Jesse Marcel

Jesse Marcel Sr. (1907-1986) was a U.S. Army Air Forces intelligence officer stationed at Roswell Army Air Field in 1947, where he served as the base intelligence officer. He became the first military personnel to investigate the debris field discovered by rancher Mac Brazel on the Foster Ranch, collecting samples of the unusual material and bringing them to the base.

Marcel's investigation led to the famous press release about a recovered flying disc, as he handled the debris that sparked the initial Roswell incident announcement. However, the material was later explained officially as a weather balloon.

Years later, Marcel publicly challenged the official story, reigniting interest in the event. He stated that the material was unlike anything he had ever seen and claimed that the weather balloon explanation was a cover story. He gave testimony in the late 1970s to Stanton Friedman.