THE TRUTH ABOUT ROSWELL

Magazine Overview

This issue of OMNI magazine, dated summer 1947, focuses on "THE TRUTH ABOUT ROSWELL," exploring the infamous 1947 incident in New Mexico. The article, written by Dava Sobel with photographs by David Michael Kennedy, delves into the events, testimonies, and ongoing controversies surrounding the alleged crash of an extraterrestrial craft.

The Roswell Incident: From Sighting to Cover-Up

The narrative begins with Kenneth Arnold's sighting of nine disc-shaped craft in the Cascade Mountains on June 25, 1947, which led to the media dubbing them "flying saucers." This sparked a wave of similar sightings. Two weeks later, on July 8, 1947, the U.S. Army announced the recovery of a flying saucer near Roswell, New Mexico. However, the Army quickly corrected this, stating it was a misidentified weather balloon. This event, dubbed the "Roswell Incident," became a seminal case in UFO lore.

Key Figures and Testimonies

The article highlights several individuals involved in the Roswell narrative. Jesse Marcel, an intelligence officer, described the debris he found as unlike anything he had seen before. Stanton T. Friedman, a nuclear physicist and UFO researcher, has dedicated significant effort to investigating the incident, believing in a government cover-up. Walter G. Haut, the public relations officer who issued the initial press release, is interviewed and provides his perspective.

Glenn Dennis, a mortician in Roswell in 1947, is presented as a crucial witness. He recounts being called to the base mortuary and receiving unusual inquiries about child-size caskets and embalming fluids. He also describes an encounter where he was driven to the base hospital and witnessed doctors examining three small, alien-like creatures, two of which were badly mangled. A nurse, referred to as "Nurse X" (allegedly Naomi Maria Selff), confided in Dennis about the autopsies and the creatures' unusual physiology, drawing sketches for him before disappearing. Dennis claims she later told him the bodies were moved to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio.

Other researchers, Kevin D. Randle and Donald R. Schmitt, are also featured. They initially sought to debunk the incident but later became convinced of a cover-up. Their work includes investigating other alleged crash sites and witness accounts, such as that of Gerald F. Anderson, who claimed to have seen a craft and alien corpses.

Official Explanations vs. Conspiracy Theories

The U.S. Air Force's official explanation, detailed in its "Report on Roswell" (1994), identifies the recovered object as part of "Project Mogul," a top-secret program for monitoring Soviet nuclear bomb tests. This explanation, reported by The New York Times, suggests the alien-spaceship tale is a myth. However, proponents of the cover-up theory remain unconvinced.

Charles B. Moore, a professor emeritus of atmospheric physics, explains Project Mogul as a high-altitude balloon project designed to detect nuclear explosions. He suggests that the debris, including radar reflectors with unique markings, could have been mistaken for alien technology. Moore believes that the initial explanations by Colonel Blanchard and General Ramey might have been ignorant of the project's true nature at the time.

The Search for Missing Nurses

A significant part of the investigation by Randle and Schmitt involved tracking down five nurses who appeared in the Roswell base yearbook but for whom no official military records could be found. This led to speculation that the government had deliberately erased them from records to conceal the incident. However, Omni reporter Paul McCarthy investigated and found records for some of these nurses, suggesting they had lived normal lives after 1947, though the identity and fate of "Nurse X" remained elusive.

Object Characteristics and Evidence

Witnesses described the craft as "disc-shaped" and moving at an estimated speed of 1,200 miles an hour at an altitude of 10,000 feet. The debris was described as lightweight, with metallic pieces and material resembling parchment, bearing undecipherable markings. Some accounts mention charred alien bodies.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The magazine explores the enduring nature of the Roswell legend, the challenges of historical investigation, and the tension between official explanations and persistent conspiracy theories. The editorial stance appears to be one of thorough investigation, presenting various viewpoints and evidence, while acknowledging the difficulty in definitively proving or disproving the claims. The article itself, through the author's personal reflection, questions the absolute certainty of the official explanation, stating, "Maybe Roswell was as real as I am... why not admit the arrival on Earth of a lone flying saucer?" The recurring themes are government secrecy, extraterrestrial contact, and the power of witness testimony.

OMNI, Volume 18, Issue 110, published in November 1995, features a cover story titled "DOCUMENTED LIVES" focusing on the nurses present during the 1947 Roswell incident. The issue also includes articles on the potential for dinosaur cloning, a UFO military alert regarding the Edwards Air Force Base encounter, and a reader survey on travel, demographics, and media consumption.

Documented Lives: The Roswell Nurses

The main feature delves into the lives of five nurses who served at Roswell Army Air Field in 1947: First Lieutenant Angele A. LaRue, Captain Adeline M. Fanton, Captain Joyce Godard, Major Claudia Uebele, and Lieutenant Colonel Rosemary J. Brown. Contrary to the notion that these women vanished after the incident, the article meticulously pieces together their documented careers and personal lives through military records and family accounts.

Angele A. LaRue served in the Army-Air Force Nurse Corps from 1945 to 1949, later marrying an Air Force pilot and raising four sons. Adeline M. Fanton served for 13 years, including postings at March Field and Ladd Air Force Base in Alaska, retiring in 1958. Joyce Godard, an RN since 1932, served in the Nurse Corps from 1942 to 1962, receiving the Air Force Commendation Medal. Claudia Uebele, an RN since 1930, served in the Nurse Corps from 1945 and had postings in Alaska and Florida, retiring in 1965. Lieutenant Colonel Rosemary J. Brown, the only surviving nurse from the Roswell group, served from 1944 and was stationed at Roswell in 1947 before postings in the southwestern United States and French Morocco. She expressed a belief that "something there but I haven't any idea what" regarding UFOs.

Rosemary Brown, formerly McManus, recalled the Roswell incident as "very hush-hush" and believed that "something went on" but was not privy to details. She noted that personnel were tight-lipped about the event.

Roswell Research and Controversy

The article also touches upon the ongoing research into the Roswell incident, particularly the work of researchers Don Schmitt and Budd Hopkins. The author expresses surprise that Schmitt had not utilized the St. Louis Records Center for his research, a step the author found fruitful. Schmitt and Hopkins had previously claimed that records for eleven servicemen stationed at Roswell in 1947 were unavailable. The Air Force's 1994 "Report of Air Force Research Regarding the Roswell Incident" countered this, stating that records for eight of the eleven individuals were easily found, attributing the difficulty with the other three to common names. Hopkins, however, suggested that the records might have been returned to the files after their claims raised a stir, implying a potential cover-up or manipulation.

Other Articles and Features

Dinosaurs and Genetics: An article discusses the scientific advancements in genetics, drawing parallels between the human genome project and the potential for dinosaur cloning. It references the film "Jurassic Park" and its cautionary message about the ethical implications of scientific endeavors.

UFO Military Alert: The Edwards Air Force Base Encounter: This section promotes an audio documentary featuring actual U.S. military recordings from October 7, 1965, detailing an encounter involving NORAD, Army Air Defense Command, and scrambled F-106 jets pursuing luminous aerial objects over Edwards Air Force Base.

Reader Survey: The latter part of the magazine includes a detailed survey covering media consumption (audio/video, video games), travel habits, automotive preferences, and demographic information (sex, age, income, education, employment status). This survey aims to understand reader preferences and behaviors.

Star Witness: An interview with Glenn Dennis, a witness to the Roswell incident, discusses his interactions with a nurse who allegedly provided him with drawings and information. Dennis maintains his story, despite inconsistencies pointed out by skeptics, and expresses a desire for verification of his account, while protecting the nurse's identity.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The issue strongly emphasizes the importance of documented evidence and factual research in understanding complex events like the Roswell incident. It contrasts anecdotal accounts with official records and highlights the challenges and controversies within UFO research. The editorial stance appears to favor rigorous investigation and the presentation of verifiable facts, while acknowledging the enduring public fascination with unexplained phenomena. The magazine also touches upon themes of memory, truth, and the potential for hidden information within government and military archives.