back to article I saw aliens at Roswell, claims dead PR man

The public relations officer at the Roswell air base in 1947 has released claims that he saw a crashed spacecraft and the bodies of aliens at the site, despite a lifetime spent denying any such things. In the affidavit, Lieutenant Walter Haut says the weather balloon was a cover story, and that the real crashed object had been …

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  1. Leigh Smith

    Well I never!

    Death bed confession you say? Affidavit you say? Must be true then.

  2. Chris Miller

    It must be true

    After all, no PR person would ever state a deliberate untruth with the intention of gaining media coverage ... would they?

  3. Don Mitchell

    Roswell Declassified

    Roswell is only interesting as a social phenomenon. We know today that is where the spy balloon technology was developed for the early cold war recon of the Soviet Union. So when the Army talked about "weather balloons", it was a cover-up, but not of a captured alien spacecraft.

    It is remarkable how many people believe in alien abductions and government conspiracy theories. It comes back again to a lack of understanding about skepticism. Basically nutty people will be skeptical about everything that science says, and then have an unshakable faith in the most improbable ideas.

    The philosopher Eric Hoffer has suggested that there are "true believers" who are psychologically predisposed to zealously embrace "mass movements" (e.g., communism, conspiracy theories, religious fanaticism, etc).

    In the case of crank science (UFO-ology), the true believer feels superior. His faith in alien spacecrafts and governemnt cover-ups bolsters his weak self esteem and makes up for his lack of actual knowledge or accomplishment in science and engineering. "Oh those NASA rocket scientists think they're smart, but I know the Truth. They just stole the ideas from the aliens and don't want us to know!"

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    it always starts this way

    All compsiracy theories start the same way. A person claims to have a typewritten unsigned transcript of a recording made by a now-dead eyewitness. The original recordings can't be found. The eyewitness saw something that is known to have happened, but he saw much more than was previously recorded, typically including space aliens or Republicans mating with donkeys.

    It's very cool that the original witness is always dead, so he can't be cross-examined, and the original document is always lost. (Is it lost in this case? I don't suppose we have signed, handwritten notes that can be verified to be authentic, do we...?)

    Just one time I wish the aliens would do an interview on Larry King Live, or invite Oprah and a camera crew to visit their UFO and take a brief jaunt around the solar system. Just once!

  5. Nik Peltekakis

    What

    a load of old toss.

    No not really, I believe it.

    It wouldnt even surprise me if they announced all this as fact now.

    I wonder how the religious world would take it.

  6. Andy

    Call me cynical

    ...but I would have liked the statement to descibe a scenario completely *unlike* the normal conspiracy theory.

    Childlike aliens? Tiny spacecraft in hanger? Anyone watching X-Files reruns could have come up with that.

  7. g lane

    Pull the other one.

    Hear that humming?

    Yep, it's PR spin from the grave.

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Bodysnatchers in the Desert

    Nick Redfern has a convincing theory, laid out in his book 'Bodysnatchers in the Desert'. His take is that the bodies found were deformed humans (suffering from progeria, for example), victims of the infamous Japanese 'Unit 731' which allegedly conducted all manner of horrific experiments during WW2.

    It's well known that after the war the US was bringing over Nazi scientists, but it also gave asylum to members of 731. Redfern thinks they were using people to test the limits of human endurance - altitude, oxygen deprivation, exposure to radiation - and the Roswell craft was occupied by these poor bastards. Not test dummies or aliens, but disabled and sick human beings. Their deformities and the impact of the crash explains their unusual appearance, and you can understand why the government would be so keen to hush it up.

    It's a credible theory and Redfern has some interesting evidence. Unless someone comes up with a better story the case is closed as far as I'm concerned.

  9. Henrik Eismark

    Why on earth

    would aliens enter the atmosphere, when they can monitor everything from outside in safety?

  10. Steve Graham

    Dead Men Sue No Suits

    My literary analysis software says that the two alleged affidavits were written by different people.

    I suspect the "secret" one is a forgery.

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Was Gary McKinnon right?

    My paranoia level just went to 11

    Now I'm not one to jump to the defence of alien conspiracy theorists, but if this deathbed confession is true then, rather than being a paranoid delusional scriptkiddy, this would make McKinnon a true hero, attempting to uncover threats to our national security. I always thought that the Americans wanted him just for a Stalinist show trial and the propaganda value, but now it seems extraditing him, or even putting him on trial here could be a direct threat to our national security, I hope the Judges take note.

  12. Webster Phreaky

    Inconvenient Coincidence ... new book released, dateline Art Bell BS

    Geez, ain't it an mysterious coincidence that this so-call uncorroborated "affidavit" just manages to appear a YEAR AFTER his death, when a new aliens are here book!!??

    It still always boils down to one fact the Art Bell Nut Crowd can't refute ... so us ONE SINGLE PIECE of tangible, touchable, testable physical evidence. Otherwise, go live in a cave.

    Lets worry about a REAL alien invasion ... Wahabi Muslins.

  13. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Yawn.......

    If you have to cover this lamentable tosh - should it really be filed under Science/Space? Best left to Odds and Sods - and a title like "professional Roswell interviewee makes up some more bollocks on death bed."

  14. Adam T

    Mork

    R.I.P.

  15. This post has been deleted by its author

  16. David

    Alien racers

    Probably were a bunch of Alien Racers.

    Not just a human problem by the sounds of it.

  17. LaeMi Qian

    Humanoid aliens? Again?

    What proportion of creatures on this planet resemble us physically? What are the odds of something developing in an entirely different planetary body's conditions even remotely resembling us physically?

    Humanoid aliens are the domain of sci-fi TV/movies without the budget for decent animatronics. And the weak-of-imagination.

  18. Fuck You

    So, was he lying THEN or NOW??? Probably BOTH!

    Ah, yes, the little boy who cried WOLF again! FIRST he says it's a flying saucer, THEN he says it isn't, THEN he says it is. He ALSO tells conflicting stories over the years of who said what and when. I think his credibility ran out LONG ago.

    And WOW!!! LOOK! This is JUST IN TIME for the Roswell UFO geekfest this month! WHAT A COINCIDENCE!!! Um, yeah, RIGHT!

    It's ALL about money, people. YOU want to be one of the stupid ones to give them yours, go RIGHT ahead. I'll wait till one comes around in MY lifetime, one that I can verify before I give A PENNY to con artists.

  19. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Why do aliens always choose the USA?

    Why do we never hear of aliens landing in Africa, or the Middle East, or Asia?

  20. Karim Bourouba

    It is all true

    Actually, it is all true.

    Not all the aliens died though, one made it out alive and ended up in the UK.

    He is the paternal grandfather of one of the guys I work with - quite off putting really.

  21. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Government Conspiracy Theories

    Whilst i'm not a supporter of the idea as a blanket concept, and much assumes the government are actually a lot more skilled/intelligent than they really are to pull off many of the things they theorize, there can be truths in some theories.

    As the basis for various conspiracy theories can quite easily be related back to often later unclassified military / psy ops which are known as being a source of publishing disinformation to provide distraction from things, often uses media outlets to help manipulate the public. Much in the same way media outlets are often a source used by politicians and parties to further government agendas through propaganda they publish.

    So given the media manipulation already in place for classified operations of a military/national security/etc nature and the equallly manipulative measures used by politicians today it would create the potential for a situation where many people would not question what the truth actually was had a situation like Rosewell really been an alien landing.

  22. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    A man on a plane told me..

    In 1996 whilst disembarking at Tucson airport, I was talking to my travelling companion who said he was born in Streatham and named the street. An old (75 -80?) American fella sitting opposite - nice guy - piped up that he too was born in that same road and proceeded to prove it to my mate's satisfaction. Quite a coincidence. However he then went on to add that he was the cameraman in the famous Roswell video - and that he had a piece of the craft's metal in the boot of his car. His wife (same age) took my arm and said 'he's telling the truth'.

    They definitely did not look like nutters. Spooky

  23. Andrew Johnson

    Why such vehement ridicule and denial?

    I wonder if The Register will post my comment as a balance to the rather negative and ridiculing collection that are on there.

    Most people have heard of Roswell as the only place a UFO crashed. Fewer people have heard of Kecksburg, Spitzbergen, Socorro, Llandrillo and perhaps 70 others.

    If you want to find the truth, you have to research - and you will find out about cases in countries other than the USA - such as Norway, Peru, Russia, South Africa and others

    A craft piloted by non-humans crashed or was brought down at Roswell. Get used to the idea and then begin to find out the many reasons why it has been covered up (the primary one probably being energy). If you can do this without being rude to or about anyone then you will be doing better than most.

    Sure - a guy is going to make something up and have it released after his death (the affifavit wasn't done on his "deathbed" it was written in 2002 - it was only released when he died. Why, so that he could attact rude comments towards his family? Would you do that?)

    Check out Fastwalkers and Disclosure Project if you want to start somewhere.

    Oh - and Mercury Astronaut Gordon Cooper (who orbited the Earth 22 times) filmed a saucer landing (on 3 legs) at Edwards Air Force Base in 1955. His testimony is on video in "Out of the Blue" which is on Google Video. Keep it real, folks.

  24. Chris Goodchild

    Skeptics Bah!

    Look! I am sick and tired of all the skepticism about aliens visiting the earth to abduct people. I am a professional captain abductor from planet Glaarg, I am also humanoid in appearance as are most of the intelligent life forms in the known universe. We are generally much better looking than you earthlings as the fine coating of mucous that covers our bodies tends to high light our beautiful bone structure.

    However, the point I wish to make is that after developing and honing my rectal probing skills at university and gaining an honours degree I am fed up with all you skeptics downplaying my hard work. It seems that the only way to bring home to you people the truth that is out here is to radically step up our abduction and probing strategy and now it is the loudest skeptics we are targetting. Remember the truth IS out there and the probe will be up there.

  25. Iain Cartledge

    Obviously...

    Given the current media climate over a couple of idiots setting their car on fire and ramming some bollards, if this was true, surely the mainstream media would explode. Not a terribly bad thing, you might say, but how would the Government's of the Western world get the people to understand that they are in a "difficult position" and that our removal of freedoms is "necessary". Clearly a coverup!

  26. Paul

    The Funny Part Is The Government's "Cover-Up"

    In a loose timeline, here's how the Roswell Incident went:

    #1-The alien crash is witnessed by several people in the area who are not sure what it is.

    #2- A farmer goes to examine the wreckage, claims of U.F.O. debris and bodies are made.

    #3- The military collects the metal and supposed bodies, threatening witnesses as they go along.

    #4- A news report from the local army base goes out confirming an alien crashed disc has been recovered.

    #5- An error is reported as "it was not a U.F.O. as mistakenly reported. It was a weather balloon." Parts of a broken weather balloon are dragged out as "proof." Alternating and contesting views are ridiculed for decades.

    #6- Over 30 years later, an updated version of the weather balloon is released; "We also used the weather balloon to test parachutes with human-looking dummies, hence the "alien bodies."

    #7- An even better story surfaces claiming the weather balloon in question was a SUPER-weather balloon built to spy on the Russians (no more mention is made of bodies) and that's why all the secrecy was in place. No explanation as to how any weather balloon "rockets across the sky" leaving a miles-long trail of debris.

    Bottom line; WHY do I believe that the Roswell Incident was real? Because the government came up with the WORST damn cover story(ies) for an event that became history BECAUSE of such a lousy trail of lies. Couldn't they have hired a writer to cook up something intelligent?

  27. Michael Corkery

    Or, this guy had a sense of humour

    and likes to stir shit up, even from beyond... :p

  28. Jim

    Kinda funny...

    ... but have you noticed that the those most skeptical have as strong a negative belief as the believer's is positive?

    Both argue from a belief not facts - some believe the government agencies told the truth (every time) whilst the others believe it all to be lies.

    Me? I'm with Corkery ;-)

  29. Eric O'Brien

    LOTS of creatures here "look like us" :)

    Earlier, LaeMi Qian wrote "Humanoid aliens? Again? ... What proportion of creatures on this planet resemble us physically?"

    Completely skipping over the Roswell story here... but depending how you look at things, MANY creatures on Earth "resemble" humans (or us, them). For example, bilateral symmetry is pretty popular. A "face" is pretty common also (mouth, eyes, scent-detecting orifice...) Four limbs is a hot configuration also. (Mind you, most of us trot around on all of them at once...) Humans and zebras are actually very similar!

    The "tube" design, where nutrition goes in the "front" end and waste exits from the "back" end is also a well-established approach.

    Mind you, most vegetation and a lot of sea life don't fit the pattern. Indeed, we don't match well with starfish or carrots. However, neither of them are busy at work changing their environment. Making and launching space probes and such.

    Snakes have a head, face, mouth, eyes, nose, ears... but lacking a way to reshape the world around them (and enough brains), they remain animals.

    I don't know what an alien WOULD reasonably look like, but if the creature could not manipulate its environment, it's not likely they'd get into space at all!

    If humans never made it, would a zebra have been the first Earth being on the Moon? Not likely, because with hoofs you do not build an industrial society.

    I happen to suspect that whales and dolphins are VERY intelligent. But due to their physical "configuration" its not likely that THEY will be building space ships soon either.

    So, while aliens that supposedly crashed on Earth would most likely NOT look like humans, they probably would look more like humans than starfish. Evolution-wise, you need to ask what is the benefit of radial, as opposed to bilateral symmetry. Many plants have radial symmetry. But they aren't building space ships either (at least, I haven't heard so).

    An alien that is a "blob" is unlikely too: the same problem arises... how did they develop an industrial society? I could allow six legs rather than four, or something that normally uses all its limbs for moving around.

    . . .

    Hey everybody! Read some science fiction and get back to us. :)

  30. Mentalist

    Witness testimony of two people is enough to convict a murderer

    It couldn't be possible the guy was telling the truth? There's a lot of skepticism here. Why would the guy keep his mouth shut for all those years? Maybe cause he honored his word and keep his mouth shut cause his government told him. He's not getting any money from the book. He's not part of corporate America like Macdonald Nike and the like lying to tell you need our burgers and trainers.

    The average person in the street is a reasonably honest decent citizen otherwise we would have no civilisation at all.

    Its a lot to take onboard that they're really here but there's plently of witness testimony out there (in the thousands) and only one has to be telling the truth.

    There is a great deal of concensus to the fact that the US government has back engineered ET craft (LT Corso) Lockheed martin EG & G Northrop whatever are still doing it. The late head of Lockheed was quoted as saying "we already have the technology to go to the stars and back' Boyd Bushman tried to sue Lockheed for on the grounds they had a free energy device he knew of while working there. They're here because we are a threat to them. 60yrs ago Hilter was slaughtering millions so was Mao and Stalin. We haven't come far yet but we're almost in space if i was an alien and i saw our track record i be fucking worried. We need to grow up learn to trust people a little more and grow.

    Good luck cause at this rate we're not going to make it. Yeah and Mc Kinnon is a hero

  31. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    For shame!

    I find it disconcerting to infer from several of the above statements that we live in a world wherein even deathbed confessions are viewed with paranoid skepticism.

    Now, with regard to several of the above accusations:

    - Lt. Walter Haut asked for the document to be released only after his passing. So the very idea that his intention had been to acquire some sort of perverse financial or other personal form of profit is ridiculous.

    - The original document is, indeed, still very much in existence and available for critical examination; yes, we have "signed, handwritten notes that can be verified to be authentic."

    - The reason for the lack of physical evidence, referred to in an earlier post as "ONE SINGLE PIECE of tangible, touchable, testable physical evidence," of the sequence of events in 1947 is not unexplained at all but rather implied in the statement: the U.S. Government obtained and hid them.

    - Of course the Lt.'s testimony seems similar to a typical episode of the X-Files; the premise of the X-Files was based on the Roswell incident.

    - It is no coincidence at all that this document is being released when it is: the author of the "new aliens are here book" obtained permission from Haut's family immediately following his death to publish the document in the forthcoming book, which was made available to the public just last week, during the 50th anniversary of the events referred to in the affidavit.

    - How dull-witted are you to sincerely suggest that there would be no conceivable reason to hide the existence of visitting, humanoid extraterrestrials from the world?

    - Of course this article is worthy of being referred to in a professional science news atmosphere. My goodness, several of you are so zealous in your denial!

    - That they resembled humans provides a monumental reason to avoid disclosure, for the very reasons you mentioned.

    - Of course Lt. Walter Haut denied the events for several decades! Anyone who would claim to have seen such sights would have been thought perfectly mad by people such as yourselves. And when he finally did come forward, he did so in the form of a document that he demanded be made public only after his passing. How can you not perceive the natural human nature displayed in those choices?

    - How in the world did you get it into your head that such events are exclusive to the USA? Do your research, Sir!

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