Within FBI Teletype
What the GAO Found in the Paper Trail
The GAO review found the FBI teletype and a Roswell unit history as the key 1947 government records on the crash story.
On this page
- The GAO search for Roswell records
- How the teletype and unit history align
- What missing records cannot prove by themselves
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Introduction
When the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO, now the Government Accountability Office) investigated the Roswell case in the mid-1990s, it was not trying to resolve every claim about UFOs. Its narrower task was to determine what official government records still existed concerning the July 1947 incident and whether relevant records had been properly preserved. The result was striking: after searching across multiple agencies and archives, the GAO reported that only two known government records created in 1947 directly referred to the event. Those records were a July 1947 history report from the Roswell unit and the FBI’s 8 July 1947 teletype message.[GAO+2georgehbalazs.com]gao.govnsiadGAOResults of a Search for Records Concerning the 1947 …GAO provided information on the 1947 weather balloon crash at Roswell Army Air…
For researchers assessing the Roswell paper trail, this finding matters because it sharply narrows the pool of surviving contemporary evidence. The debate then shifts from a vast hidden archive to the question of what these two surviving records actually say, how they relate to one another, and what can—and cannot—be inferred from the disappearance of many other records.[GAO]gao.govnsiadGAOResults of a Search for Records Concerning the 1947 …GAO provided information on the 1947 weather balloon crash at Roswell Army Air…
The GAO Search for Roswell Records
The GAO inquiry began after Congressman Steven Schiff requested an investigation into the historical record surrounding the Roswell incident. The agency examined military archives, federal record repositories, and responses from numerous government organisations in an effort to identify surviving documentation from 1947.[GAO+2muller.lbl.gov]gao.govnsiadGAOResults of a Search for Records Concerning the 1947 …GAO provided information on the 1947 weather balloon crash at Roswell Army Air…
The search uncovered an important archival problem. The GAO found that several categories of Roswell Army Air Field records that might once have contained useful information no longer existed. Among the missing materials were administrative records covering March 1945 through December 1949 and outgoing message files covering October 1946 through December 1949. The GAO could determine that these records had been destroyed, but documentation explaining precisely who authorised the destruction, when it occurred, or under what authority was incomplete.[UFO Transparency]ufotransparency.com1995 07 28 gao roswell report nsiad 95 187 gao nsiad 95 187 roswell 1995UFO TransparencyResults of a Search for Records Concerning the 1947 Crash…28 Jul 1995 — The GAO's 1995 audit of federal records relate…
At the same time, the investigation did not reveal a hidden cache of Roswell documents elsewhere in government. Searches by agencies including the CIA failed to locate records concerning the crash, and later archival reviews likewise noted an absence of Roswell-specific documentation in collections such as Project Blue Book files.[UFO Transparency]ufotransparency.com1995 07 28 gao roswell report nsiad 95 187 gao nsiad 95 187 roswell 1995UFO TransparencyResults of a Search for Records Concerning the 1947 Crash…28 Jul 1995 — The GAO's 1995 audit of federal records relate…
Against that backdrop, the significance of the two surviving 1947 records increased considerably. They became the principal contemporaneous government documents available for evaluating what officials were recording at the time.[georgehbalazs.com]georgehbalazs.comOpen source on georgehbalazs.com.
How the Teletype and Unit History Align
The first surviving record is the well-known FBI teletype sent from the Dallas field office on 8 July 1947. The message relayed information received from military sources and described the recovered object as a hexagonal disc suspended from a balloon by cable, resembling a high-altitude weather balloon with a radar reflector. It also stated that the material was being sent for examination.[FBI+2GAO]vault.fbi.govRoswell UFOOnRoswell UFOOn July 8, 1947, the FBI Dallas Field Office sent a teletype regarding a “flying disc” that resembled a high altitude weath…
The second surviving record is less famous but equally important. According to the GAO, a July 1947 history report produced by the combined 509th Bomb Group and Roswell Army Air Field recorded that the base had recovered a reported “flying disc.” The same history report further noted that subsequent investigation identified the object as a radar-tracking balloon.[georgehbalazs.com]georgehbalazs.comOpen source on georgehbalazs.com.
What makes these records noteworthy is not merely that they both mention the incident. They also follow the same basic narrative structure:
- An object was initially reported as a flying disc.
- Military personnel recovered debris.
- The object was later associated with balloon equipment, specifically involving radar-reflector technology. gao.justia.com+2FBI
The documents differ in purpose and detail. The FBI teletype is an operational communication transmitted during the unfolding event. The Roswell unit history is an official monthly historical summary created after the fact. Yet both records point toward the same broad explanation rather than presenting competing accounts. FBI
This alignment is one reason the FBI teletype carries such weight in discussions of the Ramey memo. The teletype does not stand alone; the surviving Roswell history report independently reflects the same transition from an initial flying-disc report to identification of balloon-related material. georgehbalazs.com
What Missing Records Cannot Prove by Themselves
The destruction of Roswell-era records has often been treated as evidence of a cover-up. The GAO did conclude that important records were missing and that the available documentation concerning their destruction was unsatisfactory. Those findings remain historically significant. UFO Transparency
However, the absence of records does not by itself establish what those records contained. Missing message logs cannot automatically be treated as proof of an extraterrestrial craft, nor can they be assumed to have supported the balloon explanation. Once records are gone, their contents become a matter of inference rather than direct evidence. GAO
This distinction is crucial when evaluating the surviving paper trail. Historians generally give greater weight to extant contemporary documents than to speculation about documents that no longer exist. In the Roswell case, the two surviving 1947 records are therefore unusually important because they are not reconstructed memories or later interpretations; they are original government records produced during the relevant period. GAO+2georgehbalazs.com
The missing records leave unanswered questions about exactly how information moved through military channels in July 1
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- They do not, however, overturn the evidentiary value of the records that remain. The surviving FBI teletype and Roswell unit history continue to define the core documentary foundation of the 1947 government paper trail. GAO+2georgehbalazs.com
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Endnotes
2.
Source: georgehbalazs.com
Link:https://georgehbalazs.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/1995-Results-of-a-search-for-records-concerning-the-1947-crash-near-Rosell-NM-GAO-Government-Records..pdf
4.
Source: muller.lbl.gov
Title: Roswell Incident
Link:https://muller.lbl.gov/teaching/physics10/Roswell/RoswellIncident.html
Source snippet
REPORTThe "Roswell Incident" refers to an event that supposedly happened in July, 1947, wherein the Army Air Forces (AAF...
5.
Source: archives.gov
Link:https://www.archives.gov/research/military/air-force/ufos
Source snippet
National ArchivesProject BLUE BOOK - Unidentified Flying ObjectsThe National Archives has been unable to locate any documentation among t...
6.
Source: vault.fbi.gov
Title: Roswell UFOOn
Link:https://vault.fbi.gov/Roswell%20UFO
Source snippet
Roswell UFOOn July 8, 1947, the FBI Dallas Field Office sent a teletype regarding a “flying disc” that resembled a high altitude weath...
Published: July 8, 1947
7.
Source: fbi.gov
Title: ufos and the guy hottel memo
Link:https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/ufos-and-the-guy-hottel-memo
Source snippet
25 Mar 2013 — An FBI memo in 1950 regarding an unconfirmed account of “flying saucers” still stirs interest...
8.
Source: vault.fbi.gov
Link:https://vault.fbi.gov/search?SearchableText=ufo
Source snippet
fbi.gov23 items matching your search termsOn July 8, 1947, the FBI Dallas Field Office sent a teletype regarding a “flying disc” that res...
Published: July 8, 1947
9.
Source: ia601607.us.archive.org
Title: DTIC ADA326148
Link:https://ia601607.us.archive.org/20/items/DTIC_ADA326148/DTIC_ADA326148.pdf
Source snippet
Secretary of the Air Force and to the General Accounting Office (GAO). It was written as a result...Read more...
10.
Source: ufotransparency.com
Title: 1995 07 28 gao roswell report nsiad 95 187 gao nsiad 95 187 roswell 1995
Link:https://ufotransparency.com/files/1995-07-28-gao-roswell-report-nsiad-95-187-gao-nsiad-95-187-roswell-1995
Source snippet
UFO TransparencyResults of a Search for Records Concerning the 1947 Crash...28 Jul 1995 — The GAO's 1995 audit of federal records relate...
11.
Source: media.defense.gov
Title: GENERAL ACCOUNTING OFFICE S SCHIFF
Link:https://media.defense.gov/2021/Jul/13/2002761373/-1/-1/0/GENERAL_ACCOUNTING_OFFICE_S_SCHIFF.PDF
Source snippet
Records13 Jul 2021 — We re\iewed the FBI's FOIA material and identified the July 8, 1947, FBI teletype message discussing the recovery ne...
Published: July 8, 1947
12.
Source: media.defense.gov
Title: AFD 101027 030
Link:https://media.defense.gov/2010/Oct/27/2001330219/-1/-1/0/AFD-101027-030.pdf
Source snippet
Air Force: "The Roswell Report: [Case Closed]({{ 'case-closed/' | relative_url }})"In July 1994, the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force concluded an exhaustive search for...
Published: July 1994
13.
Source: sgp.fas.org
Link:https://sgp.fas.org/othergov/roswell.html
Source snippet
Report on Roswell, NM UFO CrashGAO provided information on the 1947 weather balloon crash at Roswell Air Field, New Mexico, focusing on...
14.
Source: Wikipedia
Title: Roswell incident
Link:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roswell_incident
Source snippet
Roswell incidentDebris found by a rancher in 1947 near Roswell, New Mexico, has become the basis for UFO conspiracy theories alleging...
15.
Source: britannica.com
Title: Roswell incident
Link:https://www.britannica.com/event/Roswell-incident
Source snippet
Overview, Theories, Hoaxes, & Facts8 May 2026 — After collecting the wreckage, the RAAF issued an extraordinary press release that stated...
Published: May 2026
16.
Source: jhmovie.fandom.com
Title: Roswell incident
Link:https://jhmovie.fandom.com/wiki/Roswell_incident
Source snippet
concluded that the wreckage belonged to a [Project Mogul]({{ 'project-mogul/' | relative_url }}) balloon array that had disappeared in June 1947."...Read more...
Published: June 1947
Additional References
17.
Source: researchgate.net
Link:https://www.researchgate.net/publication/362854511_A_Grounded_Theory_Update_on_the_Roswell_UFO_Incident
Source snippet
A Grounded Theory Update on the Roswell UFO IncidentSomething unquestionably strange fell southeast of the tiny New Mexican town of Coron...
18.
Source: open.icm.edu.pl
Link:https://open.icm.edu.pl/bitstreams/c583b6b2-3bec-4669-9ee9-5083f1273b01/download
Source snippet
Roswell Myth in the FBI Files: Aliens, UFOs, and the...“The investigation of Unidentified Flying Objects is not and never has been a mat...
19.
Source: af.mil
Link:https://www.af.mil/The-Roswell-Report/
20.
Source: deseret.com
Title: ufo documents destroyed unjustifiably lawmaker says
Link:https://www.deseret.com/1995/7/30/19185015/ufo-documents-destroyed-unjustifiably-lawmaker-says/
Source snippet
Deseret News`UFO' DOCUMENTS DESTROYED UNJUSTIFIABLY...30 Jul 1995 — It said the Roswell base's administrative records from March 1945 t...
Published: March 1945
21.
Source: youtube.com
Title: क्या UFO क्रैश में मिले थे एलियन? | SECRETS OF THE ROSWELL INCIDENT
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQFNGnvO7uY
Source snippet
USA: UFO ANTI-SECRECY GROUP DEMONSTRATION captures historical news footage detailing Congressman Steven Schiff's direct involvement in in...
22.
Source: facebook.com
Link:https://www.facebook.com/deepuniversee/posts/recently-resurfaced-fbi-documents-from-the-mid-20th-century-describe-reports-of-/958280243636531/
Source snippet
identified flying objects and alleged encounters with strange...Read more...
23.
Source: reddit.com
Link:https://www.reddit.com/r/UFOs/comments/w7s572/what_about_the_roswell_documents_werent_they/
Source snippet
pposed to be automatically declassified due to the statute...
24.
Source: tampabay.com
Title: documents on roswell ufo missing
Link:https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1995/07/30/documents-on-roswell-ufo-missing/
Source snippet
30 Jul 1995 — Key military documents on the so-called Roswell Incident, cited by UFO buffs as an alien crash, were apparently destroyed w...
25.
Source: blogs.library.unt.edu
Link:https://blogs.library.unt.edu/sycamore-stacks/2022/07/07/75-years-after-the-roswell-incident-what-have-we-learned/
Source snippet
75 Years after the Roswell Incident, What Have We Learned?7 Jul 2022 — On July 8, 1947, the Dallas Office of the FBI issued a one-pa...
Published: July 8, 1947
26.
Source: nsa.gov
Title: Uploaded On: 7/13
Link:https://www.nsa.gov/Helpful-Links/NSA-FOIA/Declassification-Transparency-Initiatives/FOIA-Reports-and-Releases/FOIA-Reports-and-Releases-List/igphoto/2002761379/
Source snippet
Report of Air Force Research Regarding the "Roswell...Schiff, House of Representatives - Government Records - Results of a Search for Re...
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