In July of 1947, an unidentified flying object crash landed at the Foster ranch near Roswell, New Mexico … this we know. The location of some strange debris was reported to the local sheriff by New Mexico rancher William “Mac” Brazel who was out checking on his sheep after as fierce thunderstorm the night before. The sheriff informed Roswell Army Air Field Major Jesse Marcel from the field’s 509th Bomb Group Intelligence Office to investigate the rancher’s claims. Major Marcel accompanied the rancher to the crash site and returned with some samples of the debris.

On July 8, 1947 a press release was issued by Lieutenant Walter G. Haut, the Public Information Officer at Roswell Army Air Base, stating that the wreckage of a flying disk was recovered near Roswell, New Mexico. Based on this press release, the Roswell Daily Record published a front page article about the incident. Hours later, the first press release was rescinded and a second release was issued stating that the 509th Bomb Group had mistakenly identified pieces of a high-altitude weather balloon as the crashed saucer. Pictures of General Roger Ramey, from the Eighth Air Force in Fort Worth, Texas posing with the “weather balloon” debris were circulated with the retraction. At the time, the issue was dropped, but many question the validity of the Army’s explanation …

Over 60 years later, Roswell, New Mexico remains a hotbed of UFO activity. The Roswell Incident, as it is known today, is cited as a prime example of the overarching government conspiracy specifically intended to conceal the truth; that Aliens are among us and have been visiting this planet since the beginning. Furthermore, that there is, and there still remains, a coordinated effort on the part of our government to suppress these visitations from public record. We’re all familiar with the alien autopsy descriptions of Roswell mortician Glenn Dennis, or the eye witness accounts of the craft appearing in the skies over Roswell in early July. We’ve heard about the Majestic 12 documents, intended to brief incoming President Dwight Eisenhower, and the Project MOGUL explanation, involving high altitude balloons that were meant to detect sound waves emitted by Soviet weaponry. I, for one, remain unconvinced that something otherworldly did not occur at Fosters ranch back in 1947, but who am I, just one lone voice of dissent?

Truth or urban legend, I find it interesting that these extraterrestrials had enough sense to visit our planet on a holiday weekend. Now almost 62 years later, it affords for a great opportunity to host an annual UFO Festival in the City of Roswell, New Mexico. As any great tin foil hat wearing conspiracy theorist will tell you, the UFO Festival in Roswell is actually real. This year it’s being held July 2-5, 2009 attracting Uber-Geeks and respected UFologists to this sleepy little community every year to take part in this event. Lectures by world-renowned experts and a multitude of photographic opportunities, including the parade down Main Street, an Alien Costume Contest, and fireworks display, await anxious Alien Hunters. Even the International UFO Museum and Research Center is an existing entity that stands in downtown Roswell as a resource dedicated to uncovering what happened in that field so many years ago. If you’re looking for the spot, government conspiracy guy, look no further, you’ve found it.

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