.
1993 AFFIDAVIT OF WALTER HAUT
(1) My name is Walter Haut
(2) My address is: XXXXXXXXXX
(3) I am retired.
(4) In July 1947, I was stationed at the Roswell Army Air base serving as the base Public Information Officer. At approximately 9:30 AM on July 8, I received a call from Col. William Blanchard, the base commander, who said he had in his possession a flying saucer or parts thereof. He said it came from a ranch northwest of Roswell, and that the base Intelligence Officer, Major Jesse Marcel, was going to fly the material to Fort Worth.
(5) Col. Blanchard told me to write a news release about the operation and to deliver it to both newspapers and the two radio stations in Roswell. He felt that he wanted the local media to have the first opportunity at the story. I went first to KGFL, then to KSWS, then to the Daily Record and finally to the Morning Dispatch.
(6) The next day, I read in the newspaper that General Roger Ramey in Fort Worth had said the object was a weather balloon.
(7) I believe Col. Blanchard saw the material, because he sounded positive about what the material was. There is no chance that he would have mistaken it for a weather balloon. Neither is their any chance that Major Marcel would have been mistaken.
(8) In 1980, Jesse Marcel told me that the material photographed in Gen. Ramey's office was not the material he had recovered.
(9) I am convinced that the material recovered was some type of craft from outer space.
(10) I have not been paid nor given anything of value to make this statement, and it is the truth to the best of my recollection.
Signed: Walter G. Haut
5-14-93
Signature witnessed by:
M. Littell (?)
[Source: Karl Pflock, Roswell in Perspective, 1994]
.NEW 2007!
2002 SEALED AFFIDAVIT OF WALTER G. HAUT
DATE: December 26, 2002
WITNESS: Chris Xxxxxx
NOTARY: Beverlee Morgan
(1) My name is Walter G. Haut
(2) I was born on June 2, 1922
(3) My address is 1405 W. 7th Street, Roswell, NM 88203
(4) I am retired.
(5) In July, 1947, I was stationed at the Roswell Army Air Base in Roswell, New Mexico, serving as the base Public Information Officer. I had spent the 4th of July weekend (Saturday, the 5th, and Sunday, the 6th) at my private residence about 10 miles north of the base, which was located south of town.
(6) I was aware that someone had reported the remains of a downed vehicle by midmorning after my return to duty at the base on Monday, July 7. I was aware that Major Jesse A. Marcel, head of intelligence, was sent by the base commander, Col. William Blanchard, to investigate.
(7) By late in the afternoon that same day, I would learn that additional civilian reports came in regarding a second site just north of Roswell. I would spend the better part of the day attending to my regular duties hearing little if anything more.
(8) On Tuesday morning, July 8, I would attend the regularly scheduled staff meeting at 7:30 a.m. Besides Blanchard, Marcel; CIC [Counterintelligence Corp] Capt. Sheridan Cavitt; Col. James I. Hopkins, the operations officer; Lt. Col. Ulysses S. Nero, the supply officer; and from Carswell AAF in Fort Worth, Texas, Blanchard's boss, Brig. Gen. Roger Ramey and his chief of staff, Col. Thomas J. Dubose were also in attendance. The main topic of discussion was reported by Marcel and Cavitt regarding an extensive debris field in Lincoln County approx. 75 miles NW of Roswell. A preliminary briefing was provided by Blanchard about the second site approx. 40 miles north of town. Samples of wreckage were passed around the table. It was unlike any material I had or have ever seen in my life. Pieces which resembled metal foil, paper thin yet extremely strong, and pieces with unusual markings along their length were handled from man to man, each voicing their opinion. No one was able to identify the crash debris.
(9) One of the main concerns discussed at the meeting was whether we should go public or not with the discovery. Gen. Ramey proposed a plan, which I believe originated from his bosses at the Pentagon. Attention needed to be diverted from the more important site north of town by acknowledging the other location. Too many civilians were already involved and the press already was informed. I was not completely informed how this would be accomplished.
(10) At approximately 9:30 a.m. Col. Blanchard phoned my office and dictated the press release of having in our possession a flying disc, coming from a ranch northwest of Roswell, and Marcel flying the material to higher headquarters. I was to deliver the news release to radio stations KGFL and KSWS, and newspapers the Daily Record and the Morning Dispatch.
(11) By the time the news release hit the wire services, my office was inundated with phone calls from around the world. Messages stacked up on my desk, and rather than deal with the media concern, Col Blanchard suggested that I go home and "hide out."
(12) Before leaving the base, Col. Blanchard took me personally to Building 84 [AKA Hangar P-3], a B-29 hangar located on the east side of the tarmac. Upon first approaching the building, I observed that it was under heavy guard both outside and inside. Once inside, I was permitted from a safe distance to first observe the object just recovered north of town. It was approx. 12 to 15 feet in length, not quite as wide, about 6 feet high, and more of an egg shape. Lighting was poor, but its surface did appear metallic. No windows, portholes, wings, tail section, or landing gear were visible.
(13) Also from a distance, I was able to see a couple of bodies under a canvas tarpaulin. Only the heads extended beyond the covering, and I was not able to make out any features. The heads did appear larger than normal and the contour of the canvas suggested the size of a 10 year old child. At a later date in Blanchard's office, he would extend his arm about 4 feet above the floor to indicate the height.
(14) I was informed of a temporary morgue set up to accommodate the recovered bodies.
(15) I was informed that the wreckage was not "hot" (radioactive).
(16) Upon his return from Fort Worth, Major Marcel described to me taking pieces of the wreckage to Gen. Ramey's office and after returning from a map room, finding the remains of a weather balloon and radar kite substituted while he was out of the room. Marcel was very upset over this situation. We would not discuss it again.
(17) I would be allowed to make at least one visit to one of the recovery sites during the military cleanup. I would return to the base with some of the wreckage which I would display in my office.
(18) I was aware two separate teams would return to each site months later for periodic searches for any remaining evidence.
(19) I am convinced that what I personally observed was some type of craft and its crew from outer space.
(20) I have not been paid nor given anything of value to make this statement, and it is the truth to the best of my recollection.
Signed: Walter G. Haut
December 26, 2002
Signature witnessed by:
Chris Xxxxxxx
[Source: Tom Carey & Donald Schmitt, Witness to Roswell, 2007
On UFO Updates on November 17, 2007, Kevin Randle also wrote that a man he interviewed in the mid-1990s, 1st Lt. Richard C. Harris, Jr., said that he met Haut near a base hangar and Haut told him at that time about seeing a dead alien body. Harris said Haut suggested he take a quick look, but Harris decided against this. (Harris, the base asst. financial officer, also said he helped cover up the paper trail of expenses involved in the recovery.)
Tom Carey and Donald Schmitt also remark how Haut commonly dropped hints that he knew more than he was letting on to. Haut's common closing remarks in public appearances or in interviews was, "It wasn't any type of weather balloon. I believe it was a UFO! Just don't ask me why!"
Haut started to become more publicly forthcoming in 2000. He gave a lengthy recorded oral history with researchers Wendy Connors and Dennis Balthauser, people he knew well and trusted. Haut stipulated the interview was not to be released until after his death. (Haut died in December 2005). In the interview (transcript) Haut first disclosed he saw the craft and small bodies in one of the hangars. He also disclosed that Gen. Roger Ramey, one of the architects of the weather balloon cover-up, had flown in for the staff morning meeting on July 8, and helped decide on how to deal with the situation. (Wendy Connors in private email, told me that Haut was already telling her privately about Ramey and knowing something about the bodies even before this interview.)
In December 2002, Haut filled out a notarized affidavit (immediately below), that was sealed and again not to be publicly disclosed until after his death. A copy first appeared in the June 2007 book Witness to Roswell by Tom Carey and Don Schmitt, released with permission of Haut's surviving family.
New Nov. 2008! Schmitt and Haut's daughter Julie Shuster afterwards revealed that the affidavit was drafted by Schmitt, with Haut's approval, after years of conversations with Haut. Haut then carefully reviewed Schmitt's emailed draft for accuracy, both privately and with Shuster present. He made no changes before signing in front of Shuster, a notary, and an outside witness. According to Schmitt, a doctor had just reviewed the status of Haut's health and judged him to be of sound mind. For Shuster's detailed comments in the September MUFON Journal about the process behind the affidavit, click here.
(I can only add here that I personally interviewed Haut in August 2001 for 2 hours. Aside from Haut saying (when asked a question about his role in the base press release) that nobody can accurately remember all the details 50 years later, there was no mention of memory issues. Nor did I detect a single indication that Haut was having memory or cognitive problems at this time, only a year before the affidavit. The affidavit was also 3 years before Haut's death in Dec. 2005, when he was still relatively healthy, so it wasn't exactly a "deathbed" confession of a sick, dying man doped up on pain medications.)
In the affidavit, Haut again said that he had seen the crash object and bodies in a hangar (Hangar 84 or P-3). Col. Blanchard, a close friend his entire life, made a point of taking him out there.
Haut also disclosed new information, such as personally handling the debris during the morning meeting, which he said was unlike anything he or anyone else there had ever seen before, going out to one of the crash sites (probably the large Foster Ranch debris field) and bringing debris back to his office. He also revealed that the second main crash site with the object and bodies was about 40 miles north of Roswell and had been found by civilians on July 7. He first became aware of both crash sites by the afternoon of Monday, July 7, after returning to duty from the 4th of July weekend.
A key topic of discussion at the morning meeting was how to deal with the situation, since members of the press and public already knew something was going on. Haut gave insight into the reasoning behind Blanchard's perplexing flying disc press release which Haut delivered to the local Roswell media. Gen. Ramey wished to divert attention away from the more important craft/body site by acknowledging the remoter, less accessible debris site, but providing few details. Haut believed Ramey was acting under direction of his superiors at the Pentagon. It was discussed whether to tell the public the full truth, but this was decided against, and thus began a cover-up that continues to this day.
Haut also mentioned being aware of teams sent out to both sites for months afterwards to search for any remaining evidence. This provided some corroboration for Bill Brazel's story (son of rancher Mack Brazel) of having debris samples confiscated from him by such a team a few months later.
Haut is far from alone in his claims to seeing alien bodies, a spacecraft or strange debris. Click on the links at the top for other such accounts about non-human bodies or strange debris, such as Frederick Benthal and Eli Benjamin, two other military alien body eyewitnesses. The writeup on mortician Glenn Dennis has numerous other mostly second-hand accounts. A number of these center around base Hangar 84 or P-3 mentioned by Haut, where crash debris, craft, and bodies were taken for processing and shipment. The heavily guarded B-29 crate flight to Fort Worth on July 9, the day after Haut's viewing of the bodies/craft in the hangar, is strongly suspected of carrying bodies. See also my review of the Carey/Schmitt book for an overview of the accounts.
According to Carey & Schmitt, Haut waited until the end of his life to reveal this information because he had promised Col. Blanchard to not disclose it while he was alive. Haut may have had another personal reason. He was well-aware how other major Roswell witnesses had been savaged by debunkers, a prime example being Jesse Marcel, the intelligence officer. By initially denying direct knowledge of the more controversial aspects about Roswell, Haut would be denying critics a convenient target. However, with Haut's now-public interview and affidavit confessing to being an eyewitness to the debris, spacecraft, and bodies, he will no doubt be attacked as a liar who changed his story, a senile old man, or even worse.
Haut's "deathbed" affidavit is sure to stir up a huge heated controversy. Once a public figure like Haut states that there really was a flying saucer crash and alien bodies and he saw it with his own eyes, there is never any returning to the quiet life.
