Within FBI Teletype
Was the Disc Really Balloon Equipment?
The teletype's hexagonal disc language fits radar-reflector equipment better than a simple rubber weather balloon.
On this page
- The teletype's shape and cable details
- How radar reflectors could look disc like
- Where the wording stays provisional
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Introduction
The most intriguing technical detail in the FBI’s 8 July 1947 Roswell teletype is not the word “disc” but the combination of words that follow it. The document described a recovered object as a “hexagonal” disc suspended from a balloon by cable and added that it resembled “a high altitude weather balloon with a radar reflector”. That description is unusual because it does not match a simple meteorological balloon viewed in isolation. Instead, it points toward a balloon-and-target assembly of the sort used for radar tracking in the 1940s. The question is not whether the teletype proves a specific explanation; rather, it is whether the shape and attachment details recorded in the document are more consistent with radar-target equipment than with an ordinary balloon alone. The evidence suggests that they are.[GovInfo+2FBI]govinfo.govGAOREPORTS NSIADFBI's Dallas office of the recovery near Roswell of a hexagonal-shaped disc suspended from a large balloon by cable. The message further…
The Teletype’s Shape and Cable Details
The FBI message remains one of the clearest contemporary descriptions of the Roswell debris. According to the teletype, military officials reported the recovery of “a hexagonal-shaped disc suspended from a large balloon by cable”. The document further stated that the object resembled a high-altitude weather balloon with a radar reflector and that the balloon was approximately twenty feet in diameter. The reported material was being transported to Wright Field for examination.[GovInfo+2FBI]govinfo.govGAOREPORTS NSIADFBI's Dallas office of the recovery near Roswell of a hexagonal-shaped disc suspended from a large balloon by cable. The message further…
Several features stand out.
First, the object is described as hexagonal rather than circular. That wording is significant because a true metallic flying saucer would ordinarily be expected to appear round. A radar reflector, however, often consisted of angular structures assembled from lightweight frames and reflective surfaces. When collapsed, twisted, or viewed from a particular angle, such equipment could produce a distinctly geometric appearance.[DAF History+2ESD]dafhistory.af.milDAF HistoryThe Roswell ReportThis report represents a joint effort by Col. Richard L. Weaver and 1st Lt. James. McAndrew to address the r…
Second, the disc was said to be suspended from the balloon “by cable”. That arrangement does not describe a conventional weather balloon by itself. Weather balloons were typically attached to instruments, radiosondes, or tracking equipment beneath them. Radar targets were specifically designed to hang below balloons so that military operators could track balloon positions using radar. The teletype therefore describes a multi-component system rather than a lone balloon.[DAF History+2ESD]dafhistory.af.milDAF HistoryThe Roswell ReportThis report represents a joint effort by Col. Richard L. Weaver and 1st Lt. James. McAndrew to address the r…
Third, the description combines two apparently different concepts: a disc and a radar reflector. Rather than treating these as contradictory, the wording suggests that observers were attempting to describe an unfamiliar object whose appearance reminded them of both. This ambiguity becomes important when compared with known radar-target designs of the era.[FAS Project on Government Secrecy]sgp.fas.orgFAS Project on Government SecrecyGAO Report on Roswell, NM UFO CrashThe FBI message stated that the military had reported that an object…
Why Radar Reflectors Were Attached to Balloons
In 1947 radar operators faced a practical problem. Balloons were difficult to track because rubber or plastic envelopes reflected very little radar energy. To make balloons visible on radar screens, engineers attached lightweight reflectors beneath them. These devices increased the radar signature dramatically, allowing military personnel to follow balloon flights over long distances.[DAF History]dafhistory.af.milDAF HistoryThe Roswell ReportThis report represents a joint effort by Col. Richard L. Weaver and 1st Lt. James. McAndrew to address the r…
Many wartime and post-war radar targets were built around corner-reflector principles. Reflective surfaces arranged at angles would return radio waves efficiently toward their source. The resulting structures were lightweight but geometrically complex, often using balsa wood frames covered with metallic foil or foil-backed paper.[Skeptical Inquirer]skepticalinquirer.orgroswell ufo strange metal mysterySkeptical InquirerRoswell UFO 'Strange Metal' Mystery22 Nov 2017 — it was actually a balloon array with dangling box-kite–like radar refl…
Project Mogul, the classified balloon programme later identified by the Air Force as the most likely source of the Roswell debris, relied heavily on such radar targets. Mogul flights involved long balloon trains carrying acoustic equipment intended to detect Soviet nuclear tests. Because operators needed to track these flights, radar reflectors were attached to the balloon arrays. Air Force investigations repeatedly highlighted radar targets as a key component of the recovered material.[ESD+2DAF History]esd.whs.milReport of Air Force Research Regarding the "Roswell…27 Jul 1994 — According to Professor Moore, the "service flights" were composed…
This context matters because the FBI teletype independently referenced a radar reflector on the very day the Roswell story was unfolding. That reference was recorded decades before the modern Mogul explanation became widely known to the public.[GovInfo]govinfo.govGAOREPORTS NSIADFBI's Dallas office of the recovery near Roswell of a hexagonal-shaped disc suspended from a large balloon by cable. The message further…
How Radar Reflectors Could Look Disc-Like
A common objection is that radar reflectors were not literally discs. Yet the teletype does not claim that investigators measured a perfect hexagonal metal saucer. It reports how an object was described during a rapidly developing situation.
Radar targets used in the late 1940s could create misleading visual impressions for several reasons.
Collapsed geometry. Once a balloon train crashed, its attached reflector could become crushed, folded, or partially detached. A structured reflector that originally had multiple reflective planes might appear as a flattened geometric mass rather than as a recognisable technical device.[DAF History]dafhistory.af.milDAF HistoryThe Roswell ReportThis report represents a joint effort by Col. Richard L. Weaver and 1st Lt. James. McAndrew to address the r…
Angular outlines. Corner reflectors incorporated multiple angled surfaces. Observers focusing on the outer boundary could describe the shape in simplified terms. A six-sided appearance would not be surprising if the visible outline appeared roughly hexagonal.[Skeptical Inquirer]skepticalinquirer.orgroswell ufo strange metal mysterySkeptical InquirerRoswell UFO 'Strange Metal' Mystery22 Nov 2017 — it was actually a balloon array with dangling box-kite–like radar refl…
Distance and memory effects. The FBI message was not a forensic engineering report. It transmitted information relayed through military channels. Descriptions often simplify unfamiliar structures into basic geometric forms such as “disc”, “box”, or “triangle”. Historians studying eyewitness reports frequently note that shape labels reflect interpretation as much as measurement.[GovInfo]govinfo.govGAOREPORTS NSIADFBI's Dallas office of the recovery near Roswell of a hexagonal-shaped disc suspended from a large balloon by cable. The message further…
Project Mogul researchers and later Air Force investigators repeatedly described radar targets as unusual-looking assemblies of sticks, foil, and reflective surfaces. To someone unfamiliar with radar-tracking equipment, such debris could easily seem inconsistent with an ordinary weather balloon.[Wikipedia+2ESD]WikipediaProject MogulProject Mogul
The Twenty-Foot Balloon Clue
The balloon dimension reported in the teletype provides another useful clue. The message stated that the balloon involved was approximately twenty feet in diameter. This is a striking detail because it links the alleged disc directly to a balloon system. The disc was not described as an independent craft sitting beside a balloon; it was suspended beneath one.[FBI]fbi.govInside the FBI Podcast: UFOs — FBI… disc was recovered near Roswell, New Mexico, this date. The disc is hexagonal in shape and was s…
Balloon programmes of the period frequently used large high-altitude balloons and balloon clusters carrying tracking devices and instrumentation. Project Mogul flights, in particular, could involve extensive balloon trains supporting equipment over significant distances. The Air Force’s Roswell investigations concluded that debris recovered near Roswell was consistent with such balloon-borne experimental equipment.[ESD+2DAF History]esd.whs.milReport of Air Force Research Regarding the "Roswell…27 Jul 1994 — According to Professor Moore, the "service flights" were composed…
Even critics of the Mogul explanation generally acknowledge that the FBI teletype itself contains balloon-related language. The debate centres on whether the balloon explanation is complete, not on whether the document mentions a balloon. The twenty-foot measurement therefore weighs heavily toward a balloon-associated interpretation of the “disc”.[FBI+2ABC News]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…
Why the Radar-Reflector Reference Matters
The radar-reflector phrase is arguably the most important technical clue in the entire document. Had the teletype merely described a weather balloon, historians could argue that later radar-target theories were retroactive additions. Instead, the radar-reflector comparison appears in the original 1947 communication itself.[FBI+2FAS Project on Government Secrecy]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 significance of this wording becomes clearer when viewed against later investigations. The 1994 Air Force report concluded that the recovered material was consistent with Project Mogul equipment, including radar reflectors. The Government Accountability Office likewise identified the FBI teletype as one of the few surviving contemporary government records and noted its reference to a weather balloon with a radar reflector.[ESD+2GovInfo]esd.whs.milReport of Air Force Research Regarding the "Roswell…27 Jul 1994 — According to Professor Moore, the "service flights" were composed…
In other words, the radar-reflector clue did not emerge decades later as a reinterpretation of vague evidence. It was embedded in one of the earliest surviving official descriptions of the recovered object.[GovInfo]govinfo.govGAOREPORTS NSIADFBI's Dallas office of the recovery near Roswell of a hexagonal-shaped disc suspended from a large balloon by cable. The message further…
Where the Wording Remains Provisional
Despite its value, the teletype should not be treated as a definitive engineering identification.
The message explicitly reported information being passed through military channels. It was not written by technicians who had dismantled and analysed the debris. The wording also noted that telephone conversations with Wright Field had not yet confirmed the radar-reflector interpretation. That caveat is important because it shows that the identification remained tentative at the time of transmission.[FBI]fbi.govInside the FBI Podcast: UFOs — FBI… disc was recovered near Roswell, New Mexico, this date. The disc is hexagonal in shape and was s…
The term “hexagonal disc” likewise remains open to interpretation. The document does not explain precisely how the shape was measured, what component was being described, or whether the reported geometry referred to the entire object or only part of the debris field. Historians therefore cannot treat the phrase as a precise technical specification.[Center for Inquiry]centerforinquiry.s3.amazonaws.comCenter for Inquiry The GAO Roswell Report d Congressman Schiff THE DISC ISHEXAGONAL IN SHAPE AND. WAS SUSPENDED FROM A. BALLOON BY CABLE…. FUR-. THER ADVISED THAT THE. OBJECT RESEMBLES A HIGH. ALTITUDE WEATHER…
What can be said with confidence is narrower but still significant. The FBI teletype records an object that was:
- Hexagonal in appearance.
- Suspended from a balloon by cable.[govinfo.gov]govinfo.govGAOREPORTS NSIADFBI's Dallas office of the recovery near Roswell of a hexagonal-shaped disc suspended from a large balloon by cable. The message further…
- Associated with an approximately twenty-foot balloon.
- Compared at the time to a radar-reflector-equipped weather balloon.[FBI+2GovInfo]fbi.govInside the FBI Podcast: UFOs — FBI… disc was recovered near Roswell, New Mexico, this date. The disc is hexagonal in shape and was s…
Taken together, those features fit much more naturally within the category of balloon-borne radar-target equipment than within the image of a simple weather balloon alone. The description does not conclusively prove a specific Project Mogul flight, but it provides a contemporary mechanism linking the reported “disc” to the radar-tracking hardware that accompanied high-altitude balloon operations in 1947.[ESD+2DAF History]esd.whs.milReport of Air Force Research Regarding the "Roswell…27 Jul 1994 — According to Professor Moore, the "service flights" were composed…
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Endnotes
1.
Source: govinfo.gov
Title: GAOREPORTS NSIAD 95 187
Link:https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-95-187/html/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-95-187.htm
Source snippet
FBI's Dallas office of the recovery near Roswell of a hexagonal-shaped disc suspended from a large balloon by cable. The message further...
2.
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
3.
Source: fbi.gov
Link:https://www.fbi.gov/video-repository/inside-the-fbi-ufos-102921.mp4/view
Source snippet
Inside the FBI Podcast: UFOs — FBI... disc was recovered near Roswell, New Mexico, this date. The disc is hexagonal in shape and was s...
4.
Source: esd.whs.mil
Link:https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/FOID/Reading%20Room/UFOsandUAPs/rosswe1.pdf
Source snippet
Report of Air Force Research Regarding the "Roswell...27 Jul 1994 — According to Professor Moore, the "service flights" were composed...
5.
Source: history.com
Link:https://www.history.com/articles/roswell
Source snippet
New Mexico, Alien & UFOs9 Nov 2009 — According to the U.S. military, the debris in Brazel's field outside Roswell actually belonged to Pr...
6.
Source: sgp.fas.org
Link:https://sgp.fas.org/othergov/roswell.html
Source snippet
FAS Project on Government SecrecyGAO Report on Roswell, NM UFO CrashThe FBI message stated that the military had reported that an object...
7.
Source: Wikipedia
Title: Project Mogul
Link:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Mogul
8.
Source: Wikipedia
Title: Roswell incident
Link:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roswell_incident
Source snippet
Roswell incidentThe telex said that according to the Eighth Air Force, "The disc is hexagonal in shape and was suspended from a balloo...
9.
Source: dafhistory.af.mil
Link:https://www.dafhistory.af.mil/Portals/16/documents/AFD-101201-038.pdf
Source snippet
DAF HistoryThe Roswell ReportThis report represents a joint effort by Col. Richard L. Weaver and 1st Lt. James. McAndrew to address the r...
10.
Source: skepticalinquirer.org
Title: roswell ufo strange metal mystery
Link:https://skepticalinquirer.org/newsletter/roswell-ufo-strange-metal-mystery/
Source snippet
Skeptical InquirerRoswell UFO 'Strange Metal' Mystery22 Nov 2017 — it was actually a balloon array with dangling box-kite–like radar refl...
11.
Source: centerforinquiry.s3.amazonaws.com
Title: Center for Inquiry The GAO Roswell Report d Congressman Schiff THE DISC IS
Link:https://centerforinquiry.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/29/1995/11/22165051/p22.pdf
Source snippet
HEXAGONAL IN SHAPE AND. WAS SUSPENDED FROM A. BALLOON BY CABLE.... FUR-. THER ADVISED THAT THE. OBJECT RESEMBLES A HIGH. ALTITUDE WEATHER...
12.
Source: abcnews.com
Link:https://abcnews.com/Technology/fbi-vault-reveals-ufo-roswell-files/story?id=13347754
Source snippet
FBI Vault Reveals UFO, Roswell Files"The disc is hexagonal in shape and was suspended from a balloon by cable," the document said. "The o...
13.
Source: cdn.centerforinquiry.org
Link:https://cdn.centerforinquiry.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/29/docs/SUN/SUN35.pdf?ms=SCFacebook
Source snippet
UFO NEWSLETTER2 Sept 1995 — TOBE A FLYING DISC WAS RECOVERED NEAR ROSWELL, NEW MEXICO, THIS DATE. THE. DISC IS HEXAGONAL IN SHAPE AND WAS...
Additional References
14.
Source: muller.lbl.gov
Link:https://muller.lbl.gov/teaching/physics10/Roswell/USMogulReport.html
Source snippet
Project MogulThese figures were printed on tape that sealed the seams of the of the radar target. The radar targets, sometimes called cor...
15.
Source: media.defense.gov
Link:https://media.defense.gov/2010/Oct/27/2001330219/-1/-1/0/AFD-101027-030.pdf
Source snippet
U.S. Department of WarU.S. Air Force: "The Roswell Report: [Case Closed]({{ 'case-closed/' | relative_url }})"MOGUL was an experimental attempt to acoustically detect suspected...
16.
Source: jasoncolavito.com
Link:https://www.jasoncolavito.com/the-roswell-teletype.html
Source snippet
The Roswell TeletypeTHE DISC IS HEXAGONAL IN SHAPE AND WAS SUSPENDED FROM A BALLON BY CABLE, WHICH BALLON WAS APPROXIMATELY TWENTY FEET I...
17.
Source: ancestry.com
Link:https://www.ancestry.com/historical-insights/culture/event/ufo-roswell-new-mexico
18.
Source: facebook.com
Title: on july 8 1947 the roswell daily record reported the arrival of something strang
Link:https://www.facebook.com/AmericanExperiencePBS/posts/on-july-8-1947-the-roswell-daily-record-reported-the-arrival-of-something-strang/10160323978939122/
Source snippet
On July 8, 1947, the Roswell Daily Record reported...It had some metal on it, they guessed it was a radar reflector- that's how they kep...
Published: July 8, 1947
19.
Source: smithsonianmag.com
Title: in 1947 high altitude balloon crash landed roswell aliens never left 180963917
Link:https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/in-1947-high-altitude-balloon-crash-landed-roswell-aliens-never-left-180963917/
Source snippet
5 Jul 2017 — A high-altitude balloon crash landed in Roswell. The aliens never left. Despite its persistence in popular culture, extrater...
20.
Source: instagram.com
Title: General Roger [Ramey]({{ ‘ramey/’ | relative_url }}) immediately issued a retraction, claiming a weather balloon
Link:https://www.instagram.com/reel/DYSKqeVk-rc/
Source snippet
Roswell, 1947: a "flying disc" crashes, then suddenly it's just a...Army Air Forces reported flying disc recovery on July 8, 1947...
Published: July 8, 1947
21.
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
U.S. Department of WarGovernment Records13 Jul 2021 — identified the July 8, 1947, FBI teletype message discussing the recovery near Rosw...
Published: July 8, 1947
22.
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
`UFO' DOCUMENTS DESTROYED UNJUSTIFIABLY...30 Jul 1995 — The GAO report includes an FBI teletype and a reference to a "radar tracking de...
23.
Source: reddit.com
Link:https://www.reddit.com/r/UFOs/comments/wgu7by/roswell_crash_wasnt_a_weather_balloon/
Source snippet
s: Newly Discovered Air Force Audio Raises New Questions.Read more...
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