Editing Roswell incident (section)

==1947 crash==
{{Location map+|New Mexico|width=300|float=right
 |marksize=6|mark=Black pog.svg
 |places=
 {{Location map~|New Mexico|lat_dir=N|lat_deg=32|lat_min=51|lon_dir=W|lon_deg=106|lon_min=06|position=top|background=#FFFFFF|label=Alamogordo|marksize=15|mark=Icone Vermelho.svg}}
 {{Location map~|New Mexico|lat_dir=N|lat_deg=34|lat_min=22|lon_dir=W|lon_deg=103|lon_min=19|position=bottom|background=#FFFFFF|label=Clovis|marksize=10|mark=Black pog.svg}}
 {{Location map~|New Mexico|lat_dir=N|lat_deg=35|lat_min=02|lon_dir=W|lon_deg=106|lon_min=36|position=top|background=#FFFFFF|label=Kirtland|marksize=10|mark=Black pog.svg}}
 {{Location map~|New Mexico|lat_dir=N|lat_deg=32|lat_min=20|lon_dir=W|lon_deg=104|lon_min=15|position=left|background=#FFFFFF|label=Carlsbad|marksize=10|mark=Black pog.svg}}
 {{Location map~|New Mexico|lat_dir=N|lat_deg=32|lat_min=15|lon_dir=W|lon_deg=107|lon_min=43|position=left|background=#FFFFFF|label=Deming|marksize=10|mark=Black pog.svg}}
 {{Location map~|New Mexico|lat_dir=N|lat_deg=34|lat_min=29|lon_dir=W|lon_deg=104|lon_min=12|position=top|background=#FFFFFF|label=Fort Sumner|marksize=10|mark=Black pog.svg}}
 {{Location map~|New Mexico|lat_dir=N|lat_deg=32|lat_min=45|lon_dir=W|lon_deg=103|lon_min=12|position=left|background=#FFFFFF|label=Hobbs|marksize=10|mark=Black pog.svg}}
 {{Location map~|New Mexico|lat_dir=N|lat_deg=33|lat_min=18|lon_dir=W|lon_deg=104|lon_min=31|position=bottom|background=#FFFFFF|label=Roswell|mark=Map marker, star.svg|marksize=15}}
 {{Location map~|New Mexico|lat_dir=N|lat_deg=34|lat_min=35|lon_dir=W|lon_deg=105|lon_min=35|position=top|background=#FFFFFF|label=Corona debris|mark=Fire.svg|marksize=10}}
 |alt=Map of New Mexico showing the locations of 8 air fields 
 |caption=Roswell was one of many [[New Mexico World War II Army Airfields|Army Airfields in New Mexico]] when debris was recovered from a ranch near Corona.  Researchers at Alamogordo Air Field, less than 150 miles from Roswell, were launching classified balloons during the prior weeks.
}}
By 1947, the United States had launched thousands of top-secret [[Project Mogul]] balloons carrying devices to listen for Soviet atomic tests.<ref name="Olmsted-2009-p183">{{harvnb|Olmsted|2009|pp=183–184}}</ref> On June 4, researchers at [[Alamogordo Army Air Field]] in New Mexico launched a long train of these balloons; they lost contact within {{convert|17|mi|km}} of W.W. "Mac" Brazel's ranch near [[Corona, New Mexico]].<ref name="Goldberg-2001-p214"/><ref name="Frazier-2017a">{{harvnb|Frazier|2017a}}: "Flight 4 was launched June 4, 1947, from [[Alamogordo Army Air Field]] and tracked flying northeast toward [[Corona, New Mexico|Corona]]. It was within {{cvt|17|mi|disp=sqbr}} of the Brazel ranch when contact was lost."</ref>

Later that month, according to an article in the ''Fort Worth Star-Telegram'', Brazel discovered tinfoil, rubber, tape, and thin wooden beams scattered across several acres of his ranch.<ref name="Fort-Worth-Star-Telegram-1947">{{cite news |title=New Mexico Rancher's 'Flying Disk' Proves to Be Weather Balloon-Kite |date=July 9, 1947 |work=[[Fort Worth Star-Telegram]] |publication-place=Fort Worth, TX |pages=1, 4 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/fort-worth-star-telegram-new-mexico-ranc/156700355/ |via=Newspapers.com |edition=Morning, 5 star}}<!--older clipping: https://www.newspapers.com/article/fort-worth-star-telegram-exploded-rumor/81409799/--></ref><ref>{{harvnb|Clancy|2007|pp=92-93}}</ref> Meanwhile, amid the first summer of the [[Cold War]],<ref>{{harvnb|Olmsted|2009|p=183}}</ref> press nationwide covered [[Kenneth Arnold]]'s June 24 account of what became known as [[flying saucers]], objects which allegedly performed maneuvers beyond the capabilities of any known aircraft.  Publicity of Arnold's report preceded a wave of over 800 similar sightings.<ref>{{harvnb|Kottmeyer|2017|p=172}}</ref> With no phone or radio, Brazel was initially unaware of the ongoing [[1947 flying disc craze|flying disc craze]],<ref>{{harvnb|Frank|2023|p=510}}</ref> until he visited his uncle in Corona, New Mexico on July 5. The next day he informed Sheriff George Wilcox of the debris he had found.<ref>{{harvnb|Peebles|1994|p=246}}</ref> Wilcox called [[Roswell Army Air Field]] (RAAF).<ref name="Klass-1997b-pp3536"/> RAAF was home to the [[509th Operations Group|509th Bomb group]] of the [[Eighth Air Force]], the only unit at the time capable of delivering nuclear weapons.<ref>{{harvnb|Campbell|2005|pp=61, 56, 111}}</ref> The base assigned Major [[Jesse Marcel]] and Captain Sheridan Cavitt to return with Brazel and gather the material from the ranch.<ref name="Klass-1997b-pp3536">{{harvnb|Klass|1997b|pp=35–36}}</ref> RAAF Base commander Colonel [[William H. Blanchard|William Blanchard]] notified the [[Eighth Air Force]] commanding officer [[Roger M. Ramey]] of their findings.<ref>{{harvnb|Klass|1997b|pp=18–19}}</ref>

On July 8, RAAF [[public information officer]] [[Walter Haut]] issued a [[press release]] stating that the military had recovered a "flying disc" near Roswell.<ref>{{harvnb|Clarke|2015|pp=36–37}}</ref> Robert Porter, an RAAF flight engineer, was part of the crew who loaded what he was "told was a flying saucer" onto the flight bound for [[Carswell Air Force Base|Fort Worth Army Air Field]] in Texas. He described the material{{snd}}packaged in wrapping paper when he received it{{snd}}as lightweight and not too large to fit inside the trunk of a car.<ref>{{harvnb|Weaver|McAndrew|1995|page=23}}: "I was a member of the crew which flew parts of what we were told was a flying saucer to Fort Worth. [...] 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. [...] 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,"</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Pflock|2001|p=29}}</ref> After station director George Walsh broke the news over Roswell radio station [[KOBR|KSWS]] and relayed it to the ''Associated Press'', his phone lines were overwhelmed. He later recalled, "All afternoon, I tried to call Sheriff Wilcox for more information, but could never get through to him [...] Media people called me from all over the world."<ref>{{harvnb|Pflock|2001|p=27}}</ref>

The press release issued by Haut read:
[[File:Marcel-roswell-debris 0.jpg|thumb|alt=Marcel holding torn foil above packing paper|Papers nationwide published an image from Fort Worth Army Air Field of Major Jesse A. Marcel posing with debris on July 8, 1947.]]
[[File:Ramey-dubose-debris.jpg|thumb|alt=Ramey and Dubose with torn foil and sticks on packing paper |Brig. General Roger Ramey, left, and Col. Thomas J. DuBose pose with debris.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/fort-worth-star-telegram-exploded-rumor/81409637/ |newspaper=Fort Worth Star Telegram |title=Exploded Rumor |date=July 9, 1947 |pages=1 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>]]

{{Blockquote|
|text=The many rumors regarding the flying disc became a reality yesterday when the intelligence office of the [[509th Operations Group|509th Bomb group]] of the Eighth Air Force, Roswell Army Air Field, was fortunate enough to gain possession of a disc through the cooperation of one of the local ranchers and the sheriff's office of [[Chaves County, New Mexico|Chaves County]].<br/>
The flying object landed on a ranch near Roswell sometime last week. Not having phone facilities, the rancher stored the disc until such time as he was able to contact the sheriff's office, who in turn notified Maj. Jesse A. Marcel of the 509th Bomb Group Intelligence Office.
|source=[[:File:SacramentoBeeArticleJuly8,1947.jpg|''Associated Press'' (July 8, 1947)]]<ref>{{cite news |agency=Associated Press |title=Flying Disc Found; In Army Possession |newspaper=The Bakersfield Californian |location=Bakersfield, California |date=July 8, 1947 |page=1 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-bakersfield-californian-flying-disc/156574992/}}</ref>
}}
Media interest in the case dissipated soon after a press conference where General Roger Ramey, his chief of staff Colonel [[Thomas DuBose]], and weather officer Irving Newton identified the material as pieces of a weather balloon.<ref name="Goldberg-2001-p192" /><ref name="Saler-p9">{{Harvnb|Saler|Ziegler|Moore|1997|p=9}}</ref> Newton told reporters that similar radar targets were used at about 80 weather stations across the country.<ref name="Fort-Worth-Star-Telegram-1947" /><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-journal-herald/22680388/ |title=AAF Whips Up a Disc Flurry |newspaper=The Journal Herald |date=July 9, 1947 |pages=1 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref><!--<ref>{{cite news |last1=Long |first1=Trish |title=Rancher surprised at excitement over his debris discovery near Roswell |url=https://www.elpasotimes.com/story/life/2017/06/28/rancher-surprised-excitement-over-his-debris-discovery-near-roswell/434250001/ |work=El Paso Times |date=June 27, 2017}}</ref>--> The small number of subsequent news stories offered mundane and prosaic accounts of the crash.<ref name="Goldberg-2001-p192">{{harvnb|Goldberg|2001|pp=192–193}}</ref> On July 9, the ''[[Roswell Daily Record]]'' highlighted that no engine or metal parts had been found in the wreckage.<ref name="Roswell-Daily-Record-1947"/> Brazel told the ''Record'' that the debris consisted of rubber strips, "tinfoil, paper, tape, and sticks."<ref name="Roswell-Daily-Record-1947">{{harvnb|McAndrew|1997|p=8}} cites: {{cite news |title=Harassed Rancher who Located 'Saucer' Sorry He Told About it |newspaper=[[Roswell Daily Record]] |date=July 9, 1947 |quote=The balloon which held it up, if that was how it worked, must have been 12 feet [3.5 m] long, [Brazel] felt, measuring the distance by the size of the room in which he sat. The rubber was smoky gray in color and scattered over an area about 200 yards [180 m] in diameter. When the debris was gathered up, the tinfoil, paper, tape, and sticks made a bundle about three feet [1 m] long and 7 or 8 inches [18 or 20 cm] thick, while the rubber made a bundle about 18 or 20 inches [45 or 50 cm] long and about 8 inches [20 cm] thick. In all, he estimated, the entire lot would have weighed maybe five pounds [2 kg]. There was no sign of any metal in the area which might have been used for an engine, and no sign of any propellers of any kind, although at least one paper fin had been glued onto some of the tinfoil. There were no words to be found anywhere on the instrument, although there were letters on some of the parts. Considerable Scotch tape and some tape with flowers printed upon it had been used in the construction. No strings or wires were to be found but there were some eyelets in the paper to indicate that some sort of attachment may have been used.}}</ref><ref name="Clancy-2007-p93">{{harvnb|Clancy|2007|p=93}}</ref> Brazel said he paid little attention to it but returned later with his wife and daughter to gather up some of the debris.<ref name="Roswell-Daily-Record-1947" /><ref>{{harvnb|Klass|1997b|p=20}}</ref> Despite later claims that he was forced to repeat a cover story, Brazel told newspaper reporters, "I am sure that what I found was not any weather observation balloon."<ref name="Roswell-Daily-Record-1947" /> When interviewed in Fort-Worth, Texas, Jesse Marcel described the wreckage as "parts of the weather device" composed of "tinfoil and broken wooden beams".<ref name="Fort-Worth-Star-Telegram-1947" /><ref>{{harvnb|Pflock|2001|p=88}}</ref>

Some portion of the material was flown from Texas to [[Wright-Patterson Air Force Base|Wright Field]] in Ohio, where Colonel Marcellus Duffy identified it as balloon equipment.<ref>{{Harvnb|Saler|Ziegler|Moore|1997|p=178}}</ref> Duffy had previous experience with Project Mogul and contacted Mogul's project officer Albert Trakowski to discuss the debris.<ref>{{harvnb|Korff|1997|pp=153–154}}</ref> Unable to disclose details about the project, Duffy identified it as "meteorological equipment".<ref name="Pflock 2001 150–151">{{harvnb|Pflock|2001|pp=150–151}}</ref>

The 1947 official account omitted any connection to Cold War military programs.<ref>{{harvnb|Kloor|2019|p=21}}</ref> On July 10, military personnel at Alamogordo gave a demonstration to the press. Four officers provided a false account of mundane weather balloon usage throughout the previous year. They demonstrated balloon configurations used by the Mogul team as ways to gather meteorological data, offering a plausible explanation for any unusual aspects of the Roswell debris.<ref>{{harvnb|Charles|1947|p=1}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Korff|1997|pp=249–251}}</ref> The Air Force later described the weather balloon story as "an attempt to deflect attention from the top secret Mogul project."<ref>{{harvnb|Saler|Ziegler|Moore|1997|p=12}}</ref>