1947 was a busy year as far as UFOs were concerned. On 24th June Kenneth Arnold saw a formation of nine objects over Mount Ranier (Washington State) which were later described as "flying saucers"  by a reporter. This description was based on how Arnold described the manner in which the objects crossed the sky. This event heralded a host of sightings of mysterious objects capable of carrying out incredible maneuvers over a period of several weeks.

The Army Air Force (U.S.) regarded the matter so seriously that a reward of $5000 was offered  to anyone who could help in solving the mystery of  UFOs. Click on photo for larger size

On Wednesday 2nd July the Wilmot family were relaxing on their veranda in Roswell . Just before 10p.m. they saw a bright ,glowing ,oval object flying at high speed to the north-east. 

The Foster Ranch house [ left ] Mac Brazel's home. Note the barn where some of the debris was stored overnight.

On Friday 4th July at 11-15p.m. the nuns of St. Mary's Hospital in Roswell saw a flaming object coming down in a curve to the north of Roswell. William Woody and his father also saw the object from their ranch to the south of Roswell .Meanwhile 75 miles north-west of Roswell during a raging thunderstorm Mac Brazel   ( foreman of the Foster ranch)  and his neighbours hear an explosion. Out in the open countryside two campers, Jim Ragsdale and his girlfriend, observe the crash of a bright object whilst sheltering from the storm. First thing on Saturday  5th July Mac Brazel and William "Dee" Proctor (the seven year old son of a neighbour) ride out to check for storm damage. They come across an area about 200 yards by 3/4 mile long covered in wreckage including a metallic foil-like material and rods like balsa wood with strange hieroglyphic type writing on them. When crumpled and released the foil-like material quickly regained its original shape and the rods were impervious to cutting or burning.

Brazels sheep refused to cross the area of wreckage even though their water was on the other side ( later they had to transported by truck to water). After taking some fragments of the wreckage home and putting it in a shed Brazel, on the advice of his wife and friends in Corona, decided to report the matter to the authorities

By chance Frank Joyce , a reporter with Radio K.G.F.L., called Wilcox and the sheriff put him onto Brazel. Joyce is the first person to announce the news and suggests that Wilcox contacts Roswell Air force Base. Wilcox talked to Intelligence Officer Major Jesse Marcel  who collected the fragments of wreckage and returned to base.

He was then ordered by Col. Blanchard  to go to Brazels ranch accompanied by a captain in the C.I.C. Blanchard then notified Brig. Gen. Roger Ramey who immediately informed the Pentagon. In mid-afternoon Chief of staff Col. Thomas Jefferson Dubose was called by Gen. Clements  McMullen (deputy Commander of Strategic Air Command) from the Pentagon who ordered that the wreckage be flown immediately to Andrews Air Field near Washington.

McMullen collected it personally and sent it to Brig. Gen. Benjamin Chidlaw - deputy Commander of the Air Technical Intelligence Corps. at Wright Field.

Marcel and the C.I.C. agent (a captain) then traveled with Brazel to the Foster ranch arriving there at about 8-00p.m. . Brazel showed Marcel the wreckage in his shed - there was no excessive radioactivity detected by Marcel. The three men slept at the ranch unawares that an aerial search for the wreckage had already begun on orders from the Pentagon.

The aerial search located the wreck and its occupants 40 miles north-west of Roswell. A salvage team dispatched to the site came across a group of archaeologists (led by W.Curry Holden) who had accidentally come across the site whilst searching for pre- Columbian Indian pottery. Sheriff Wilcox also attended and came across four beings (he assumed they were from space) near the burnt area - one was still alive. In later years the sheriffs wife told her granddaughter " Their heads were big and they wore silvery suits".

 

In the early hours of  Monday 7th July Col. Blanchard instigated road blocks to a distance of 20 miles - even the sheriffs deputies (Bud Payne, William Woddy and his father) were refused access to the site. Meanwhile Jesse Marcel and his two companions arrived at the site to find the salvage team there .

In the early afternoon Glenn Dennis of the Ballard Funeral Home was called by an officer at Roswell AFB enquiring about small hermetically sealed coffins . At 2-00pm a meeting took place at the Pentagon  to discuss the "Flying Saucer situation" - present were Gen. Curtiss LeMay (deputy Chief of Staff for R&D of the AAF) and Air Chief of Staff Gen. Hoyt Vandenbury. Following the meeting Gen. Nathan Twining ,Commander of the A.T.I.C., prepared to fly to New Mexico.

Around mid-afternoon Glenn Dennis got another call asking how to preserve bodies that have been lying in the desert for some time and what effect the chemicals used would have on the composition of the body. Interestingly Glenn Dennis suggested packing the bodies in ice.

About an hour later Glenn Dennis is called to the base for a completely different matter and whilst there he saw some of the wreckage in the back of a vehicle. Whilst  there he also met a nurse he knew - she warned him " My God, get out of here or you will be in serious trouble!"  Glenn Dennis in later years - He never discovered what happened to his friend  "the nurse

By night time most of the debris had been removed and before returning to the base Marcel called home and showed part of the wreckage to his wife and 11year old son. Marcel remarked to his son "This is something very special - it does not come from this Earth - I want you to remember it all your life".

 The flying object landed on a ranch near Roswell sometime last week. Not having phone facilities , the rancher stored the disc until such time he was able to contact the sheriffs office, who in turn notified Major Jesse Marcel of the 509th Bomb Group Intelligence Office.

Action was immediately taken and the disc was picked up at the ranchers home. It was inspected at the RAAF and subsequently loaned by Major Marcel to higher headquarters".