Report of Air Force Research Regarding the Roswell Incident

found on the Brazel Ranch, there is one additional
person who was universally acknowledged to have been
involved in its recovery, Sheridan Cavitt, Lt Col, USAF,
(Ret) . Cavitt is credited in all claims of having
accompanied Major Marcel to the ranch to recover the
debris, sometimes along with his Counter Intelligence
Corps (CIC) subordinate, William Rickett, who, like
Marcel, is deceased. Although there does not appear to
be much dispute that Cavitt was involved in the material
recovery, other claims about him prevail in the popular
literature. He is sometimes portrayed as a closed·mouth
(or sometimes even sinister) conspirator who was one of
the early individuals who kept the "secret of Roswell"
from getting out. Other things about him have been
alleged, including the claim that he wrote a report of
the incident at the time that has never surfaced.
Since Lt Col Cavitt, who had first-hand knowledge, was
still alive, a decision was made to interview him and
get a signed sworn statement from him about his version
of the events. Prior to the interview, the Secretary of
the Air Force provided him with a written authorization
and waiver to discuss classified information with the
interviewer and release him from any security oath he
may have taken. Subsequently, Cavitt was interviewed on
May 24, 1994, at his home. Cavitt provided a signed,
sworn statement (Atch 17 ) of his recollections in this
matter. He also consented to having the interview
tape-recorded. A transcript of that recording is at Atch
18. In this interview, Cavitt related that he had been
contacted on numerous occasions by UFO researchers and
had willingly talked with many of them; however, he felt
that he had oftentimes been misrepresented or had his
comments taken out of context so that their true meaning
was changed. He stated unequivocally, however, that the
material he recovered consisted of a reflective sort of
material like aluminum foil, and some thin, bamboo-like
sticks. He thought at the time, and continued to do so
today, that what he found was a weather balloon and has
told other private researchers that. He also remembered
finding a small "black box" type of instrument, which he
thought at the time was probably a radiosonde. Lt Col
Cavitt also reviewed the famous Ramey/Marcel photographs
(Atch 16) of the wreckage taken to Ft. Worth (often
claimed by LITO researchers to have been switched and
the remnants of a balloon substituted for it) and he
identified the materials depicted in those photos as
consistent with the materials that he recovered from the
ranch. Lt Col Cavitt also stated that he had never taken
any oath or signed any agreement not to talk about this
incident and had never been threatened by anyone in the
government because of it. He did not even know the
incident" was claimed to be anything unusual until he
was interviewed 1n the early 1980's.
Similarly, Irving Newton, Major, USAF, (Ret) was located
and interviewed. Newton was a weather officer assigned
to Fort Worth, who was on duty when the Roswell debris
was sent there in July, 1947. He was told that he was to
report to General Ramey's office to view the material.
In a signed, sworn statement (Atch 30) Newton related
that ." .• I walked into the General's office where this
supposed flying saucer was lying all over the floor. As
soon as I saw it, I giggled and asked if that was the
flying saucer .•. I told them that this was a balloon
and a RAWIN target ... " Newton also stated that ." .• while