The Roswell Report: Case Closed

started a recovery operation of the alien craft and crew.lX3 Anderson
also recalled that the military personnel threatened some of the civilians
with imprisonment or death before escorting them out of the area.134
Assessment
Anderson’s choice of the terms “blimp” to describe the crashed
vehicle, and “dolls” to describe the “crew,” strongly suggeststhat a balloon
with an anthropomorphic dummy payload was the foundation for this
testimony. He also provided an abundance of supporting details that accurately
described vehicles, aircraft, equipment, and proceduresused by the Holloman
AFB Balloon Branch to launch and recover anthropomorphic dummies.
An aspect of this testimony that is not accurate is the alleged
threats and intimidation of civilians by military personnel. The use of such
heavy-handednesswas not a tactic used by the Air Force. A careful review
of official records and interviews with numerous persons who actively
participated in and were responsible for the conduct of Air Force members on
high altitude balloon recovery operations revealed that these allegations are
untrue.‘35 Additionally, the witness alleges that the military personnel were
“screaming and hollering” “this is a military secret.“‘36 This statement might
lead uninitiated persons to believe that the witness observed something
highly classified and that by telling everyone present that it was a “military
secret” would somehow help it to remain so. However, logic dictates that if
something was classified “screaming and hollering” it was “secret,” would
compromise it and not serve to protect its classification. This application of
logic, combined with the fact that the launch and recovery of anthropomorphic
dummies was unclassified, widely publicized, and often observed by local
civilians, indicates that the witness’ recollections are in error. There was
never a reason to disrespect, “scream,” ” holler,” or forbid any person from
talking about the launch or recovery of anthropomorphic dummies.
The “Crewmembers.” The statement “I thought they were
plastic dolls” seems an odd choice of words to describe an extraterrestrial
being and is a likely reference to an anthropomorphic dummy whose skin
was made of plastic. 13’ This description is similar to that of the sole witness
of the other crash site, north of Roswell, who described the “aliens” as
“dummies.“‘38 Other references provided by this witness further indicate that
anthropomorphic dummies were the basis for these descriptions. The heads
of the “crewmembers” were described as “completely bald” with “no visible
ears...just a rise...and then a hole.“li9 This is an accurate description of
Alderson Research Laboratories model dummies that did not have “hair” and
had either plastic “ears” molded to the head or a circular opening where a
“demountable ear” or additional instrumentation was attached (see figure
22).140 The statement “they didn’t have a little finger,“14’ a detail very similar
to one provided by another witness, also appears to be a description of
dummies manufactured by Alderson Laboratories that were often damaged
during the balloon tests resulting in the loss of fingers.
The assertionthat ‘they were all wearing one-piece suits...ashiny
silverish-gray color,” “trimmed in ...maroon-like cording”l42is a likely reference