Description

The Roswell incident comprises a series of events and legends linked to the 1947 crash of a United States Army Air Forces balloon near Roswell, New Mexico. This balloon, part of the classified Project Mogul operated from Alamogordo Army Air Field, was designed for remote detection of Soviet nuclear tests. Following the recovery of metallic and rubber debris by personnel from Roswell Army Air Field, the United States Army initially proclaimed the discovery of a "flying disc," which garnered international attention but was retracted within a day. To obscure the true nature of the crashed balloon, the Army later asserted it was a conventional weather balloon.

The 1947 flying disc craze unfolded, and in 1978, retired Air Force officer Jesse Marcel disclosed that the weather balloon claim was a cover story, adding his speculation that the debris could be of extraterrestrial origin. This speculation gained traction with the 1980 book, The Roswell Incident, forming the basis for enduring and increasingly intricate UFO conspiracy theories. Over time, these theories expanded to include accusations of governments concealing evidence of extraterrestrial beings, grey aliens, multiple crashed flying saucers, alien corpses and autopsies, and the reverse engineering of extraterrestrial technology, none of which are substantiated.

Despite the absence of concrete evidence, many UFO proponents contend that the Roswell debris originated from an alien craft, accusing the US government of a cover-up. This conspiracy narrative has become a recurring theme in science fiction literature, film, and television. The town of Roswell capitalizes on this narrative to promote itself as a hub for UFO-associated tourism.

Engraver: Alex Vorodeyev