The Roswell Report: Case Closed

The mystery witnesses were allegedly an Army Air Forces nurse
and a pediatrician both assigned to the Roswell AAF hospital in 1947.*
To casual observers, this account, which contains references to actual
U.S. Army Air Forces and U.S. Air Force personnel and activities,
appears to have a ring of authenticity. However, when examined closely
by Air Force researchers, the dates of events, the events themselves, and
the people described as having participated in them, were found to be
grossly inaccurate and totally unrelated to activities of July 1947.
The Account
The following is a summary of information provided by W.
Glenn Dennis, who claimed he was a 22.year-old mortician at the Ballard
Funeral Home in Roswell in July 1947, when he alleged these events
occurred.*
On July 7, 1947, Dennis alleged he received a series of phone
calls at the Ballard Funeral Home, where he worked, from the Mortuary
Affairs officer at Roswell Army Air Field. He recalled that the mortuary
officer inquired as to the availability of child sized caskets and
procedures for preserving bodies that had been “laying out in the
elements.“3 Later that day he received an emergency ambulance call
(the civilian mortuary for which he worked also provided an ambulance
service) to respond to the site of a minor traffic accident in Roswell.4
The accident victim was an “airman” stationed at Roswell AAF, and
Dennis transported the airman to the hospital at the base.5
As Dennis walked into the hospital he noticed three military
box-type ambulances, one or more of which contained what appeared
to be “wreckage.“6 He described the wreckage as being inscribed with
odd markings or symbols and bluish-purplish in color.’ He recalled that
some of this wreckage was resting against the inside wall of the rear
compartment of the ambulance and two pieces of it “looked kind of like
the bottom of a canoe.“8 He described other wreckage on the floor of the
ambulance as being “all sharp” and as best he could tell “was like broken
glass.“’ He also recalled observing Military Policemen (MPs) standing at
the back of two of these ambu1ances.r”
When he went inside the hospital, he encountered a military
nurse who was assigned there and with whom he was previously
acquainted.” The nurse, who looked upset, was covering her mouth with
a cloth and told him that “you’re going to get in a lot of trouble” and that
he should “just get out of here.“‘* Dennis also stated that he encountered
a military doctor who was assigned to the hospital, a pediatrician, with
whom he was “pretty good friends” but did not speak with at that time.”
* Excerpts of interviews contained in this summary were taken from audio or video
recordings made by persons referenced in the appropriate endnote. The sole exception is the
interview conducted by Stanton T. Friedman on August 5, 1989. Quotations from this interview
were taken from a transcript which is reportedly an accurate representation of the interview.
Friedman has not honored repeated requests for an audio recording.