Roswell 1947 Historical File
Historical FBI documentation related to the 1947 incident near Roswell, New Mexico, including period correspondence and press handling.
The Guy Hottel memo, March 22, 1950. Two-page FBI teletype from Special Agent Guy Hottel to Director Hoover relaying an unnamed informant's third-hand claim of three flying saucers recovered in New Mexico. The most viewed document in the FBI Vault. The FBI never investigated the tip and has explicitly labeled the memo as an unverified report.
Mirrored files
18 files for this case, served from our first-party mirror. Showing the first 6; 12 more are available in the raw catalog below.
65_HS1-834228961_62-HQ-83894_SUB_A.pdf · pdf · Release 01
65_HS1-834228961_62-HQ-83894_Section_1.pdf · pdf · Release 01
65_HS1-834228961_62-HQ-83894_Section_10.pdf · pdf · Release 01
65_HS1-834228961_62-HQ-83894_Section_2.pdf · pdf · Release 01
65_HS1-834228961_62-HQ-83894_Section_3.pdf · pdf · Release 01
65_HS1-834228961_62-HQ-83894_Section_4.pdf · pdf · Release 01
12 additional files for this case live in the raw catalog.
Browse the rest →Provenance metadataFields marked “not disclosed” are transparent gaps in the release, not omissions on our end.
- Coordinates
- Not disclosed in this release
- Altitude
- Not disclosed in this release
- Sensor detail
- Not disclosed in this release
- Encounter duration
- Not disclosed in this release
- Witness count
- Not disclosed in this release
- Operational context
- Not disclosed in this release
- Weather / visibility
- Not disclosed in this release
- Chain of custody
- Not disclosed in this release
- Classification
- Not disclosed in this release
Official description
Period documents from Bureau records concerning the recovery of debris and subsequent press statements, including the initial Air Force claim of a 'flying disc' and the subsequent retraction identifying the material as a weather balloon.
Editor's context
The case remains culturally significant in popular discourse despite the official explanation. Project Mogul was a classified high-altitude balloon program designed to detect Soviet nuclear tests; many physical features of the recovered debris are consistent with Mogul materials.
Prevailing explanation
What scientists and analysts generally think
The U.S. Air Force formally identified the debris as a Project Mogul balloon train in 1994, after a multi-year review of records. The Mogul identification accounts for the physical features of the debris, the timing of the recovery, and the initial classification posture taken at the base. It remains the prevailing official explanation.
In the margins
Transcribed redactions, stamps, and handwritten markings, the paratext of the file. Often the most human part of a declassified document, and worth reading on its own.
- Stampp. 1TELETYPE, DALLAS FIELD OFFICE, 7-8-1947
- Stampp. 1FBI HQ, RECEIVED 7-9-1947, ROUTING: D. M. LADD
- Redactionp. 1[Field office return address, redacted under (b)(7)(C)]
- Handwrittenp. 1Note pen-marked in blue ink: 'See A.F. statement.'
- Annotationp. 1Body of teletype: 'Flying disc, resembling a high altitude weather balloon, found near Roswell, New Mexico.'
Cite the primary source
Citations center the originating government agency and link to the official record. This archive is listed as the access point, not the author.
Federal Bureau of Investigation. "Roswell 1947 Historical File." Released via PURSUE program, 2026-05-08. File ID: FBI 62-HQ-83894 (referenced section). https://vault.fbi.gov/Roswell%20UFO. Accessed 2026-08-12 via Social Media for Aliens archive, https://socialmediaforaliens.com/files/roswell-1947-historical.
Tags
Sources
Reflections
Want to leave a reflection on this file? Join the Circle or sign in.
No reflections yet. Be the first to leave one.
Long-form discussion
Related cases
FBI Flying Disc Files
FBI case file 62-HQ-83894: investigative records, eyewitness testimonies, and public reports concerning unidentified flying objects between June 1947 and July 1968.
Army Flying Discs file, Lowry AFB 1947
Early Army Air Forces intelligence file on the summer 1947 'flying disc' wave, filed at Lowry Air Force Base Denver. Released through PURSUE Release 01 on May 8, 2026. The earliest US institutional UAP file in the PURSUE catalog.
Kenneth Arnold Sighting
Civilian pilot Kenneth Arnold reported observing nine bright crescent-shaped objects flying near Mount Rainier in Washington state at unusually high speed. His description gave rise to the term 'flying saucer.'
FBI slow-moving objects, Northeastern US, 2026
FBI-UAP-PR007: first FBI PR-series video past the R03 Northeastern Orb collection. Depicts slow-moving objects observed in the Northeastern US, 2026. Released through PURSUE Release 05 on August 7, 2026.