‘Dispatch’ from 1947 offers another look at UFO incident
Jun 5, 2022 Updated 15 hrs ago
The Roswell incident has been one of the most thoroughly researched and debated mysteries in the history of the UFO phenomenon. And among the most enduring. Barring a major revelation between now and July, Roswell will mark the 75th anniversary of the alleged 1947 UFO crash with the debate over what occurred here far from settled.
That hasn’t been for a lack of digging. For decades now, journalists, authors, documentary film crews and others fascinated by the incident have unearthed and publicized countless bits of information and artifacts of that time. Along the way, they’ve brought attention to many pieces of Roswell history, such as the July 1947 front pages of the Roswell Daily Record that recorded initial reports of the incident along with a follow-up version of events presented by the military that some now view as one of history’s greatest cover-ups.
The intensity of focus placed on the Roswell incident for three-quarters of a century has led some to posit that most contemporaneous records have already been scrutinized. But one piece of local history recently uncovered provides an interesting companion to those iconic 1947 headlines the public has become familiar with — while adding yet more pages to a still-growing historical record.
The Roswell Morning Dispatch, a long-defunct sister newspaper of the Roswell Daily Record, was published in the mornings from 1928-1950. The Dispatch covered the news of the day, and as such, it carried accounts in July 1947 of the unfolding events related to the alleged recovery of a crashed “Flying Disk” outside Roswell, along with the military’s explanations for what had occurred.
Its historical headlines were discovered among archived editions of the newspaper.
Of interest to UFO-research enthusiasts: The July 9, 1947 headline in the Morning Dispatch read, “Army Debunks Roswell Flying Disk As World Simmers With Excitement,” followed by a subhead bearing a familiar assertion that would help fuel future accusations of a cover-up: “Officers Say Disk Is A Weather Balloon.” A sidebar piece describes then-sheriff George Wilcox fielding calls from media around the world as journalists sought information on what would come to be known as the Roswell incident.
Nick Pope, who investigated UFOs for the UK Ministry of Defense, said discovery of the old headlines holds significance for researchers and others interested in the phenomenon.
“It’s a fascinating piece of history that time had forgotten,” Pope said. “It just shows that 75 years after the Roswell incident, there are still discoveries to be made in the archives.”
He added, “Any historian will tell you that going back to the original sources is priceless when it comes to getting an insight into what happened and how those people involved were reacting and perceiving things, and what the feeling was in the local community.
“This is just an amazing glimpse into Roswell in 1947 — which was ground zero for this mystery that still endures to this day.”
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