The Hottel Report
The incident referred to in the buzz surrounding the Hottel Report is probably the most familiar UFO story ever: Roswell. Many books could be written (and they have) on the Roswell incident, on what happened, on what really happened, on what “They” don’t want you to know, and more. It’s been confirmed, debunked, studied, de-debunked, re-debunked and ridiculed. There are so many versions of the truth out there that hardly anybody takes it seriously anymore. Roswell is a cultural phenomenon, a reference in movies, not an actual thing.
Nevertheless, many people still take it very seriously, striving to uncover the truth of what happened near the small town of Roswell, New Mexico in 1947. These people gained a boost recently when they recently revealed a classified FBI document (left – click to enlarge) which gave a detailed description of the Roswell incident. Surely if the FBI was keeping secret records on this then there must be something to it? Well let’s read the actual report:
From: Guy Hottel, SAC, Washington
Subject: Flying Saucers
Information Concerning
the following information was furnished to SA <—————————–BLACKED OUT———————————->oy<—-BLACKED OUT—->
An investigator for the Air Force stated that three so-called flying saucers had been recovered in New Mexico. They were described as being circular in shape with raised centers, approximately 50 feet in diameter. Each one was occupied by three bodies of human shape but only 3 feet tall, dressed in metallic cloth of a very fine texture. Each body was bandaged in a manner similar to the blackout suits used by speed fliers and test pilots.
According to Mr <–BLACKED OUT–> informant, the saucers were found in New Mexico due to the fact that the Government has a very high-powered radar set-up in the area and it is believed the radar interferes with the controlling mechanism of the saucers.
No further valuation was attempted by SA <–BLACKED OUT–> concerning the above.
The more serious problem is also slightly subtle. People who don’t know the details of the Roswell story (myself included, before researching this article) wouldn’t notice the inconsistencies. Presumably the informant wasn’t familiar with the details himself! All that eye-witnesses at Roswell reported finding was a field of lightweight metallic debris – not intact flying saucers with crew.
There is also the matter of the report itself. It was released by the FBI in 1976. It is not classified (The FBI have published it on the web over here). It did not refer to Roswell, but to another incident several years later in the town of Aztec (which was widely reported by Vanity magazine before later being revealed as a hoax). And if you strip it down to basics, all it even says is “Some guy contacted me, said he was an air force investigator, and told me about flying saucers”. While this report doesn’t prove anything about the Roswell incident, for or against, it certainly does show us how credulous people can be on the internet!
