The United States Army air force station at Rosswell [sic], New Mexico, announced just before midnight that it had a "flying saucer" in its possession.
Lieut. Warren Haught [sic], the station public relations officer, stated:
"The many rumours regarding the flying discs became [a] reality yesterday when an [was "the"] intelligence office of [the] 509th (Atomic) Bomb Group of the 8th Air Force at Rosswell Army Air Field, was fortunate enough to gain possession of a disc through the cooperation of one of the local ranchers and the sheriff's office of Chaves County.
"[The flying object landed on a ranch near Roswell some time last week.] Not having telephone facilities, the rancher stored the disk until such time as he was able to contact the sheriff's office, who in turn notified Maj. Jesse A. Marcell of the 509th Bomb Group Intelligence office.
"Action was immediately taken and the disc [was] picked up at the rancher's home. It was inspected at the Rosswell Army Air Field and subsequently lent ["loaned"] by Major Marcell to higher headquarters."
Brigadeer General Roger Ramey, commanding the Eighth Air Force, later confirmed from his headquarters at Fort Worth that the object had been received there.
There was no sign of any power plant nor was it strong enough to support a man.
It was battered, but might possibly have been 20 ft. in diameter.
No on had seen it in the air.
London, England newspapers
Comments
This probably means before midnight London time. Actual time in London (using 7 hour time difference) should have been about 9:30 pm, standard time. Conceivably there might have been a delay before transmittal of the announcement to Europe.
The rest of the story is basicly direct off the AP wires. Note standard AP misspelling of Walter Haut's name. Wording of the base press release is also almost identical to that of AP, but with slight rewording of text. Additions or deletions (in brackets) are highlighted.
A brief summary of Ramey's reported comments to the Pentagon by phone about an hour after the press release, widely reported by others. Note again the presence of the 20 foot diameter description, incompatible with what was actually shown.
London Daily Mail, July 9, 1947, front page
U.S. ARMY FIND
A 'FLYING SAUCER'
Landed on ranch
From Daily Mail Reporter
New York, Tuesday
A "FLYING SAUCER" has been found in New Mexico and is now being studied by the U.S. Army Air Force, it was announced tonight.
The announcement calls it a "battered object of flimsy construction almost like a box-kite," and says it was found on a remote ranch in the Roswell area--not far from one of America's atomic bomb experimental stations.
The find was made by the rancher "one day last week" after local residents had seen a "strange blue light" in the middle of the night.
Because he is not on the phone the rancher kept the disc until he could get in touch with the sheriff of Chaves County, who in turn yesterday notified 509th (Atomic) Bomb Group at Roswell Army Airfield.
The object was at once taken to the airfield, and after preliminary inspection, sent off in a Super-Fortress to the Air Force Research Centre at Wright Field, Ohio.
Sheriff Wilcox was reported as being called by the Daily Mail from England (see below). It may have their correspondent in New York instead.
"Tonight" again being London time.
This wasn't part of the initial announcement. It was Ramey and the Pentagon spinning the story starting about an hour later.
Another example of how the London papers slightly reworded how AP & UP reported the initial press release. "Some time last week" is altered to "one day last week." The "strange blue light" is a unique UP item from the initial release.
The Daily Mail was one of the London papers reported as telephoning Sheriff Wilcox (see Roswell Morning Dispatch story). But nothing of the conversation is reported here. The Daily Mail did no other stories on the Roswell incident in subsequent days.
Ramey announcing shipment to Wright Field was the end of the first half of the Roswell media event of July 8. Ramey saying the special flight had been cancelled after the weather balloon ID was in the second half. The Daily Mail reported only the first half of the story.
London Daily Telegraph & Morning Post,
July 9, 1947, page 6
FLYING DISC FIND IN U.S.
FLIMSY DESIGN: NO SIGN OF POWER UNIT
FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT
NEW YORK, Tuesday
The United States Army Air Force at Roswell, New Mexico, in which area the first atom bomb was tested and where the Army is testing new rockets, today announced that a "flying saucer" was found last week. It was inspected at the airfield before being sent to "higher quarters." [sic]
The statement said: "Yesterday an intelligence officer of the 509 (Atomic) Bomb Group of the Eighth Air Force at Roswell gained possession of a flying disc through the co-operation of local ranchers and the sheriff's office.
"The object landed on a ranch near Roswell last week. After inspection the disc was loaned to higher authorities."
Brig.-Gen. Roger Ramey, Commander of the Eighth Air Force, with headquarters at Fort Worth, Texas, who received the "saucer." from Roswell air base said it was being sent by air to the Army Air Force Research Centre at Wright Field, Ohio.
BADLY BATTERED
In a telephone call to Army Air Force headquarters in Washington he described the object as of "flimsy construction, almost like a box kite." It was so badly battered that he was unable to say whether it was shaped like a disc. The material of which it was made was "apparently some sort of tin foil."
Later Army Air Force officials said that further information indicated that the object would have a diameter of about 20ft to 25ft if reconstructed. Nothing in its apparent construction indicated any capacity for speed. There was no evidence of any power plant, and the disc seemed too flimsy to have been able to carry a man.
[Page 1 update] Late News
"Flying Saucer" See page 6
From our Correspondent
New York, Tuesday
Stated at Fort Worth tonight that the object might be some meteorological device such as "weather balloon"
Again, although excerpts from the press release are given as exact quotes, there has been substantial editing. E.g., "Higher headquarters" becomes "higher quarters" and "higher authorities." "Sometime last week" becomes "last week." "One of the local ranchers" is chopped to "local ranchers", substantially altering the meaning. Except for such changes, this looks mostly like standard AP reporting. The NY correspondent appears to have slightly rewritten AP wire stories and passed it on to London.
Ramey's standard reported comments to the Pentagon. The 20-25 foot diameter description appears again.
Ramey's change of story to a weather balloon would have been available in London at about midnight, just enough time for this short update on the front page for the morning edition.
