Roswell UFO FBI File: What's Actually in the Declassified Records

In early July 1947, Army Air Forces personnel at Roswell Army Air Field announced they had recovered a "flying disc." Within a day, higher command revised the story, describing the material as a weather balloon. During that window, military officials briefed the FBI's Dallas office, which relayed the information to Bureau headquarters by teletype. In the summer of 1947, the FBI was briefly collecting reports of "flying discs" at the military's request, which is why the Bureau was kept informed. The material itself was handled by the military, not the FBI. Decades later, U.S. Air Force reports in the 1990s concluded the debris most likely came from Project Mogul, a classified program that used balloon trains to detect Soviet nuclear tests.

• ▸A July 8, 1947 FBI Dallas teletype stating that military officials described the object as resembling a high-altitude weather balloon with a radar reflector
• ▸A note that the object was to be transported to Wright Field for further examination
• ▸Indications that the FBI was passing along military information rather than conducting its own inquiry

• ✗"The FBI investigated the Roswell crash." It did not. The file shows the Bureau being briefed by the military.
• ✗"The famous 1950 'three flying saucers' memo is about Roswell." That memo — written by Guy Hottel of the FBI's Washington field office — is in the FBI's separate UFO file and does not mention Roswell. It relays an unverified secondhand story the Bureau never followed up on.
• ✗"The file confirms alien bodies." Nothing in the FBI's Roswell file mentions bodies of any kind.
• ✗"The weather balloon explanation came later." The balloon description appears in the FBI teletype dated the day after the first announcement — although later Air Force reports pointed to the classified Project Mogul balloons specifically.

1. 1947
   Early July: debris is recovered on a ranch northwest of Roswell, New Mexico.
2. 1947
   July 8: Roswell Army Air Field announces a recovered "flying disc"; the FBI Dallas office sends a teletype describing it as a balloon and radar reflector headed to Wright Field.
3. 1950
   The separate Guy Hottel memo about "flying saucers" is written — later often confused with Roswell.
4. 1994–1997
   U.S. Air Force reports conclude the debris most likely came from Project Mogul.
5. 2011
   The FBI posts its Roswell and UFO records in the Vault, drawing heavy public attention.

Did the FBI investigate Roswell?

No. The FBI's file shows the Bureau receiving information from the military, not investigating the debris.

What does the FBI Roswell teletype say?

It says military officials described the object as resembling a high-altitude weather balloon with a radar reflector, and that it was being sent to Wright Field.

Is the Guy Hottel flying saucer memo about Roswell?

No. The Hottel memo is in the FBI's separate UFO file and does not mention Roswell.

Where can I read the FBI's Roswell file?

The original record is available through the FBI Vault source linked on this page.

Always consult the primary source. Public records may include redactions, allegations, and unverified informant claims.

Note: FBI Vault document previews sometimes fail to load. If the preview is stuck, use the “Download PDF” button on the FBI page.