Government1997

Air Force releases 'The Roswell Report: Case Closed'

When: 24 Jun 1997
Where: The Pentagon
Sources: 3 public sources

Cover of the Air Force's 1997 report 'The Roswell Report: Case Closed' by Capt. James McAndrew James McAndrew, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Days before Roswell's 50th anniversary, the Air Force released a 231-page report by Capt. James McAndrew. It said accounts of alien bodies likely stemmed from anthropomorphic test dummies dropped from high-altitude balloons in the 1950s, plus a 1956 crash and a 1959 balloon mishap.

Sources

OfficialThe Roswell Report: Case Closed (Capt. James McAndrew, 1997) (opens in a new tab)Headquarters U.S. Air Force (copy hosted by Project Gutenberg) / 1997
PressAir Force report says Roswell 'aliens' were just dummies (opens in a new tab)Deseret News / 1997-06-24
PressDummies tell no tales: Air Force tries to close Roswell case (Richard Leiby, Washington Post) (opens in a new tab)The Spokesman-Review / 1997-06-25

How sources are chosen and tiered

How the story came out

This reports on Roswell debris recovery (8 Jul 1947).

See it on the timeline: happened vs became public

Where it fits

Earlier in GovernmentArizona Gov. Symington mocks Phoenix Lights with an aide in an alien costume19 Jun 1997 Later in GovernmentBrazilian Army inquiry into the Varginha 'creature' case is closed4 Jul 1997

See it on the timeline More in Government