The incident at Roswell is truly an astonishing story of excitement, discovery, and intrigue! However, it has been fifty years since this event occurred. There are many different versions and a lot of confusion about what actually happened. It is a tough job sifting through all this info, conflicting reports, and supporting testimony.

 The Best Evidence

After looking at all the available information and evidence, here is the most accurate version of this event. As often as possible I've used direct quotes to substantiate any conclusions. See my bibliography located on this website for additional research you may want to conduct on your own.

The Saucer Crash Was Real!

Once you look at the facts it' s clear that something extraordinary did occur at Roswell in July, 1947. Recent Air Force statements: that it was merely a weather balloon, or it was just some test dummies that were recovered are embarrassing. Anyone who spends just ten minutes looking into this event can see that.

It will take you no more than about ten minutes to finish reading this chapter. Draw your own conclusions. You can determine if the weather balloon story makes any sense.

What Happened

On the night of July 4, 1947 an object crashed in the desert of New Mexico sometime around midnight. Many writers mistakenly state that the crash occurred July 2. However, documents, affidavits, and eyewitness testimony clearly date the crash as occurring on July 4. It was on July 1 and 2 that military radar and eyewitnesses first spotted fast-moving objects in the sky. The crash may have happened just after midnight on the fourth, which would actually have been the fifth of July.

 
A particularly violent thunderstorm occurred on the evening of July 4. It is speculated that a bolt of lightning may have struck the crashed object. Around 11:30 p.m. several people in the area heard an unusual exploding sound, unlike normal thunder, followed by an object which roared overhead and appeared to crash nearby.

Where Did It Happen? Roswell? Corona? Or Socorro?

The crash did not actually occur at Roswell. Roswell is a small town in New Mexico quietly nestled around an Army Air Base located there. A crash site was discovered on a ranch almost midway between the towns of Corona and Roswell. Both towns are about 75 miles away from the initial crash site. The town of Socorro is a little farther west of Corona. Another site was discovered about 35 miles outside of Roswell. The crash is commonly called "Roswell" because the debris and bodies were taken to the Roswell Army Air Base. However, this crash has also been called three different names: the crash at Corona, the crash at Roswell, and the crash at Socorro.

More Than One Crash Site

In addition to the different names for the Roswell crash, there were also two separate crash sites. It appears the vehicle may have split in two pieces and landed several miles apart from one another.

The Plains of San Augustin

This is a yet another crash site in addition to the three that are called "Roswell."  This is a separate crash location not linked to the other Roswell sites. All indications are that this crash occurred several days before Roswell, most likely around July 2 or 3, 1947. The plains of San Augustin are in the Roswell area, and the recovery of bodies and craft parts was also done by military personnel from Roswell Army Air Base. The evidence for this case is based on secondhand testimony. However, there is an air of credibility about it for this simple reason: The man who claimed to have witnessed the recovery made his statements decades before the existence of the Roswell crashes came to light. In fact, he died ten years before Roswell became known by anybody who was not involved in the Roswell affair.

The alien craft was embedded in a hillside after gouging
a large trench in the earth before stopping.
(©1997 William L. McDonald)

Barney Barnett

Grady "Barney" Barnett stumbled upon the "Plains of San Augustin" crash site. Barnett was a soil engineer who worked in the area for the U.S. Conservation Service. When he arrived, some private citizens were already on the scene, supposedly another group of archaeologists. He saw them looking at several dead bodies and a large metallic object stuck in the ground. Barnett died in 1969, but here is what his family and friends say he told them:

The craft was still mostly intact. The beings were small with odd-shaped heads and no hair. The eyes were small but had a different spacing between them as compared to humans. The bodies were dressed in form-fitting, silver jumpsuits.

Shortly after he got there the military showed up and cordoned off the area. They told him he was never to discuss this matter with anyone. The existence of this crash site would also account for all the bodies reported. If you add up all the bodies seen by eyewitnesses, the number exceeds the number of bodies seen at any one site.

Barnett told his story to close friends Vern and Jean Maltais. He also told his story to William Leed, a retired colonel in the military who was investigating the Roswell crash.