Guy Hottel

Guy L. Hottel (c. 1902-unknown) was an American FBI special agent. A George Washington University graduate and star football player inducted into its athletic hall of fame, he joined the FBI in 1934. He served as acting head of the Washington Field Office in 1936, special agent in charge from 1937-1941 and 1943-1951, then in the Identification Division. In UAP/UFO context, Hottel authored a March 22, 1950 memo to Director J. Edgar Hoover relaying a third-hand claim of three flying saucers recovered in New Mexico with 3-foot humanoid bodies, described as circular crafts 50 feet in diameter. The FBI made no further investigation, deeming it unsubstantiated. Often mislinked to Roswell (1947), the memo likely stems from the 1948 Aztec hoax by con men Silas Newton and Leo Gebauer. Released via FOIA in the 1970s and viral in 2011 FBI Vault, it is the most-viewed FBI document but proves no UFOs, just a relayed rumor.