US Report General Accounting Office
The GAO reports on its search for Roswell records: outgoing messages from the base for the period were destroyed
On 28 July 1995 the United States General Accounting Office issued report GAO/NSIAD-95-187 to Representative Steven H. Schiff on its search for government records concerning the 1947 crash near Roswell, New Mexico. Reviewing work carried out from March 1994 to June 1995, it found that RAAF administrative records from March 1945 to December 1949 and outgoing messages from October 1946 to December 1949 had been destroyed, with no record of who destroyed them or under what authority. The search yielded two 1947 records: the July 1947 509th Bomb Group and RAAF history, which described the object as a radar tracking balloon, and a July 8, 1947 FBI teletype. Other agencies reported no further records.
1 document·5 points
- RAAF administrative records (March 1945 to December 1949) and RAAF outgoing messages (October 1946 to December 1949) were destroyed; the disposition form does not indicate who destroyed them, when, or under what authority (p. 2).
- GAO identified four Army Air Forces air accidents in New Mexico in July 1947, all involving military aircraft and all after July 8, 1947; Air Force officials said there was no requirement to report a weather balloon crash (pp. 2-3).
- The July 1947 509th Bomb Group and RAAF history stated that the "flying disc" "turned out to be a radar tracking balloon" (p. 4).
- A July 8, 1947 FBI teletype reported the recovery of a hexagonal-shaped disc suspended from a large balloon, said to resemble a high-altitude weather balloon with a radar reflector, being sent to Wright Field (p. 4).
- On May 30, 1995 the CIA's Executive Director told GAO that a search of all CIA databases for "Roswell, New Mexico" produced no documents related to the crash (p. 6).
Documents
- Document GAO NSIAD-95-187 (PDF) GAO· 1995-07-28· 26 pp.