible
for developing constant level balloons and telemetering equipment
that would
remain at specified altitudes (within the acoustic duct) while a
group from Columbia was to develop acoustic sensors. Doctor
Spilhaus, Professor Moore, and certain others of the group were
aware of the actual purpose of the project, but they did not know
of the project nickname at the time. They handled casual
inquiries and/or scientific inquiries/papers in terms of
"unclassified meteorological or balloon research." Newly hired
employees were not made aware that there was anything special or
classified about
their work; they were told only that their work dealt with
meteorological equipment.
An advance ground team, led by Albert P. Crary, preceded the NYU
group to
Alamogordo AAF, New Mexico, setting up ground sensors and
obtaining facilities for the NYU group. Upon their arrival,
Professor Moore and his team experimented with various
configurations of neoprene balloons; development of balloon
"trains" (see illustration, Atch 25); automatic ballast systems;
and use of Naval sonobuoys (as the Watson Lab acoustical sensors
had not yet arrived). They also launched what they called
"service flights." These "service flights" were not logged nor
fully accounted for in the published Technical Reports generated
as a result of the contract between NYU and Watson Labs.
According to Professor Moore, the "service flights" were composed
of balloons, radar reflectors and payloads specifically designed
to test acoustic sensors (both early sonobuoys and the later
Watson Labs devices). The "payload equipment" was expendable and
some carried no "REWARD" or "RETURN TO..." tags because there was
to be no association between these flights and the logged
constant altitude flights which were fully acknowledged. The NYU
balloon flights were listed sequentially in their reports (i.e.,
A,B, 1,5,6,7,8,10...) yet gaps existed for Flights 2-4 and Flight
9. The interview with Professor Moore indicated that these gaps
were the unlogged "service flights."
Professor Moore, the on-scene Project Engineer, gave detailed
information concerning his team's efforts. He recalled that
radar targets were used for tracking balloons because they did
not have all the necessary equipment when they first arrived in
New Mexico. Some of the early developmental radar targets were
manufactured by a toy or novelty company. These targets were
made up of aluminum "foil" or foil-backed paper, balsa wood beams
that were coated in an "Elmer's-type" glue to enhance their
durability, acetate and/or cloth reinforcing tape, single strand
and braided nylon twine, brass eyelets and swivels to form a
multi-faced reflector somewhat similar in construction to a box
kite (see photographs, Atch 26). Some of these targets were also
assembled with purplish-pink tape with symbols on it (see drawing
by Moore with Atch 21).
According to the log summary (Atch 27) of the NYU group, Flight A
through Flight 7 (November 20, 1946-July 2, 1947) were made with
neoprene meteorological balloons (as opposed to the later flights
made with polyethylene balloons). Professor Moore stated that
the neoprene balloons were susceptible to degradation in the
sunlight, turning from a milky white to a dark brown. He
described finding remains of balloon trains with
reflectors and payloads that had landed in the desert: the
ruptured and shredded neoprene would "almost look like dark gray
or black flakes or ashes after exposure to the sun for only a few
days. The plasticizers and antioxidants in the neoprene would
emit a peculiar acrid odor and the balloon material and radar
target material would be scattered after returning to earth
depending on the surface winds." Upon review ofthe local
newspaper
photographs from General Ramey's press conference in 1947 and
descriptions in popular books by individuals who supposedly
handled the debris recovered on the ranch, Professor Moore opined
that the material was most likely the shredded remains of a
multi-neoprene balloon train with multiple radar reflectors. The
material and a "black box," described by Cavitt, was, in Moore's
scientific opinion, most probably from Flight 4, a "service
flight"
that included a cylindrical metal sonobuoy and portions of a
weather instrument housed in a box, which was unlike typical
weather radiosondes which were made of cardboard. Additionally,
a copy of a professional journal maintained at the time by A.P.
Crary, provided to the Air Force by his widow, showed that Flight
4 was launched on June 4, 1947, but was not recovered by the NYU
group. It is very probable that this TOP SECRET project balloon
train (Flight 4), made up of unclassified components; came to
rest some miles northwest of Roswell, NM, became shredded in the
surface winds and was
ultimately found by the rancher, Brazel, ten days later. This
possibility was supported by the observations of Lt Col Cavitt
(Atch 17-18), the only living eyewitness to the actual debris
field and the material found. Lt Col Cavitt described a small
area of debris which appeared, "to resemble bamboo type square
sticks one quarter to one half inch square, that were very light,
as well as some sort of metallic reflecting material that was
also very light...I remember recognizing this material as being
consistent with a weather balloon."
Concerning the initial announcement, "RAAF Captures Flying Disc,"
research failed to locate any documented evidence as to why that
statement was made. However, on July 10, 1947, following the
Ramey press conference, the Alamogordo News published an article
with photographs demonstrating multiple balloons and targets at
the same location as the NYU group operated from at Alamogordo
AAF. Professor Moore expressed surprise at seeing this since
his, was the only balloon test group in the area. He stated, "It
appears that there was some type of umbrella cover story to
protect our work with Mogul." Although the Air Force did not
find documented evidence that Gen. Ramey was directed to espouse
a weather balloon in his press conference, he may have done so
because he was either aware of Project Mogul and was trying to
deflect interest from it, or he readily perceived the material to
be a weather balloon based on the identification from his weather
officer, Irving Newton. In either case, the materials recovered
by the AAF in July, 1947, were not readily recognizable as
anything special (only the purpose was special) and the recovered
debris itself was unclassified. Additionally, the press dropped
its interest in the matter as quickly as they had jumped on it.
Hence, there would be no particular reason to further document
what quickly became a "non-event."
The interview with Colonel Trakowski (Atch 23-24) also proved
valuable information. Trakowski provided specific details on
Project Mogul and described how the security for the program was
set up, as he was formerly the TOP SECRET Control Officer for the
program. He further related that many of the original radar
targets that were produced around the end of World War II were
fabricated by toy or novelty companies using a purplish-pink tape
with flower and heart symbols on it. Trakowski also recounted a
conversation that he had with his friend, and superior military
officer in his chain of command, Colonel Marcellus Duffy, in
July, 1947. Duffy, formerly had Trakowski's position on Mogul,
but had subsequently been transferred to Wright Field. He
stated: "...Colonel Duffy called me on the telephone from Wright
Field and gave me a story about a fellow that had come in from
New Mexico, woke him up in the middle of the night or some such
thing with a handful of debris, and wanted him, Colonel Duffy, to
identify it. ...He just said 'it sure looks like some of the
stuff you've been launching at Alamogordo' and he described it,
and I said 'yes, I think it is.' Certainly Colonel Duffy knew
enough about radar targets, radiosondes, balloon-borne weather
devices. He was intimately familiar with all that apparatus."
Attempts were made to locate Colonel Duffy but it was ascertained
that he had died. His widow explained that, although he had
amassed a large amount of personal papers relating to his Air
Force activities, she had recently disposed of these items.
Likewise, it was leamed that A.P. Crary was also deceased;
however his surviving spouse had a number of his papers from his
balloon testing days, including his professional journal from the
period in question. She provided the Air Force researchers with
this material. It is discussed in more detail within Atch 32.
Overall, it helps fill in gaps of the Mogul story.
During the period the Air Force conducted this research, it was
discovered that several others had also discovered the
possibility that the "Roswell Incident" may have been generated
by the recovery of a Project Mogul balloon device. These persons
included Professor Charles B. Moore, Robert Todd, and
coincidentally, Karl Pflock, a researcher who is married to a
staffer who works for Congressman Schiff. Some of these persons
provided suggestions as to where documentation might be located
in various archives, histories and libraries. A review of
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests revealed that Robert
Todd, particularly, had become aware of Project Mogul several
years ago and had doggedly obtained from the Air Force, through
the FOIA, a large amount of material pertaining to it; long
before the AAZD researchers independently seized on the same
possibility.
Most interestingly, as this report was being written, Pflock
published his own report of this matter under the auspices of
FUFOR, entitled "Roswell in Perspective" (1994). Pflock
concluded from his research that the Brazel Ranch debris
originally reported as a "flying disc" was probably debris from a
Mogul balloon; however, there was a simultaneous incident that
occurred not far away, that caused an alien craft to crash and
that the AAF subsequently recovered three alien bodies therefrom.
Air Force research did
not locate any information to corroborate that this incredible
coincidence occurred, however.
In order to provide a more detailed discussion ofthe specifics of
Project Mogul and how it appeared to be directly responsible for
the "Roswell Incident," a SAF/AAZD researcher prepared a more
detailed discussion on the balloon project which is appended to
this report as Atch 32.
Other Research
In the attempt to develop additional information that could help
explain this matter, a number of other steps were taken. First,
assistance was requested from various museums and other archives
(Atch 28) to obtain information and/or examples of the actual
balloons and radar targets used in connection with Project Mogul
and to correlate them with the various descriptions of wreckage
and materials recovered. The blueprints for the "Pilot Balloon
Target ML307C/AP Assembly" (generically, the radar target
assembly) were
located at the Army Signal Corps Museum at Fort Monmouth and
obtained. A copy is appended as Atch 29. This blueprint
provides the specification for the foil material, tape, wood,
eyelets, and string used and the assembly instructions thereto.
An actual device was also obtained for study with the assistance
of Professor Moore. (The example actually procured was a 1953-
manufactured model "C" as compared to the Model B which was in
use in 1947. Professor Moore related the differences were
minor). An examination of this device revealed it to be simply
made of aluminum-colored foil-like material over a stronger
paper-like material, attached to balsa wood sticks, affixed with
tape, glue, and twine. When opened, the device appears as
depicted in Atch 31 (contemporary photo) and Atch 25 (1947 photo,
in a "balloon train"). When folded, the device is in a series of
triangles, the largest being four feet by two feet ten inches.
The
smallest triangle section measures two feet by two feet ten
inches. (Compare with descriptions provided by Lt Col Cavitt and
others, as well as photos of wreckage).
Additionally, the researchers obtained from the Archives of the
University of Texas-Arlington (UTA), a set of original (i.e.
first generation) prints of the photographs taken at the time by
the FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, that depicted Ramey and Marcel with
the wreckage. A close review of these photos (and a set of first
generation negatives also subsequently obtained from UTA)
revealed several interesting observations. First, although in
some of the literature cited above, Marcel allegedly stated that
he had his photo taken with the "real" UFO wreckage and then it
was subsequently removed and the weather balloon wreckage
substituted for it, a comparison shows that the same wreckage
appeared in the photos of Marcel and Ramey. The photos also
depicted that this material was Iying on what appeared to be some
sort of wrapping paper (consistent with affidavit excerpt of crew
chief Porter, above). It was also noted that in the two photos
of Ramey he had a piece of paper in his hand. In one, it was
folded over so nothing could be seen. In the second, however,
there appears to be text printed on the paper. In an attempt to
read this text to determine if it could shed any further light on
locating documents relating to this matter, the photo was sent to
a national level organization for digitizing and subsequent photo
interpretation and analysis. This organization was also asked to
scrutinize the digitized photos for any indication of the
flowered tape (or "hieroglyphics," depending on the point of
view) that were reputed to be visible to some of the persons who
observed the wreckage prior to it getting to Fort Worth. This
organization reported on July 20, 1994, that even after
digitizing, the photos were of insufficient quality to visualize
either of the details sought for analysis. This organization was
able to obtain measurements from the "sticks" visible in the
debris after it was ascertained by an interview of the original
photographer what kind of camera he used. The results of this
process are provided in Atch 33, along with a reference diagram
and the photo from which the measurements were made. All these
measurements are compatible with the wooden materials used in the
radar target previously described.
CONCLUSION
The Air Force research did not locate or develop any information
that the "Roswell Incident" was a UFO event. All available
official materials, although they do not directly address Roswell
PER SE, indicate that the most likely source of the wreckage
recovered from the Brazel Ranch was from one of the Project Mogul
balloon trains. Although that project was TOP SECRET at the
time, there was also no specific indication found to indicate an
official pre-planned cover story was in place to explain an event
such as that which ultimately happened. It appears that the
identification of the wreckage as being part of a weather balloon
device, as reported in the newspapers at the time, was based on
the fact that there was no physical difference in the radar
targets and the neoprene balloons (other than the numbers and
configuration) between Mogul balloons and normal weather
balloons. Additionally, it seems that there was over-reaction by
Colonel Blanchard and Major Marcel, in originally reporting that
a "flying disc" had been recovered when, at that time, nobody for
sure knew what that term even meant since it had only been in use
for a couple of weeks.
Likewise, there was no indication in official records from the
period that there was heightened military operational or security
activity which should have been generated if this was, in fact,
the first recovery of materials and/or persons from another
world. The post-War US Military (or today's for that matter) did
not have the capability to rapidly identify, recover, coordinate,
cover-up, and quickly minimize public scrutiny of such an
event. The claim that they did so without leaving even a little
bit of a suspicious paper trail for 47 years is incredible.
It should also be noted here that there was little mentioned in
this report about the recovery of the so-called "alien bodies."
This is for several reasons: First, the recovered wreckage was
from a Project Mogul balloon. There were no "alien" passengers
therein. Secondly, the pro-UFO groups who espouse the alien
bodies theories cannot even agree among themselves as to what,
how many, and where, such bodies were supposedly recovered.
Additionally, some of these claims have been shown to be hoaxes,
even by other UFO researchers. Thirdly, when such claims are
made, they are often attributed to people using pseudonyms or who
otherwise do not want to be publicly identified, presumably so
that some sort of retribution cannot be taken against them
(notwithstanding that nobody has been shown to have died,
disappeared or otherwise suffered at the hands of the government
during the last 47 years). Fourth, many of the persons making
the biggest claims of"alien bodies" make their living from the
"Roswell Incident." While
having a commercial interest in something does not automatically
make it suspect, it does raise interesting questions related to
authenticity. Such persons should be encouraged to present their
evidence (not speculation) directly to the government and provide
all pertinent details and evidence to support their claims if
honest fact-finding is what is wanted. Lastly, persons who have
come forward and provided their names and made claims, may have,
in good faith but in the "fog of time," misinterpreted past
events. The review of Air Force records did not locate even one
piece of evidence to indicate that the Air Force has had any part
in an "alien" body recovery operation or continuing cover-up.
During the course of this effort, the Air Force has kept in close
touch with the GAO and responded to their various queries and
requests for assistance. This report was generated as an
official response to the GAO, and to document the considerable
effort expended by the Air Force on their behalf. It is
anticipated that that they will request a copy of this report to
help formulate the formal report of their efforts. It is
recommended that this
document serve as the final Air Force report related to the
Roswell matter, for the GAO, or any other inquiries.
RICHARD L. WEAVER
DlRECTOR, SECURITY AND SPECIAL PROGRAM OVERSIGHT
Attachments
1. WASHINGTON POST Article, "GAO Turns to Alien Turf in New
Probe," January 14,1994
2. GAO Memo, February 15,1994
3. DoD/IG Memo, February 23, 1994
4. SAF/FM Memo, February 24,1994, w/Indorsement
5. SAF/AA Memo, March 1, 1994, w/ March 16, 1994 Addendum
6. AF/IN Memo, March 14, 1994
7. AF/SE Memo, March 14, 1994
8. SAF/AQL Memo, March 22, 1994
9. AF/XOWP Memo, March 9, 1994
10. SAF/AAI Memo, March 10, 1994
11. AFHRA/CC Memo, March 8, 1994
12. AFOSI/HO Memo, May 11, 1994
13. List of Locations and Records Searched
14. HQ AAF "Issuance of Orders," June 5, 1947
15. Copy of Vandenberg's Appointment Book and Diary, July 7-9,
1947
16. July 9, 1947 Photos of Balloon Wreckage, FT WORTH STAR
TELEGRAM
17. Signed Sworn Statement of Cavitt, May 24, 1994
18. Transcript of Cavitt Interview, May 24, 1994
19. Letter, July 8, 1946, Project Mogul
20. Signed Sworn Statement of Spilhaus, June 3, 1994
21. Signed Sworn Statement of Moore, June 8, 1994
22. Signed Sworn Statement of Trakowski, June 29, 1994
23. Transcript of Interview with Moore, June 8, 1994
24. Transcript of Interview with Trakowski, June 29, 1994
25. Illustration of Project Mogul "Balloon Trains"
26. Two Photos of Project Mogul "Balloon Trains"
27. Log Summary, NYU Constant Level Balloon Flights
28. List of Museums Contacted
29. Copy of Blueprint for "Pilot Balloon Target, ML-307C/AP
Assembly"
30. Signed Sworn Statement of Newton, July 21, 1994
31. Photos of ML-307C/AP Device, With Vintage Neoprene Balloon
and Debris
32. Synopsis of Balloon Research Findings by 1LT James McAndrew
33. "Mensuration Working Paper," With Drawing and Photo