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The Missing Messages That Could Have Helped
The missing outgoing messages matter because they could have shown how Roswell officers described the incident to higher commands.
On this page
- Which outgoing records were destroyed
- Why July 1947 message traffic matters
- What cannot be inferred from the gap
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Introduction
One of the most important gaps identified during the General Accounting Office (GAO) investigation into Roswell was not a missing photograph or a lost intelligence file. It was the disappearance of Roswell Army Air Field’s own outgoing message records. Those messages would have been the routine communications sent from the base to higher headquarters, potentially documenting how officers described the July 1947 incident in real time.
The significance of this missing record series is often overstated in popular accounts. The destroyed messages do not prove a cover-up, but they do remove a category of evidence that historians would normally expect to examine. As a result, the Roswell record contains a genuine archival gap. The challenge is understanding what that gap can and cannot tell us.
Which Outgoing Records Were Destroyed?
During its search for records relating to the Roswell incident, the GAO discovered that several Roswell Army Air Field record series no longer existed. Most notably, it found that RAAF outgoing messages covering October 1946 through December 1949 had been destroyed. The same was true of administrative records covering March 1945 through December 1949.[GovInfo]govinfo.govGAOREPORTS NSIADResults of a Search for Records Concerning the 1947…Government Records: Results of a Search for Records Concerning the 1947 Cra…
The destruction itself was not the only issue. The GAO reported that the surviving disposition paperwork failed to identify who destroyed the records, when the destruction occurred, or under what authority it was carried out. In other words, investigators found evidence that the records had been eliminated but could not reconstruct a reliable chain of custody explaining the decision.[FAS Project on Government Secrecy+2GAO]sgp.fas.org1945 through Dec. 1949) and RAAF outgoing messages (from Oct. 1946 through Dec. 1949) were destroyed. The…
This finding matters because outgoing messages were not peripheral documents. In the military reporting system of the late 1940s, message traffic was a primary mechanism for informing higher commands about unusual events, operational matters, and requests for guidance. A major incident at Roswell would normally be expected to generate at least some message traffic up the command chain.
The GAO’s discovery therefore created a specific evidentiary problem: a potentially relevant category of records no longer existed, and investigators could not determine exactly why.[GovInfo]govinfo.govGAOREPORTS NSIADResults of a Search for Records Concerning the 1947…Government Records: Results of a Search for Records Concerning the 1947 Cra…
Why July 1947 Message Traffic Matters
The value of the missing messages lies in timing. The Roswell controversy revolves around a narrow period in July 1947 when the base first announced recovery of a “flying disc” and then rapidly adopted a balloon explanation.
If Roswell officers sent detailed reports to higher headquarters during those days, the outgoing messages might have revealed:
- How base personnel initially characterised the recovered material.
- Whether uncertainty existed within the command structure.
- What information was transmitted to Eighth Air Force headquarters.
- Whether senior commanders requested clarification or additional investigation.
- How the public-relations response developed alongside internal reporting.
Representative Steven Schiff, whose concerns helped trigger the GAO investigation, specifically argued that such communications could have shown how officials at Roswell explained the incident to their superiors at the time.[Deseret News]deseret.comufo documents destroyed unjustifiably lawmaker saysDeseret News`UFO' DOCUMENTS DESTROYED UNJUSTIFIABLY…30 Jul 1995 — It said the Roswell base's administrative records from March 1945 t…
This does not mean the messages would necessarily have settled the debate. Military communications often contain incomplete information, preliminary assessments, and routine administrative language. Nevertheless, they would have been contemporaneous records created before decades of memory contamination, media attention, and retrospective interpretation.
For historians, that is precisely the type of evidence that carries unusual weight.
The Reporting Trail That Cannot Be Followed
A key consequence of the destroyed messages is that investigators cannot reconstruct a continuous reporting trail from Roswell upward through the command hierarchy.
The GAO searched widely for related records in other repositories, including headquarters files, Air Force records, FBI records, intelligence holdings, and archival collections. Despite that broad search, it found very few surviving 1947 documents that directly addressed the Roswell event.[GovInfo]govinfo.govGAOREPORTS NSIADResults of a Search for Records Concerning the 1947…Government Records: Results of a Search for Records Concerning the 1947 Cra…
Normally, researchers attempt to verify an event through multiple overlapping document streams. A local message might be matched against a headquarters response, a staff memorandum, a diary entry, or a filing copy preserved elsewhere. The destruction of Roswell’s outgoing messages removes one side of that documentary conversation.
That absence is especially frustrating because message traffic often records events before they are filtered into later summaries, histories, or public statements. The missing series therefore represents a loss of potentially high-value primary evidence rather than merely a loss of administrative paperwork.
What Cannot Be Inferred From the Gap
The existence of missing records is often treated as evidence for a specific conclusion. The archival record does not support that leap.
First, the destruction of the outgoing messages does not establish that extraordinary information once existed within them. The content is unknown. The records could have contained routine administrative traffic, detailed incident reporting, or something in between. Because the messages no longer exist, none of those possibilities can be confirmed.[GovInfo]govinfo.govGAOREPORTS NSIADResults of a Search for Records Concerning the 1947…Government Records: Results of a Search for Records Concerning the 1947 Cra…
Second, the lack of a documented destruction authority is troubling from a records-management perspective, but it is not by itself evidence of a deliberate Roswell-related purge. The destroyed series covered multiple years rather than only July 1947. The missing records encompass a broad period from late 1946 through the end of 1949, suggesting the loss affected an entire category of records rather than a narrowly targeted Roswell file.[FAS Project on Government Secrecy]sgp.fas.org1945 through Dec. 1949) and RAAF outgoing messages (from Oct. 1946 through Dec. 1949) were destroyed. The…
Third, the gap cannot be used to prove either the extraterrestrial hypothesis or the conventional explanations advanced by later Air Force investigations. Missing evidence creates uncertainty; it does not automatically validate any particular interpretation.
The most defensible conclusion is narrower. The destruction of Roswell Army Air Field’s outgoing messages deprived investigators of a potentially important source of contemporaneous reporting. That loss prevents a full reconstruction of how information moved through military channels during July 1947. It is a genuine historical limitation, but the contents of those messages remain unknown, and any claim about what they would have revealed remains speculative.[GovInfo+2GAO]govinfo.govGAOREPORTS NSIADResults of a Search for Records Concerning the 1947…Government Records: Results of a Search for Records Concerning the 1947 Cra…
Why the Missing Messages Still Matter
Within the broader Roswell records debate, the destroyed outgoing messages stand out because they represent a specific, identifiable gap rather than a vague allegation of missing files. The GAO documented the absence, documented the uncertainty surrounding the destruction, and acknowledged that the missing records fell within the period most relevant to the Roswell incident.[FAS Project on Government Secrecy+2GovInfo]sgp.fas.org1945 through Dec. 1949) and RAAF outgoing messages (from Oct. 1946 through Dec. 1949) were destroyed. The…
For researchers examining the Ramey memo, the Roswell press release, or competing explanations of the debris recovery, the lesson is not that the missing messages secretly answer the mystery. It is that a potentially valuable portion of the original reporting trail is unavailable. That missing link limits what can be known with confidence about how Roswell officers described the event to higher command during the crucial days of July 1947.[GovInfo]govinfo.govGAOREPORTS NSIADResults of a Search for Records Concerning the 1947…Government Records: Results of a Search for Records Concerning the 1947 Cra…
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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
Results of a Search for Records Concerning the 1947...Government Records: Results of a Search for Records Concerning the 1947 Cra...
2.
Source: gao.gov
Title: nsiad 95 187
Link:https://www.gao.gov/assets/nsiad-95-187.pdf
Source snippet
NSIAD-95-187 Government RecordsJul 28, 1995 — March 1945 through December 1949 and (2) RAAF outgoing messages from. October 1946 through...
Published: March 1945
3.
Source: sgp.fas.org
Link:https://sgp.fas.org/othergov/roswell.html
Source snippet
1945 through Dec. 1949) and RAAF outgoing messages (from Oct. 1946 through Dec. 1949) were destroyed. The...
4.
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
5.
Source: gao.gov
Title: nsiad 95 187
Link:https://www.gao.gov/products/nsiad
Source snippet
Results of a Search for Records Concerning the 1947...GAO provided information on the 1947 weather balloon crash at Roswell Army Air Fie...
6.
Source: gao.gov
Link:https://www.gao.gov/products/gao
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l agencies have responsibilities for managing federal records, including e...Read more...
7.
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...
8.
Source: muller.lbl.gov
Title: Roswell Incident
Link:https://muller.lbl.gov/teaching/physics10/Roswell/RoswellIncident.html
Source snippet
INCIDENT REPORT... Roswell that covered the years 1945-1949, that were marked on the index as "destroyed." The researchers noted that the...
Additional References
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Source: reddit.com
Link:https://www.reddit.com/r/UFOs/comments/1b9wlqy/calling_out_aaros_bullshit_in_detail/
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Source: dafhistory.af.mil
Link:https://www.dafhistory.af.mil/Portals/16/documents/AFD-101201-038.pdf
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Roswell ReportThis report represents a joint effort by Col. Richard L. Weaver and 1st Lt. James. McAndrew to address the request made by...
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Source: facebook.com
Title: 1949 air force flying disc reporting manual emerges in newly surfaced fbi file w
Link:https://www.facebook.com/NJNewsShoreNewsNJ/posts/1949-air-force-flying-disc-reporting-manual-emerges-in-newly-surfaced-fbi-file-w/1398767875566028/
Source snippet
1949 Air Force 'Flying Disc' Reporting Manual Emerges...Results of a Search for Records Concerning the 1947 Crash Near Roswell, New Mexico...
12.
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
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U.S. Department of WarGovernment Records13 Jul 2021 — In our search for records concerning the Roswell crash, we learned that some govern...
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14.
Source: edn.com
Title: roswell incident is first reported july 8 1947
Link:https://www.edn.com/roswell-incident-is-first-reported-july-8-1947/
Source snippet
Roswell Incident is first reported, July 8, 1947It was reported on July 8, 1947 that the Roswell Army Air Field issued a press release sa...
Published: July 8, 1947
15.
Source: reddit.com
Link:https://www.reddit.com/r/UFOs/comments/w7s572/what_about_the_roswell_documents_werent_they/
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pposed to be automatically declassified due to the statute...
16.
Source: medium.com
Title: the hidden ufo records 39edd7d83625
Link:https://medium.com/on-the-trail-of-the-saucers/the-hidden-ufo-records-39edd7d83625
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The Hidden UFO Records | Point of Contact... December 1949 and (2) RAAF outgoing messages from October 1946 through December 1949 were de...
Published: December 1949
17.
Source: tampabay.com
Title: documents on roswell ufo missing
Link:https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1995/07/30/documents-on-roswell-ufo-missing/
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30 Jul 1995 — Key military documents on the so-called Roswell Incident, cited by UFO buffs as an alien crash, were apparently destroyed w...
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Link:https://centerforinquiry.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/29/1995/11/22165051/p22.pdf
Source snippet
October 1946 through December. 1949.Read more...
Published: October 1946
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