1947
HALL IV · July 8, 1947
Roswell and Project Mogul
A press release, a retraction, a classified balloon
Roswell Army Air Field, New Mexico
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On July 8, 1947, the 509th Bomb Group issued a press release announcing the recovery of a 'flying disc' on a ranch near Roswell. The release was rescinded within hours and the debris re-identified as a conventional weather balloon. In 1994 and again in 1997, the U.S. Air Force published reports attributing the debris to Project Mogul — a then-classified array of high-altitude balloons designed to detect Soviet nuclear tests. The original eyewitness accounts and the gap between the two USAF reports continue to fuel debate.
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