What Did the Government Records Really Find?

Introduction

In the 1990s, the most important official review of the Roswell record was not a UFO investigation but a records search. At the request of Congressman Steven Schiff, the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) examined whether government files contained evidence of a crash near Roswell in July 1947 and whether relevant records had been lost or destroyed. The result was strikingly limited: after searching military, intelligence and archival holdings, the GAO found only two contemporary 1947 documents that directly referred to the incident, and neither supported claims of an extraterrestrial craft. At the same time, investigators discovered that some Roswell Army Air Field administrative records had been destroyed, creating a long-running debate about what missing files can and cannot tell us. [Justia GAO Reports]gao.justia.comGAO Reports Justia GAO ReportsJustia GAO ReportsJustia GAO Reports - NSIAD-95-187 - Government Records - Department of DefenseJuly 28, 1995…Published: July 28, 1995

What Was the GAO Actually Asked to Do?

The GAO review was launched because Roswell had become a major public controversy. By the early 1990s, allegations of recovered alien technology and secret government cover-ups were widespread. Rather than trying to determine whether aliens had visited Earth, the GAO focused on a narrower question: what government records existed, what records should have existed under official retention rules, and whether any relevant files had disappeared. [Justia GAO Reports]gao.justia.comGAO Reports Justia GAO ReportsJustia GAO ReportsJustia GAO Reports - NSIAD-95-187 - Government Records - Department of DefenseJuly 28, 1995…Published: July 28, 1995

Investigators searched classified and unclassified holdings across multiple agencies, including the Department of Defense, the FBI, the CIA, the National Security Council and the National Archives. The review examined both the documentary trail of the Roswell event and the record-keeping practices that governed military reports in the late 1940s. [Justia GAO Reports]gao.justia.comGAO Reports Justia GAO ReportsJustia GAO ReportsJustia GAO Reports - NSIAD-95-187 - Government Records - Department of DefenseJuly 28, 1995…Published: July 28, 1995

The Two Key Contemporary Records

The most significant finding was how little direct documentation survived.

The GAO located only two contemporaneous 1947 records that specifically mentioned the Roswell incident:

• A July 1947 history report prepared by the combined 509th Bomb Group and Roswell Army Air Field.
• An FBI teletype dated 8 July 1947. [Justia GAO Reports]gao.justia.comGAO Reports Justia GAO ReportsJustia GAO ReportsJustia GAO Reports - NSIAD-95-187 - Government Records - Department of DefenseJuly 28, 1995…Published: July 28, 1995

The unit history is important because it was created close to the event itself. According to the GAO, it recorded the recovery of a “flying disc” but also stated that military authorities later determined the object to be a radar-tracking balloon. This is one of the earliest surviving official references to the incident. [Justia GAO Reports]gao.justia.comGAO Reports Justia GAO ReportsJustia GAO ReportsJustia GAO Reports - NSIAD-95-187 - Government Records - Department of DefenseJuly 28, 1995…Published: July 28, 1995

The FBI teletype provided a similar description. It reported that the military had recovered an object resembling a high-altitude weather balloon equipped with a radar reflector. The wording is significant because it reflects how the incident was being characterised by government personnel at the time, not decades later after Roswell had become associated with alien-crash narratives. [Justia GAO Reports]gao.justia.comGAO Reports Justia GAO ReportsJustia GAO ReportsJustia GAO Reports - NSIAD-95-187 - Government Records - Department of DefenseJuly 28, 1995…Published: July 28, 1995

Just as important as what these documents contain is what they do not contain. Neither mentions alien bodies, extraterrestrial technology, recovered spacecraft components, secret transport operations or any other elements that later became central to Roswell mythology. [Justia GAO Reports]gao.justia.comGAO Reports Justia GAO ReportsJustia GAO ReportsJustia GAO Reports - NSIAD-95-187 - Government Records - Department of DefenseJuly 28, 1995…Published: July 28, 1995

What the Wider Records Search Did Not Find

The GAO’s broader search produced another notable result: investigators found no documentary trail showing that an extraordinary crash-recovery operation had occurred.

The review examined records that might reasonably have referenced a major military recovery effort. It also reviewed previously classified materials and files connected to Air Force investigations of unidentified flying objects. According to the GAO, none of those records contained references to the recovery of an alien craft or to a Roswell crash beyond the two documents already identified. [Justia GAO Reports]gao.justia.comGAO Reports Justia GAO ReportsJustia GAO ReportsJustia GAO Reports - NSIAD-95-187 - Government Records - Department of DefenseJuly 28, 1995…Published: July 28, 1995

The report further noted that inquiries sent to executive-branch agencies did not uncover additional government records concerning the Roswell crash. In practical terms, the search failed to reveal a hidden archive supporting claims of an extraterrestrial recovery. [Justia GAO Reports]gao.justia.comGAO Reports Justia GAO ReportsJustia GAO ReportsJustia GAO Reports - NSIAD-95-187 - Government Records - Department of DefenseJuly 28, 1995…Published: July 28, 1995

For historians, this absence matters because large government operations normally leave paperwork behind: orders, transport logs, personnel records, correspondence or investigative reports. The GAO found no such documentary network. [Justia GAO Reports]gao.justia.comGAO Reports Justia GAO ReportsJustia GAO ReportsJustia GAO Reports - NSIAD-95-187 - Government Records - Department of DefenseJuly 28, 1995…Published: July 28, 1995

Destroyed Files and What They Mean

One of the most discussed parts of the GAO review involved records that no longer existed.

Investigators discovered that some records covering Roswell Army Air Field activities had been destroyed. In particular, certain administrative files from the period could not be located. The available disposition paperwork did not clearly identify who destroyed the records, when the destruction occurred or under what authority it happened. [Justia GAO Reports]gao.justia.comGAO Reports Justia GAO ReportsJustia GAO ReportsJustia GAO Reports - NSIAD-95-187 - Government Records - Department of DefenseJuly 28, 1995…Published: July 28, 1995

This finding immediately attracted attention because missing records are often cited as evidence of a cover-up. However, the GAO’s actual conclusion was more limited. The review established that records had been destroyed, but it did not establish that they contained information about an alien crash. Nor did investigators find evidence that the destruction was connected specifically to Roswell. [Justia GAO Reports]gao.justia.comGAO Reports Justia GAO ReportsJustia GAO ReportsJustia GAO Reports - NSIAD-95-187 - Government Records - Department of DefenseJuly 28, 1995…Published: July 28, 1995

Another important point concerns the type of records that should have existed. The GAO found that permanent retention rules applied to air accident reports. Yet Air Force officials told investigators that a weather-balloon crash would not have required the preparation of an air-accident report under the regulations in force in July 1947. That means the absence of a conventional accident file does not automatically indicate that records were removed or concealed. [Justia GAO Reports]gao.justia.comGAO Reports Justia GAO ReportsJustia GAO ReportsJustia GAO Reports - NSIAD-95-187 - Government Records - Department of DefenseJuly 28, 1995…Published: July 28, 1995

Why Missing Records Are Not Proof of Aliens

A common misunderstanding is that because some Roswell-era files were destroyed, the missing documents must have contained proof of an extraterrestrial crash. The GAO review does not support that conclusion.

There are two separate questions:

1. Were some government records lost or destroyed?
2. Is there evidence that those records documented an alien spacecraft?

The answer to the first question is yes. The answer to the second remains unproven. The review identified missing records but found no surviving evidence showing that those files contained information about extraterrestrial technology, alien bodies or a spacecraft recovery. [Justia GAO Reports]gao.justia.comGAO Reports Justia GAO ReportsJustia GAO ReportsJustia GAO Reports - NSIAD-95-187 - Government Records - Department of DefenseJuly 28, 1995…Published: July 28, 1995

From an evidentiary standpoint, missing records create uncertainty rather than confirmation. They leave open possibilities, but they do not establish what was in the absent files. Historians generally require positive evidence—documents, physical artefacts, photographs or corroborated testimony—before drawing conclusions about extraordinary events. The GAO found no such documentary evidence in its records search. [Justia GAO Reports]gao.justia.comGAO Reports Justia GAO ReportsJustia GAO ReportsJustia GAO Reports - NSIAD-95-187 - Government Records - Department of DefenseJuly 28, 1995…Published: July 28, 1995

Why the GAO Review Remains Central to Roswell Debates

The GAO investigation remains influential because it shifted the discussion from stories and recollections to the documentary record. Its findings are frequently cited by both sceptics and believers, but for different reasons.

Those who favour the balloon explanation point to the two surviving 1947 documents, both of which describe balloon-related debris and neither of which references extraterrestrial material. Those who suspect a cover-up focus on the destroyed records and the gaps in the archive. [Justia GAO Reports]gao.justia.comGAO Reports Justia GAO ReportsJustia GAO ReportsJustia GAO Reports - NSIAD-95-187 - Government Records - Department of DefenseJuly 28, 1995…Published: July 28, 1995

What the review itself established is narrower than either side sometimes claims. It documented a sparse historical record, identified two contemporary references consistent with a balloon-based explanation, confirmed that some Roswell-era files were destroyed, and found no documentary trail proving that the US government recovered an alien spacecraft near Roswell in 1947. [Justia GAO Reports]gao.justia.comGAO Reports Justia GAO ReportsJustia GAO ReportsJustia GAO Reports - NSIAD-95-187 - Government Records - Department of DefenseJuly 28, 1995…Published: July 28, 1995

Amazon book picks

Further Reading

Books and field guides related to What Did the Government Records Really Find?. Use these as the next step if you want deeper reading beyond the article.

Book

Roswell

By Karl T. Pflock

Makes extensive use of official records and documentary analysis.

See on Amazon

Book

The Report on Unidentified Flying Objects

By Edward J. Ruppelt

Useful context for how UFO records and investigations were conducted.

See on Amazon

Book

UFOs and Government

By Michael D. Swords

Explores government involvement and archival evidence relating to UFO claims.

See on Amazon

Book

The Roswell Incident

By Charles Berlitz, William L. Moore

Provides the claims later examined by government reviews and records searches.

See on Amazon

Browse more on Amazon: Roswell The Report on Unidentified Flying Objects UFOs and Government

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

eBay marketplace picks

Marketplace Samples

Example marketplace items related to this page. Use the search link to explore similar finds on eBay.

Shop location

Using USA USA USAUKCanadaAustraliaIreland

Example eBay listing

Authentic WWII 1944 USAAF Roswell 201 Flight Officer Restricted Orders Archive.

Search eBay.co.uk: Roswell collectible

Browse similar on eBay.co.uk

Example eBay listing

6″ Green Alien Roswell Space Beer Drinking Resin Statue Theme Decor Prop Display

Search eBay.co.uk: Roswell collectible

Browse similar on eBay.co.uk

Example eBay listing

Roswell: The Complete Collection DVD (2005) Shiri Appleby, Trilling (DIR) cert

Search eBay.co.uk: Roswell collectible

Browse similar on eBay.co.uk

Example eBay listing

Roswell UFO Model Crash I Beam Wreckage - Geek Gift / Sci Fi / 3D Printed

Search eBay.co.uk: Roswell collectible

Browse similar on eBay.co.uk

Browse more on eBay.co.uk

Example items shown for inspiration; availability and pricing can change. Branchoria may earn a commission if you purchase through outbound eBay links.

Endnotes

1. Source: gao.justia.com
   Title: GAO Reports Justia GAO Reports
   Link: https://gao.justia.com/department-of-defense/1995/7/government-records-nsiad-95-187/
   Source snippet

   Justia GAO ReportsJustia GAO Reports - NSIAD-95-187 - Government Records - Department of DefenseJuly 28, 1995...

   Published: July 28, 1995

Additional References

1. Source: irp.fas.org
   Title: Intelligence Resource Program GAO
   Link: https://irp.fas.org/gao/nsi95187.htm
   Source snippet

   Intelligence Resource ProgramGAO - Government Records: Results of a Search for Records Concerning the 1947 Crash Near Roswell, New Mexico...

2. Source: youtube.com
   Title: Reel America: “The Roswell Reports”
   Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7rVSri-7es
   Source snippet

   Official Reports on the Roswell UFO Incident | USAF Documentary | 1997...

3. Source: youtube.com
   Title: Examining the Roswell Army Air Field Record Destruction
   Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_lqVvEa98M
   Source snippet

   Historical Analysis of the 1947 Roswell Incident...

4. Source: youtube.com
   Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yW6W44t8nK4
   Source snippet

   Examining the Roswell Army Air Field Record Destruction...

5. Source: youtube.com
   Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzv6nRpMX24
   Source snippet

   The Roswell UFO Crash (Overview) - Jimmy Akin's Mysterious World...

6. Source: youtube.com
   Title: GAO Report on Roswell Records
   Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wX-yM9Fq-oY
   Source snippet

   Representative Steven Schiff and the Roswell GAO Audit...

7. Source: youtube.com
   Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCr9ft4yWaI
   Source snippet

   Roswell Reports, Vol. 1...

8. Source: youtube.com
   Title: Representative Steven Schiff and the Roswell GAO Audit
   Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gS6o-5hLzK8
   Source snippet

   The 1995 GAO Investigation Into Roswell...

9. Source: youtube.com
   Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0f3s_a6w2Q

10. Source: youtube.com
    Title: Roswell Reports, Vol. 1
    Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WY5YN1SNaS8
    Source snippet

    Roswell Reports, 03/31/1997...