Documents / Official release
This file, released by the William J. Clinton Presidential Library under FOIA request 2006-0476-F, holds White House correspondence records for case 243544. In a July 8, 1997 letter to President Clinton, Kent Jeffrey of the International Roswell Initiative submitted more than 20,000 signed copies of the Roswell Declaration, which asks for an Executive Order declassifying UFO information. On December 9, 1997 the Air Force replied that such an order was unnecessary because declassification under E.O. 12958 was already underway.
“Edgar Mitchell”2 pages
I '. b Please Copy and Circulate ROSWELL DECLARATION Foriy-seven years ago an incident occurred in the southwestern desert of the United States that could have significant implications for all mankind. It involved the recovery by th~. U.S. Military of material alleged to be of extraterrestrial origin. The event was announced by the U.S. Military on July 8, 1947, through a press release that was carried by newspapers throughout the country. It was subsequently denied by what is now believed to be a cover story claiming the material was nothing more than a weather balloon. It has remained veiled in government secrecy ever since. The press release announcing the unusual event was issued by the Comm~nder of the 509th Bomb Group at Roswell Army! Air Field, Colonel William Blanchard, who later went on to become a four star genera~ and Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force. That the weather balloon story was a coverup has been confirmed by individuals directly involved, including the late General Thomas DuBose who took the telephone·call from Washington, D.C., ordering the coverup. Numerous other credible military and civilian witnesses have testified that the original press release was correct and that the Roswell wreckage was of extraterrestrial origin. One such individual was Major Jesse Marcel, the,Intelligence Officer of the 509th Bomb Group and one of the first military officers at the scene. On January 12, 1994, United States Congressman Steven Schiffof Albuquerque, New Mexico, an nounced to the press that.he had been stonewalled by the Defense Department when requesting infor mation regarding the 194 7 Roswell event on behalf of constituents and witnesses. Indicating that he was seeking further investigation into the ,matter, Congressman Schiff called the Defense Department's lack.of response "astounding" and concluded it was apparently "another government coverup." History has shown that unsubstantiated official assurances or denials by government are often mean ingless. Nevertheless, there.is a logical and straightforward way to. ensure that the truth abqut Roswell will emerge: an Executive Order deClassifying any information regardingilhe existence of UFOs or extraterrestrial intelligence. Because this is a unique issue of universal concern, such an action would be appropriate and warranted. To provide positive assurance for all potentiaf witnesses, it would need ,to b.eclearly;s,tat~q and ",ritteninto law, .S,u.c.~ arn~asure.. is esserltjallyw,ha,t pr~siden~,ial candi.date , . ..... ::: ; ;':'~'::." ".: '.''' If, as is officially claimed, no information on Roswell, UFOs, or extraterre1;'trial intelligence is being withheld, an Executive Order decll;lssifying it would be a mere formality, as there would be nothing to disclose. The Order would, however, have the positive effect of setting the record straight once and for all. Years of controversy and suspicion would be ended, both in the eyes ofthe United States' own citizens and in the eyes of the world. If,.on the other hand, the Roswell witnesses are telling the truth and information.on extraterrestrial intelligence does exist, it is not something to which a privileged few in the United States Government should have exclusive rights. It is knowledge of profound importance to which all people throughout t~e world should have an inalienable right. Its release would unquestionably be universally acknowl- edg~d as an historic act of honesty and goodwill.
Official release, from the nara collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. 47 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.