The Account
James Ragsdale
“They was using dummies in those damned things”[108]
Testimony attributed to Ragsdale, who is deceased, states that he and a friend were camping one evening and saw something fall from the sky. The next morning, when they went to investigate, they saw a crash site:
“One part [of the craft] was kind of buried in the ground and one part of it was sticking our [out] of the ground.” “I’m sure that [there] was bodies ... either bodies or dummies.” “The federal government could have been doing something they didn’t want anyone to know what this was. They was using dummies in those damned things ... they could use remote control ... but it was either dummies or bodies or something laying there. They looked like bodies. They were not very long ... [not] over four or five foot long at the most.” “We didn’t see their faces or nothing like that ... we had just gotten to the site and the Army ... and all [was] coming and we got into a damned jeep and took off.”
This testimony then describes an assortment of military vehicles used to recover the “bodies”: “It was two or three six-by-six Army trucks a wrecker and everything. Leading the pack was a ’47 Ford car with guys in it.... It was six or eight big trucks besides the pickup, weapons carriers and stuff like that.” Ragsdale also said that before he left the area he observed the military personnel “gathering stuff up” and “they cleaned everything all up.”
Assessment
In his testimony, Ragsdale made numerous references to equipment, vehicles, and procedures consistent with documented anthropomorphic dummy recoveries for projects High Dive and Excelsior. The repeated use of the term “dummy” and the witness’ own admission that “they was using dummies in those damned things” and “I’m sure that was bodies ... either bodies or dummies” leaves little doubt that what he described was an anthropomorphic dummy recovery.
Based on testimony attributed to this witness, the confusion could have resulted from the fact that he observed these activities from a distance. If the witness was even a short distance from the odd looking anthropomorphic dummies, it would be logical for him to believe, when interviewed 35 to 40 years after the event, that he “thought they were dummies or bodies or something.” Also, for some of the high altitude drops, the dummies did not separate from the suspension rack and “rode the rack” to the ground without deployment of a parachute.[109] If the parachutes of the dummies or parachutes of the rack assembly did not deploy (a common occurrence during the early dummy drops), then they free-fell from up to 98,000 feet.[110] As a result of these malfunctions, the arms and legs of the dummies were often separated from the body on impact.[111] This may account for the witness’ description of bodies [not] “over four or five foot” tall.
Another portion of his testimony suggesting that the witness observed an Air Force high altitude balloon and dummy recovery was the statement: “The federal government could have been doing something because they didn’t want anyone to know what this was ... they was using dummies in those damned things ... they could use remote control.” Balloon controllers used remote control to relay commands to the balloon control package to valve gas and drop ballast.[112] The dummies themselves were also dropped from the suspension rack by remote control.[113]
Fig. 71. Numerous vehicles and various types of equipment, were often present at high altitude balloon and anthropomorphic dummy launch and recovery locations. (photo collection of Ole Jorgeson)
The witness also described a Balloon Branch procedure that required the area of a balloon or payload landing to be restored to its original condition. It was evident in the statements “They cleaned everything all up” and “They began gathering the stuff up.” Thoroughly cleaning a balloon or dummy landing site and removing any debris deposited there was a standard procedure to maintain good community relations and avoid legal claims that could arise over property damages or livestock losses.[114] Cattle were known to ingest scraps of polyethylene balloon material that sometimes littered entire fields following a balloon failure or flight termination.[115]
The military vehicles described were also consistent with recovery and communications vehicles used during the 1950s to retrieve anthropomorphic dummies and suspension racks.[116] The witness stated he saw a “wrecker,” a “six-by-six,” a “weapons carrier,” a “’47 Ford car,” and a “pickup.” The “wrecker” was most likely a M-342 5-ton wrecker that was assigned to the Balloon Branch for launch and recovery operations.[117] Other vehicles described were also the type used to launch and recover anthropomorphic dummies. The “six-by-six” is a likely reference to a M-35 2½-ton cargo truck; “weapons carriers” were the common name of a Dodge M-37 ¾-ton utility truck. References to “the pickup” and a “’47 Ford car,” were likely descriptions of other civilian and military vehicles often present at high altitude balloon launch and recovery locations.
“Crash” Site 2
(Allegedly 175 miles Northwest of Roswell)
This purported flying saucer “crash” site is allegedly 175 miles northwest of Roswell in an area of New Mexico known as the San Agustin Plains.[118] The contention that a flying saucer crashed at this location and was recovered by the U.S. military is supported by three principal testimonies, two secondhand and one firsthand.
The Secondhand Accounts
These accounts were related by Mr. Vern Maltais and Ms. Alice Knight, who were acquainted with the alleged original eyewitness, Mr. Grady L. Barnett, who is deceased. Unless otherwise noted, the following statements appeared on footage used to prepare a video, Recollections of Roswell Part II, by The Fund for UFO Research (see [Appendix C]).
Alice Knight
“I don’t recall the date”[119]
“I don’t remember whether it was before my husband and I were married or after, I don’t recall the date. But he [the eyewitness] saw a UFO fall ... and he got nearly to the site ... but they got nearly up to the UFO but it was close enough that you could see some creatures. He said they didn’t look like human beings out there. And along came government cars and trucks. I guess it was government. You know it was a long time ago ... and they told him to go on back and forget that they ever saw anything, and that’s all I recall.”
Assessment
This brief testimony suggests that the witness did not know the date of this event. It also appears that the “creatures” were seen from a distance, as evidenced by the statement, “They got nearly up to the UFO but it was close enough that you could see some creatures.” The testimony also seems consistent with a description of anthropomorphic dummies as the witness stated they “didn’t look like human beings.”
Vern Maltais
“Their heads were hairless ... no eyebrows, no eyelashes, no hair”[120]
This secondhand witness alleged that the eyewitness told him he observed “beings” from a “flying saucer that had burst open” that were “about three and a half to four feet tall, very slim ... their heads were hairless, with no eyebrows, no eyelashes, no hair” with “sort of a pear-shaped head.” He also related that “the beings were ... not exactly like human beings ... similar but not exactly.” He described that the hands of the beings “were not covered” ... and [they] only had “four fingers.” He also related that the clothing of the beings was “one-piece and gray in color”.[121] The witness concluded that “As they [the witnesses] were just starting to look things over really closely, the military moved in and gave them a briefing to not say anything about it.”
Fig. 72. “Their heads were hairless ... no eyebrows, no eyelashes, no hair,” a likely description of Alderson Laboratories type anthropomorphic dummy. These Alderson dummies, of the same type used for Projects High Dive/Excelsior, were used to test NASA’s Apollo spacecraft three-man couch at Holloman AFB, N.M. in 1965. (U.S. Air Force photo)
Assessment
This description of events also indicates that the eyewitness apparently did not closely examine the scene and was “just starting to look things over” when the military arrived. As with the previous testimony, from a distance the dummies were likely to look, as described by the witness, “not exactly like humans ... similar but not exactly.” The description of the flying saucer that had “burst open” is a likely description of the dummy suspension rack that was open on the sides (see figures [74], [75], [76]). The detailed descriptions of the “beings” as “about three and a half to four feet tall, very slim in stature ... their heads were hairless, with no eyebrows, no eyelashes, no hair,” with “hands that were not covered” and “had only four fingers,” is a likely description of an Alderson Research Laboratories model anthropomorphic dummy. The head of the Alderson dummy was “bald” and the area of the eyebrows protruded but had no “hair” (see figure [72]). Also, a distinguishing feature of the Alderson dummy, unlike the Sierra dummy, was that it had individual fingers not covered by gloves that were often damaged during the tests resulting in the loss of fingers (see figures [35], 73, 75).
Due to the secondhand nature of these accounts, even UFO theorists were not convinced that this “incident” actually occurred. Corroborating testimony of a firsthand witness was necessary to verify these claims. The firsthand testimony is examined next.
The Firsthand Account
This testimony became part of the Roswell Incident in 1990 following an episode of the television program Unsolved Mysteries.[122] Following a dramatized re-creation on the program, persons with information concerning this event were encouraged to call a special toll free telephone number.
From the outset, some UFO theorists were skeptical of this testimony due to the amount of detail provided from the witness who was only five years old in 1947. In fact, UFO organizations sponsored a conference in February 1992 to evaluate the testimony for authenticity.[123] The witness was asked to take a polygraph examination, which he passed.[124] Many UFO enthusiasts remained skeptical of the claims and denounced this testimony as “no more than a fabrication.”[125]
Unless otherwise noted, two sources of testimony attributed to the witness have been used in this examination; interviews used to prepare the video Recollections of Roswell Part II by the Fund for UFO Research (see [Appendix C]) and Crash at Corona by Don Berliner and Stanton Friedman (passages from this book were used only when exact quotations of the witness were indicated).
Gerald Anderson
“I thought they were plastic dolls ... I didn’t think they were real”[126]
Anderson related that as a five-year-old boy on an outing with his family in west central New Mexico, they stumbled upon the crash of some type of aerial vehicle.[127] When he first saw the craft he thought it was a “blimp.”[128] According to Anderson he “didn’t really get very close,”[129] but thought he saw four bandaged crewmembers and at first he “thought they were plastic dolls.”[130] He also described attempts by persons in his party to communicate with one of the “crewmembers.”[131] Soon after, other civilians arrived (some wearing pith helmets) followed by military personnel in an assortment of vehicles and aircraft commanded by a “redheaded captain.”[132] The military personnel, after “screaming and hollering” at the civilians “this is a military secret,” started a recovery operation of the alien craft and crew.[133] Anderson also recalled that the military personnel threatened some of the civilians with imprisonment or death before escorting them out of the area.[134]
Assessment
Anderson’s choice of the terms “blimp” to describe the crashed vehicle, and “dolls” to describe the “crew,” strongly suggests that a balloon with an anthropomorphic dummy payload was the foundation for this testimony. He also provided an abundance of supporting details that accurately described vehicles, aircraft, equipment, and procedures used by the Holloman AFB Balloon Branch to launch and recover anthropomorphic dummies.
An aspect of this testimony that is not accurate is the alleged threats and intimidation of civilians by military personnel. The use of such heavy-handedness was not a tactic used by the Air Force. A careful review of official records and interviews with numerous persons who actively participated in and were responsible for the conduct of Air Force members on high altitude balloon recovery operations revealed that these allegations are untrue.[135] Additionally, the witness alleges that the military personnel were “screaming and hollering” “this is a military secret.”[136] This statement might lead uninitiated persons to believe that the witness observed something highly classified and that by telling everyone present that it was a “military secret” would somehow help it to remain so. However, logic dictates that if something was classified “screaming and hollering” it was “secret,” would compromise it and not serve to protect its classification. This application of logic, combined with the fact that the launch and recovery of anthropomorphic dummies was unclassified, widely publicized, and often observed by local civilians, indicates that the witness’ recollections are in error. There was never a reason to disrespect, “scream,” “holler,” or forbid any person from talking about the launch or recovery of anthropomorphic dummies.
The “Crewmembers.” The statement “I thought they were plastic dolls” seems an odd choice of words to describe an extraterrestrial being and is a likely reference to an anthropomorphic dummy whose skin was made of plastic.[137] This description is similar to that of the sole witness of the other crash site, north of Roswell, who described the “aliens” as “dummies.”[138] Other references provided by this witness further indicate that anthropomorphic dummies were the basis for these descriptions. The heads of the “crewmembers” were described as “completely bald” with “no visible ears ... just a rise ... and then a hole.”[139] This is an accurate description of Alderson Research Laboratories model dummies that did not have “hair” and had either plastic “ears” molded to the head or a circular opening where a “demountable ear” or additional instrumentation was attached (see [figure 22]).[140] The statement “they didn’t have a little finger,”[141] a detail very similar to one provided by another witness, also appears to be a description of dummies manufactured by Alderson Laboratories that were often damaged during the balloon tests resulting in the loss of fingers.
Fig. 73. “Some kind of container, a metal box,” was described as laying on the ground near the alleged aliens. This appears to be a reference to boxes containing electrical components of the remote controlled systems positioned on the top of the dummy suspension rack. (U.S. Air Force photo)
Fig. 74. “They looked like they had some sort of bandages on ’em ... over his ... arm ... around his midsection and partially over his shoulder”—witness description of tape and nylon webbing used to prevent arms and legs from flailing, and parachute harness that had chest and shoulder straps. Tape was also used to secure the removable back plate of the head (also see figs. [29], [30], [73], [75]). (U.S. Air Force photo)
The assertion that “they were all wearing one-piece suits ... a shiny silverish-gray color,” “trimmed in ... maroon-like cording”[142] is a likely reference to a standard issue, gray, Air Force flightsuit used to outfit the dummies and red duct-type tape used in the tests that prevented air from filling the flightsuit (see fig. 30).[143] The recollection that “crewmembers” had “bandages”[144] on their bodies were likely references to tape and nylon webbing used to prevent flailing of a dummy’s arms and legs during tests.[145] A reference to a bandage “around his [the crewmember’s] midsection and partially over his shoulder”[146] is a likely reference to the standard B-4 or B-5 parachute with chest and shoulder straps worn by the dummies.[147]
Fig. 75. “Its uniform was torn in a couple spots ... their uniforms were in pretty sad shape”—witnesses description of secondhand flightsuits that were used repeatedly on tests; tears and other damage were common. In this photo, 1st Lt. Raymond A. Madson “rigs” a dummy to its suspension rack for project High Dive at Holloman AFB, N.M. (U.S. Air Force photo)
Fig. 76. A witness described at least one person at a “crash” site wearing a pith helmet. In the 1950s, the pith helmet was part of the Air Force uniform and was often worn on balloon launches and recoveries. In this publicity photo from On the Threshold of Space, Air Force members at Holloman AFB who were extras in the film can be seen wearing pith helmets. (also see [figure 49])
The “Craft.” In what appears to be a clear reference to a balloon, was that when he saw the crashed vehicle he “thought it was a blimp.”[148] Additional descriptions of cables that “went from one kind of a package of components to another kind of package” and a “metal box” were likely references to the balloon control package that was positioned on top of the dummy suspension rack.[149] A further reference to a balloon payload is the statement that on a hot New Mexico day the crashed vehicle was “ice cold, it felt like it just came out of the freezer.”[150] This accurately describes a physical condition known as “cold soaking” common to high altitude payloads that had recently been exposed to sub-zero temperatures of the upper atmosphere.
Military Aircraft. The witness also described two aircraft of the same type used for anthropomorphic dummy recoveries as having been involved in the activity he witnessed. One aircraft was described as a “C-47” and another as an “observation aircraft ... a high-winged aircraft.”[151] These were a C-47 and a L-20 aircraft used extensively by the Balloon Branch during the mid 1950s for tracking and recovering anthropomorphic dummy balloon flights.[152] This testimony also described aircraft that were typically overhead during a recovery and an established procedure of landing on a rural road or in a field to reach isolated balloon launch or recovery locations.[153]
Fig. 77. “An observation aircraft ... a high-winged aircraft”—a witness’s probable reference to a U.S. Air Force L-20 aircraft used extensively by Holloman AFB crews to track and recover anthropomorphic dummies. (U.S. Air Force photo)
Fig. 78. Described as present at a flying saucer “crash” site was a C-47 aircraft. This is a probable reference to a U.S. Air Force C-47 transport aircraft used to move equipment to launch sites distant from Holloman AFB. These aircraft were also used for aerial tracking of high altitude balloon flights including those that flew anthropomorphic dummies. (U.S. Air Force photo)
Military Vehicles. Numerous military vehicles, several of which were described by other witnesses as having been at the other crash site north of Roswell, were also described. Witnesses at the two different sites described a “wrecker” and a “six-by-six,” both of the type used for anthropomorphic dummy recoveries.[154] The account also described two vehicles unique to the Balloon Branch that were used for the majority of high altitude balloon recoveries during the mid- to late-1950s.
The witness described a “jeep-like truck that had a bunch of radios in it”.... There was a guy sittin’ in there wearin’ earphones and he was talking on the radio.“[155] This is a likely description of a Dodge M-37 ¾-ton utility truck, known as a weapons carrier, that had been specially modified to carry radio equipment for balloon recovery operations. The Holloman AFB Balloon Branch modified these vehicles in 1953, ruling out the possibility that the witness observed them in 1947, when such vehicles were not available to organizations performing balloon operations.[156] The other vehicle described and used by the Balloon Branch were “military ambulances.”[157] During the mid-1950s, the Balloon Branch modified three M-43 ¾-ton ambulances for use as balloon recovery and communications vehicles.[158] These vehicles were used for anthropomorphic dummy launch and recovery missions to relay messages to circling recovery aircraft and the balloon operations center at Holloman AFB.[159] The witness also described “a trailer with a motor on it, like a generator.”[160] This is a likely description of a 1½-ton cargo trailer with an MB-19 15 Kilowatt diesel generator. These generators were used primarily on balloon launch sites during the 1950s and 1960s (see fig. [71]).
Fig. 79. “Stretching stuff out on the ground, dragging stuff out of trucks”—a likely witness reference to high altitude balloon inflation procedure that required the balloon to be stretched out on a protective ground cloth prior to inflation. (U.S. Air Force photo)
Balloon Branch Procedures. Descriptions of military personnel “stretching stuff out on the ground, dragging stuff out of trucks”[161] is a likely description of a balloon launch procedure that required the fragile polyethylene balloon and its protective ground cloth to be removed from a launch vehicle and laid out on the ground prior to inflation. Another procedure described by the witness was an apparent reference to a balloon recovery practice of recording the names of civilians who observed high altitude balloon recoveries.[162] The witness stated that military personnel “took everybody’s name and everything,”[163] which was a procedure to ensure payment of a $25 dollar reward to persons who assisted in the recovery. This procedure was also necessary to settle future claims of property damage caused by the balloon, payload, or recovery vehicles.[164]
Fig. 80. Witnesses described a “tanker,” “military ambulances,” a “6 × 6,” and a “wrecker”—probable references to (from left) a helium tank trailer, a M-43 ambulance (converted to a communications vehicle), a M-35 cargo truck (partially obscured), and a M-342 wrecker. These vehicles were used for off-range launch and recovery operations of anthropomorphic dummies for Project High Dive/Excelsior. Shown here is a May 29, 1957 dummy launch near Hatch, N.M. (also see figs. [23], [28], [64], [71], [81]). (U.S. Air Force photo)
Fig. 81. Scene typical of a mid- to late 1950s off-range high altitude balloon launch. (U.S. Air Force photo)
Summary
When the claims offered by UFO theorists to prove that an extraterrestrial spaceship and crew crashed and were recovered by the U.S. Air Force are compared to documented Air Force activities, it is reasonable to conclude, with a high degree of certainty, that the two “crashes” were actually descriptions of a launch or recovery of a high altitude balloon and anthropomorphic dummies. This conclusion was based on the remarkable similarities and independent corroboration between the witnesses who described both of the “crash sites.” Statements such as “they was using dummies in those damned things” and a characterization of the crashed vehicle as, “I thought it was a blimp” are two of the many similarities. The extensive detailed descriptions provided by the witnesses, too numerous to be coincidental, were of the equipment, vehicles, procedures, and personnel of the Air Force research organizations who conducted the scientific experiments High Dive and Excelsior.
Though it is clear anthropomorphic dummies were responsible for these accounts, the specific locations of the events described was difficult, if not impossible, to determine since the witnesses were not specific. A witness to the “crash site” north of Roswell, Mr. James Ragsdale, was not certain of the actual location as evidenced by a change in his sworn testimony that moved the site many miles from its original location.[165]
However, since Ragsdale reportedly lived or worked in the Roswell, Artesia, and Carlsbad, N.M. areas during the period when the dummies were used, it is likely he described one or more of the nine documented dummy recoveries in areas near there.
Reports of the other crash site, allegedly 175 miles northwest of Roswell on the San Agustin Plains, is likely based on descriptions of more than one launch and recovery of anthropomorphic dummies. Since one witness, Gerald Anderson, described procedures consistent with the launch and recovery of high altitude balloons, it is likely that he witnessed both of these activities, with at least one that included an anthropomorphic dummy payload.
The two secondhand witnesses to this “crash,” Vern Maltais and Alice Knight, could have related descriptions from any of the dummy launch or landing sites. However, Maltais and Knight repeatedly described the impact location of the flying saucer as on the San Agustin Plains. One possible explanation is that the witnesses, in the 30 or more years since they were told the story by the original eyewitness, Mr. Barney Barnett, a soil conservation engineer who reportedly traveled extensively throughout New Mexico, may have confused San Agustin Plains with San Agustin Pass or San Agustin Peak, an area in the San Agustin Mountains of New Mexico. These areas are just outside the boundary of the White Sands Missile Range and the adjacent Jornada Test Range. Numerous anthropomorphic dummy balloon flights terminated and were recovered in this area. Furthermore, if the civilians witnessed dummy landings on either the White Sands Missile Range or the Jornada Test Range, both test areas and restricted U.S. Government reservations, then this explains why they may have been told to leave the landing site. In the popular Roswell scenarios, witnesses were allegedly instructed by military personnel to leave the area because they witnessed something of a highly classified nature. This would be unlikely since the witnesses described projects that utilized anthropomorphic dummies which were unclassified. It is likely, however, that if the witnesses ventured onto one of these ranges they were instructed to leave, not because of classified activities, but for their own safety.
These conclusions are supported by official files, technical reports, extensive photographic documentation, and the recollections of numerous former and retired Air Force members and civilian employees who conducted Projects High Dive and Excelsior. The descriptions examined here, provided by UFO theorists themselves, were so remarkably—and redundantly—similar to these Air Force projects that the only reasonable conclusion can be that the witnesses described these activities. These many similarities are summarized in Table 1.1.
The next section will examine the accounts of “aliens” at the hospital at Roswell Army Air Field. As previously stated, due to the lack of general or detailed similarities with testimony of the two rural “crash sites,” the hospital account was determined not to be associated with these reports.
Fig. 82.
Source: Test records of U.S. Air Force aeromedical project no. 7218,
task 71719 (High Dive) and project no. 7222, task 71748 (Excelsior).
Table 1.1
Comparison of Testimony to Actual Air Force Equipment, Vehicles, and Procedures Used to Launch and Recover Anthropomorphic Dummies
Notes:
“Crash Site” 1—Site North of Roswell
“Crash Site” 2—Site 175 miles Northwest of Roswell
Shaded areas indicates corroboration between witnesses.
Boxed shaded areas indicates corroboration between witnesses at different “crash” sites.
| Witness Description | Air Force Equipment/Procedure | “Crash Site” |
|---|---|---|
| The “Aliens” | ||
| 1. “They was using dummies in those damned things.”[166]Ragsdale | Reference to anthropomorphic dummies (figs. 11, 14, 21–22, 29, 30–33, 35, 40, 72–75, 45). | Site 1 |
| 2. “I thought they were plastic dolls”[167]Anderson | Reference to anthropomorphic dummies that had plastic skin. | Site 2 |
| 3. “an experimental plane with dummies in it”[168]Kaufman | Reference to anthropomorphic dummies. | Site 1 |
| 4. “I’m sure that was bodies ... either bodies or dummies.”[169]Ragsdale | Reference to anthropomorphic dummies. | Site 1 |
| 5. “it was either dummies or bodies or something laying there.”[170]Ragsdale | Reference to anthropomorphic dummies. | Site 1 |
| 6. “his eyes was open, staring blankly”[171]Anderson | Reference to anthropomorphic dummies. | Site 2 |
| 7. “not exactly like human beings ... similar, but not exactly.”[172]Maltais | Reference to anthropomorphic dummies. | Site 2 |
| 8. “didn’t look like human beings”[173]Knight | Reference to anthropomorphic dummies. | Site 2 |
| 9. “they didn’t have a little finger”[174]Anderson | Reference to Alderson Laboratories dummy that were reused many times and were often damaged but remained in service. (figs. [35], [73], [74]). | Site 2 |
| 10. “they had four fingers”[175]Maltais | Corroboration of description #9. See above. | Site 2 |
| 11. [the beings were] “three and a half to four feet tall”[176]Maltais | Likely description of anthropomorphic dummy missing legs after fall from altitude. | Site 2 |
| 12. [the beings were] “four foot tall, four and a half feet tall.”[177]Anderson | Corroboration of description #11. See above. | Site 2 |
| 13. “they weren’t over four or five foot long at the most.”[178]Ragsdale | Corroboration of description #11. See above. | Site 1 |
| 14. “Their skin coloration... [was] a bluish tinted milky white”[179]Anderson | Probable description of a “Sierra Sam” dummy with pale white “skin” (fig. [21]). | Site 2 |
| 15. “their heads were hairless ... no eyebrows, no eyelashes, no hair”[180]Maltais | Anthropomorphic dummies did not have “hair” (figs. [21], [22], [36–38], [40]). | Site 2 |
| 16. “no hair ... completely bald”[181]Anderson | Corroboration of description #15. See above. | Site 2 |
| 17. “no visible ears ... just a rise there and then a hole”[182]Anderson | Dummies had ears that were molded to their heads with openings for placement of instruments (fig. [22]). | Site 2 |
| 18. “The hands were not covered”[183]Maltais | Reference to Alderson dummy which did not have gloves on hands (figs. [35], [73–75]). | Site 2 |
| 19. “they were all wearing one piece suits ... a shiny silverish gray color”[184]Anderson | Reference to gray flight suits worn by the dummies for some of the tests (figs. [14], [29], [30]). | Site 2 |
| 20. “Their clothing seemed to be one piece and gray in color.”[185]Maltais | Corroboration of description #19. See above. | Site 2 |
| 21. “It’s uniform was torn in a couple spots ... their uniforms were in pretty sad shape.”[186]Anderson | Dummy uniforms were often secondhand, rips and other defects were common but they remained in service (fig. [75]). | Site 2 |
| 22. “Around the collar it [the suit] was trimmed in ... maroon-like cording”[187]Anderson | Reference to red duct tape used to prevent air from filling the dummy’s flightsuit (figs. [29], [30]). | Site 2 |
| 23. “They looked like they had some sort of bandages on ’em ... over his [the crewmember’s] arm.”[188]Anderson | Reference to tape and nylon webbing used to prevent arms and legs of dummy from flailing. Tape was also used to secure the removable back plate of head (figs. [29], [30], [35], [72–75]). | Site 2 |
| 24. [bandages] “around his midsection and partially over his shoulder”[189]Anderson | Reference to parachute harness that had chest and shoulder straps. | Site 2 |
| The “Craft” | ||
| 25. “It [the crewmember] felt dead when I touched it, it was very cold.”[190]Anderson | Description of a high altitude balloon payload that was cold soaked at sub zero temperatures of the upper atmosphere. | Site 2 |
| 26. “it was a dirigible, a blimp that had crashed”[191]Anderson | Reference to a partially inflated or deflated high altitude balloon (figs. [23], [70]). | Site 2 |
| 27. “a flying saucer that had burst open”[192]Maltais | Reference to the dummy suspension rack that did not have sides (figs. [35], [73–75]). | Site 2 |
| 28. “clusters of thread-like material in the form of a cable”[193]Anderson | Numerous cables and wires were used in the dummy instrumentation kits and balloon control package. | Site 2 |
| 29. “others of those [cables] went from one kind of package of components to another kind of package”[194]Anderson | Both balloon control package and dummy instrumentation kits were connected by cables (fig. [73]). | Site 2 |
| 30. “some kind of container, a metal box”[195]Anderson | Reference to balloon control package or dummy instrumentation kit (fig. [73]). | Site 2 |
| 31. “it was ice cold, it felt like it just came out of a freezer”[196]Anderson | Condition of a balloon payload after it has been “cold soaked” in the upper atmosphere at temperatures far below zero. | Site 2 |
| Vehicles | ||
| 32. a “jeep-like truck that had a bunch of radios in it and two big antennas.... There was a guy sittin’ in there wearin’ earphones and he was talking on the radio.”[197]Anderson | Reference to a modified M-37 ¾-ton utility truck commonly referred to as a weapons carrier, unique to the Balloon Branch. One of the primary vehicles used by recovery crews. Balloons were tracked by direction finding gear and required a radio operator to wear headphones (fig. 32). | Site 2 |
| 33. “weapons carriers”[198]Ragsdale | Corroboration of description #32. See above. | Site 1 |
| 34. “six by six Army trucks”[199]Ragsdale | Reference to M-35 2½-ton cargo truck used to transport dummies and suspension racks for launch and recoveries (fig. [31]). | Site 1 |
| 35. “six by [six] ... military truck with canvas ... wagon type ... thing over it”[200]Anderson | Corroboration of description #34. See above. | Site 2 |
| 36. “wreckers [with] cranes on ’em”[201]Anderson | reference to M-246 wrecker used to launch and recover anthropomorphic dummy payloads (figs. [23], [28], [70]). | Site 2 |
| 37. “a wrecker”[202]Ragsdale | Corroboration of description #36. See above. | Site 1 |
| 38. “there was military ambulances”[203]Anderson | Reference to a converted M-43 ambulances used as balloon recovery communications vehicles (figs. 64, 71, [80]). | Site 2 |
| 39. “the pick-up”[204]Anderson | Pick-up trucks were often used to recover anthropomorphic dummies (figs. [71], [79]). | Site 2 |
| 40. “tankers, like, maybe had fuel or water in ’em”[205]Anderson | reference to M-49 fuel trucks used to refuel aircraft or helium trailer used to inflate balloon (figs. [23], [70], [80], [81]). | Site 2 |
| 41. “a military car”[206]Anderson | A variety of military and civilian cars were often used for balloon recoveries and launches (fig. [71]). | Site 2 |
| 42. “’47 Ford car”[207]Ragsdale | Corroboration of description #41. See above. | Site 1 |
| 43. “there was a jeep that was pulling a trailer with a motor on it, like a generator.”[208]Anderson | Reference to 1-ton trailer and MB-19 15 Kilowatt diesel generator that were used at balloon launch and recovery locations (fig. [71]). | Site 2 |
| Aircraft | ||
| 44. “observation aircraft ... high winged aircraft”[209]Anderson | Reference to an L-20 aircraft, primary “chase” aircraft used for balloon recovery in the mid 1950s (fig. [77]). | Site 2 |
| 45. “C-47 sittin’ there” [on the road][210]Anderson | C-47 aircraft were often used on dummy launch and recovery operations (fig. [78]). | Site 2 |
| Procedures | ||
| 46. “The federal government could have been doing something because they didn’t want anyone to know what this was ... they was using dummies in those damned things ... they could use remote control”[211]Ragsdale | Reference to balloon borne anthropomorphic dummies that were dropped by remote control by balloon controllers at Holloman AFB | Site 1 |
| 47. “they took everybody’s name and everything”[212]Anderson | Procedure used by Balloon Branch to ensure payment of $25 reward and to settle claims of property damage. | Site 2 |
| 48. “they cleaned everything all up ... I mean they cleaned everything”[213]Ragsdale | Balloon Branch personnel were required to remove as much debris as possible from balloon and payload landing areas to avoid complaints and legal actions. | Site 1 |
| 49. “they had the road barricaded off”[214]Anderson | Procedure used for aircraft operations. | Site 2 |
| 50. “they had the road sealed off”[215]Ragsdale | Corroboration of description #49. See above. | Site 1 |
| 51. “airplanes sitting there they had landed on the highway”[216]Anderson | Established procedure to refuel an aircraft, launch a balloon from an isolated location or recover a small payload near a rural road. | Site 2 |
| 52. “there was airplanes in the sky” [over the crash site].[217]Anderson | Reference to balloon “chase” aircraft used to direct ground recovery crews to balloon impact site. | Site 2 |
| 53. “stretching out cables of some kind ... they were stretching stuff out on the ground, dragging stuff out of trucks”[218]Anderson | Reference to balloon inflation procedure that required the balloon and ground cloth to be removed from a vehicle and laid on the ground (fig. [79]). | Site 2 |
SECTION TWO
Reports of Bodies at the
Roswell AAF Hospital
This section examines the remaining portion of the Roswell Incident claims—the reports of “bodies” at the Roswell AAF hospital. Examinations of the various “crashed saucer” scenarios revealed references to the Roswell AAF hospital appeared in virtually all of them. Most of these were based on the account of one individual, W. Glenn Dennis. His undocumented and uncorroborated recollections, reportedly first related in 1989, over 42 years after the alleged Roswell Incident, are based on activities he allegedly encountered as a mortician providing contract services to the Roswell AAF hospital. Dennis’ recollections have, in turn, been interpreted by UFO theorists as evidence that the U.S. Army Air Forces recovered “alien” bodies and autopsied them at the Roswell AAF hospital in July 1947.
Dennis has been described as the “star witness” and his claims as the most credible of the Roswell Incident.[1] This, even though his most sensational assertions were not based on his own experiences but on information allegedly related to him by unidentified mystery witnesses.
Fig. 1. The International UFO Museum and Research Center in Roswell, N.M.
The mystery witnesses were allegedly an Army Air Forces nurse and a pediatrician both assigned to the Roswell AAF hospital in 1947.[2] To casual observers, this account, which contains references to actual U.S. Army Air Forces and U.S. Air Force personnel and activities, appears to have a ring of authenticity. However, when examined closely by Air Force researchers, the dates of events, the events themselves, and the people described as having participated in them, were found to be grossly inaccurate and totally unrelated to activities of July 1947.