The most famous UFO story in history
At this point, who hasn’t heard of Roswell?
The Roswell Incident of 1947 is one of the widely known and famous stories in the history of ufology. It was the first time that the United States government admitted to having a “flying saucer” in their possession, confirming the existance of UFOs.
So, what happened?
In 1947, the townspeople of Roswell, New Mexico, frequently reported seeing flying saucer-shaped crafts flying over the town. However, in July, reports of something far more interesting arose. The people of Roswell witnessed a flying-saucer-shaped craft crash in the desert, making the Roswell Incident one of history’s first mass sighting events.
Following the crash, the United States Air Force shockingly greenlit a press release announcing that they had recovered debris from a flying saucer that had crashed on the Ranch near Roswell. This is the only time in history where any branch of the United States government authorised a newspaper article that said, “We have captured a flying saucer.” The White House then ordered a complete lockdown of all material on the Roswell Incident because they couldn’t have the public believe UFOs were real and that they had one in their possession. The day after the supposed crash, a press conference was held where two Air Force Intelligence Officers held up some aluminium foil to say, “it was just a weather balloon.” The press then turned around and accepted this as fact, thus, debunking the story. Following the Roswell incident, the United States Government formed Project Blue Book, the official UFO monitoring programme.
However, one of the Intelligence officers later went back on his story and claimed that he believed the debris they retrieved from the crash site was extraterrestrial. He also claimed that he had contents from inside the craft. This officer’s name is Jesse Marcel.
Jesse Marcel
On July 8th, 1947, Jesse Marcel was summoned by his commanding officer to investigate the recovery of debris from a crashed object that was reported by a rancher named William “Mac” Brazel. Marcel drove out to the ranch and collected some of the debris, which he later described as “not of this Earth.”
Marcel returned the debris to the Roswell Army Air Field, where he and others analysed it. He was reportedly impressed by the material’s unusual properties, including its lightweight, strength, and ability to return to its original shape after being crumpled.
After collecting the debris from the ranch, Jesse Marcel Sr. reportedly brought some of it home to show his family. His son, Jesse Marcel Jr., has since recounted that his father woke him up in the middle of the night to show him the strange materials. Marcel Jr. described the debris as “not of this world,” with a metallic appearance and unusual properties. He also recalled seeing strange symbols and markings on some of the pieces.
The next day, Marcel accompanied the debris to Fort Worth, Texas, where it was presented to the commanding general of the Eighth Air Force, Roger Ramey. In a widely publicised event, Ramey claimed that the debris was merely a weather balloon, contradicting Marcel’s earlier statements.
Marcel maintained his belief that the debris was not of terrestrial origin throughout his life, and became a prominent figure in the UFO community. He’s given numerous interviews and spoke at conferences about his experiences with the Roswell Incident until his death in 1986.
His son, Marcel Jr,. has claimed that his father was deeply affected by the Roswell Incident and its aftermath, and that he believed the military was covering up the true nature of the debris. Marcel Sr. reportedly remained convinced that the materials were extraterrestrial in origin throughout his life, and his son has continued to advocate for further investigation into the incident. The Marcel family’s involvement in the Roswell Incident has become a significant part of the legend and lore surrounding the event and continues to fuel debates and discussions about the possibility of alien visitation and government cover-ups. As Jesse Marcel is one of the key officials involved in the Roswell story, his adamance that the debris was ‘not of Earth’ helps bring credibility to the idea that a UFO did crash in Roswell, New Mexico.
The Roswell Incident was the first time the United States Government had used the “weather balloon” explanation to explain a UFO sighting. Fast forward to today, and that explanation is still used by officials, with the most recent example being the 2023 Chinese Balloon and February shootdowns. However, many believe the “weather balloon” explanation is a go-to excuse to dismiss any further public investigation into credible sightings, as it’s no coincidence that the officials often dismiss UFOs as “weather balloons” whenever a legitimate event occurs.
That might seem like a lot to digest, but given how secretive world governments are on the UFO phenomenon, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that the United States would cover up an event like this. The reports of an extraterrestrial surviving the crash are frequently up for debate. However, outside of that, given all the conflicting government positions surrounding this event, it is widely believed that a craft of other-worldly origin crashed at Roswell in 1947 and was covered up. Similar events have occurred in other countries throughout history, including ‘The Soviet Roswell’ in Russia and the ‘Rendlesham Forest incident in the United Kingdom, which I will cover in the coming weeks.
The city of Roswell embraces this story as part of its history, with the event getting its own Museum and research centre, a flying saucer-inspired McDonald’s, alien-themed streetlights, and even an extraterrestrial “family” stranded in a broken-down UFO on the side of State Route 285.
Like any event, it’s not 100% confirmed whether or not this actually happened. Yet given the government’s indecision, Jesse Marcel’s adamance of the debris’ origins, and the eyewitnesses of the event, it is safe to lean towards the “real” side of the spectrum. Moreover, even if the crash did not happen, and it was a balloon, this event is very well known and has done wonders for introducing the UFO phenomenon into the mainstream conversation, which moves us one step closer to disclosure.
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