REPORT OF AIR FORCE RESEARCH REGARDING THE 'ROSWELL INCIDENT'

This report, issued in July 1994, details the findings of an extensive Air Force research effort initiated in response to a General Accounting Office (GAO) audit. The audit was prompted by inquiries from Congressman Steven Schiff regarding the 'Roswell Incident' of July 1947. The Air Force, acting through the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force (SAF/AAZ), conducted a systematic search of current Air Force offices, archives, and records centers to locate any documentation related to the alleged recovery of a crashed flying disc and its alien occupants. The research concluded that the 'Roswell Incident' was not considered a UFO event until the 1978-1980 period, and that no records exist to support claims of a government cover-up or the recovery of extraterrestrial materials. The investigation identified the recovered debris as being consistent with a balloon device from 'Project Mogul,' a then-TOP SECRET classified project designed to monitor Soviet nuclear tests using high-altitude balloons and radar reflectors. The report notes that the debris, described in 1947 as tinfoil, paper, tape, and sticks, matches the components of the Project Mogul radar targets. The Air Force interviewed surviving personnel involved in the project and the original recovery, including Lt Col Sheridan Cavitt, who confirmed the material was consistent with a weather balloon. The report emphasizes that the military's reaction in 1947 was mundane, and that the subsequent growth of the Roswell story into a 'mythical' event is unsupported by documentary or physical evidence. The document concludes that the Air Force found no evidence of alien bodies or spacecraft, and that the incident was a result of a classified balloon project that was not recognized as such at the time.