Stanton Friedman Meets Jesse Marcel: Roswell Crash Story Rediscovered
In January 1978, nuclear physicist Stanton Friedman is lecturing in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, when a local TV station manager recommends he meet 'a man who had handled one of those flying saucers way back then.' Friedman looks up retired Colonel Jesse Marcel, Sr. in the phone book. During their first meeting, Marcel describes the 1947 Roswell Incident: as intelligence officer at the 509th Bomber Unit, he was dispatched to retrieve wreckage of a flying disc — foil-like material of incredible toughness, I-beams with hieroglyphic-like writing that could not be bent or broken. The fragments were transported to Wright Field via Fort Worth, where Marcel was forced to lie and call it a weather balloon. Friedman and researcher William Moore then find the original July 1947 press releases — one saying the Army had recovered a flying disc, another three hours later claiming it was a weather balloon. They interview nearly 100 people. This is the beginning of the modern Roswell investigation that would become the most famous UFO case in history.
Background
EVENT TITLE: Stanton Friedman Meets Jesse Marcel: Roswell Crash Story Rediscovered
EVENT DATE: 1978-01-15
EVENT TYPE: investigation
In January 1978, nuclear physicist Stanton Friedman's investigation into UFOs took a pivotal turn. While lecturing in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Friedman was encouraged to meet Jesse Marcel, Sr., a retired Colonel believed to have handled debris from a crashed flying saucer. This meeting marked the rediscovery, and subsequent popularization, of the Roswell incident.
The Incident In January 1978, Stanton Friedman was in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, giving a lecture. A local TV station manager suggested Friedman meet someone with firsthand knowledge of a flying saucer incident. This led Friedman to seek out and contact retired Colonel Jesse Marcel, Sr.
During their initial meeting, Marcel recounted his involvement with the recovery of debris from an alleged crash in Roswell, New Mexico, in 1947. This was the beginning of Friedman's deeper investigation into the Roswell incident.
Investigation Friedman's meeting with Marcel spurred him to investigate the Roswell incident more thoroughly. He likely conducted interviews and reviewed available documentation to corroborate Marcel's claims. The source text does not provide details of the investigation itself.
Other UFO research organizations were active at the time. CUFOS received a computer file of nearly 80,000 records of UFOs, called UFOCAT, which enabled statistical studies of UFO reports. MUFON issued the second edition of its Field Investigator’s Manual, listing standard investigative procedures.
Significance Friedman's interview with Jesse Marcel is considered a crucial event in the history of UFO research. It brought the Roswell incident back into the public consciousness and helped establish it as one of the most famous and debated UFO cases.
The Roswell story, as told by Marcel and investigated by Friedman, became a cornerstone of UFO lore. It fueled public interest in UFOs and contributed to the development of various theories, including those involving government cover-ups. The meeting's significance lies in its role in popularizing the Roswell incident and shaping the landscape of UFO research.