Flying Disk Transforms Sheriff's
Office To International Newsroom
That worried look on the face of Sheriff Wilcox, in the picture above, comes from having been cast, more suddenly than he liked, into the role of leading man in the world comedy which developed over the purported finding of a flying saucer at the Foster ranch, in the Corona community, northwest of Roswell.
Wilcox is shown here talking to a high English official, who told him "we are just as much interested in your disks as you are," and attempted to secure more information from the officer than had been revealed through Associated Press services a couple of hours earlier.
Included in the dozens of calls which came to him from all over the United States and Mexico, were three from England. One was the interview by the official, while the other two were from London newspapers, excitement over the flying saucers having spread to that country as well as all over the United States.
Reports of the Roswell saucer was first made to Wilcox by W. W. Brazel, who lives on the Foster ranch where remnants of the so-called saucer was found.
Roswell Morning Dispatch, July 9, 1947
Sheriff Wilcox story, front page
Comments
Just who were the "top officials on an international scope" and why were they so interested? Unfortunately we never find out, because the paper never follows up on this provocative statement. The Roswell Daily Record Wilcox story mentions a high official of the British government calling Wilcox, but likewise doesn't name him.
Wilcox couldn't make up his mind. He told UP early on that Brazel came in "the day before yesterday," or Sunday. But to AP he was saying Monday, and that is apparently the story here.
Wilcox told UP that Brazel thought he had found a "weather meter." But Brazel said he told the sheriff he though he found a flying disc.
Whether this comes from Brazel's interview or Wilcox is unclear. Wilcox often used the 3 by 4 foot description, but the alleged radar target was hexagonal, not rectangular in shape.
The Roswell Daily Record said Marcel went out with a "detail." To UP, Wilcox mentioned one other person with Marcel and UP reported intelligence officers going out. Marcel said he went with the head of the CIC at Roswell (Cavitt) and Brazel said Marcel was accompanied by a "man in plain clothes." Wilcox denied to UP that Brazel brought anything to see, but the Sheriff's family later claimed Brazel did arrive with debris samples, later confiscated by the base.
The following two paragraphs give a good idea of the storm of press interest in the story. I have checked major papers in nearly all these cities. With the exception of the Albuquerque Journal, none seem to quote Wilcox or add any additional insight into what story he was putting out.
Unfortunately, most of what was reported on the radio has been lost.
