Within Records
What Did the GAO Actually Find?
The 1995 GAO report narrowed Roswell's official paper trail to two recovered 1947 records and a major set of missing base files.
On this page
- The congressional request behind the search
- The two surviving 1947 records
- What the findings did and did not prove
Page outline Jump by section
Introduction
When Congress asked the General Accounting Office (GAO, now the Government Accountability Office) to determine what federal records still existed about the 1947 Roswell incident, the result was far narrower than many people expected. The 1995 GAO report did not uncover secret files proving an extraterrestrial crash, nor did it conclusively settle the controversy. Instead, it produced a specific records-management finding: after an extensive search across military, intelligence, archival and law-enforcement holdings, investigators located only two surviving government records from 1947 that directly referred to the Roswell event, while discovering that key Roswell Army Air Field record series had been destroyed at some point after the fact.[GAO]gao.govNSIAD-95-187 Government RecordsGAONSIAD-95-187 Government RecordsJuly 28, 1995 — 28 Jul 1995 — We reviewed the FBI's FOIA material and identified the July 8, 1947, FBI…
Those findings became one of the most discussed parts of the modern Roswell debate because they transformed the issue from a question solely about witness testimony into a question about documentary evidence, missing archives and government record-keeping.[GAO]gao.govNSIAD-95-187 Government RecordsGAONSIAD-95-187 Government RecordsJuly 28, 1995 — 28 Jul 1995 — We reviewed the FBI's FOIA material and identified the July 8, 1947, FBI…
Why Congress Asked for a Records Search
The inquiry began after Representative Steven Schiff of New Mexico sought answers about why so little official documentation could be found regarding the most famous UFO-related incident in American history. Schiff’s concern was not merely whether a crash had occurred, but whether federal agencies had preserved the records that should have existed if a significant military recovery operation had taken place.[The Washington Post]washingtonpost.comThe Washington PostGAO TURNS TO ALIEN TURF IN PROBE13 Jan 1994 — Schiff said after calling Aspin last March to request a Defense Departme…
The GAO was asked to investigate two practical questions:
- What reporting requirements existed in 1947 for crashes or accidents of the type later associated with Roswell?
- What government records concerning the Roswell incident still existed? GAO
To answer those questions, the GAO reviewed classified and unclassified material, consulted the Department of Defense, FBI, CIA, National Security Council, National Archives and other repositories, and examined records dating from the late 1940s through the 1950s. GAO
The Two Surviving 1947 Records
The most concrete result of the search was the identification of only two contemporaneous government documents originating in 1947 that directly mentioned the Roswell event. FAS Project on Government Secrecy
The 509th Bomb Group–Roswell Army Air Field History
The first document was a July 1947 monthly history prepared by the combined 509th Bomb Group and Roswell Army Air Field. According to the GAO, the report briefly referred to the recovery of a “flying disc” and stated that military officials later determined the object to be a radar-tracking balloon. FAS Project on Government Secrecy
This record was significant because it demonstrated that the famous “flying disc” episode did appear in an official military history produced at the time. At the same time, the document did not describe an extraterrestrial craft, alien bodies or any extraordinary recovery operation. Its wording aligned with the military explanation then on record. FAS Project on Government Secrecy
The FBI Teletype of 8 July 1947
The second document was an FBI teletype dated 8 July 1
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- The message reported information received from military sources concerning an object recovered near Roswell. According to the teletype, the object resembled a high-altitude weather balloon with a radar reflector attached. GAO
The document has attracted particular attention because it was created independently of Air Force channels. The message recorded that military personnel had described the recovered object as balloon-related and indicated that it was being forwarded for examination. The FBI document therefore provided a contemporaneous record of what military officials were saying about the recovery at that moment. GAO
Importantly, the teletype did not describe an alien spacecraft. Instead, it referred to an object associated with a balloon and radar-reflector arrangement. GAO
The Missing Roswell Base Files
The most controversial part of the GAO investigation was not what investigators found but what they could not find.
During its records search, the GAO discovered that major collections of Roswell Army Air Field records had been destroyed. These included administrative records covering March 1945 through December 1949 and outgoing message files covering October 1946 through December 1
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The destruction of these records became a central issue because the missing period includes July 1947, when the Roswell recovery occurred. The disposition documentation reviewed by the GAO did not identify who destroyed the records, when the destruction occurred, or under what authority it was carried out. U.S. Department of War
For supporters of extraterrestrial-crash theories, the absence of these files has often been cited as evidence of a possible cover-up. For sceptics and archivists, the missing records illustrate a more common problem: mid-twentieth-century military records were frequently destroyed under routine records-management practices that would later appear inadequate by modern archival standards. The GAO itself did not conclude that the destruction was connected to a cover-up; it simply reported that the records no longer existed and that the available paperwork could not fully explain their disposal. GAO+2FAS Project on Government Secrecy
What Else the Search Did Not Find
The significance of the GAO report rests partly on the breadth of the search. Investigators did not limit themselves to Roswell base files. They examined numerous other government collections, including classified material, intelligence records and Air Force historical files. GAO
The report stated that other records reviewed—including previously classified documents and broader Air Force studies of unidentified flying objects—did not contain references to a recovered spacecraft or a special Roswell crash investigation. Executive-branch agencies contacted by the GAO likewise produced no additional Roswell records beyond those already identified. Justia GAO Reports
The GAO also reviewed reporting requirements that existed in 1
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- It found that Army Air Forces regulations required air-accident reports for aircraft accidents and that reported New Mexico accidents from July 1947 involved conventional military aircraft occurring after the initial Roswell announcement. Air Force officials further advised that a weather-balloon recovery would not have required an air-accident report under the regulations then in force. Justia GAO Reports+2GAO
What the Findings Did—and Did Not—Prove
The GAO’s findings are often cited by both sides of the Roswell debate because they contain two facts that point in different directions.
On one hand, the investigation confirmed that substantial Roswell Army Air Field record series had disappeared, leaving a documentary gap covering the period in question. That absence means historians cannot examine some of the records that might otherwise have clarified events in July 1
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Further Reading
Books and field guides related to What Did the GAO Actually Find?. Use these as the next step if you want deeper reading beyond the article.
Witness to Roswell
Examines testimony and evidence claims that are often contrasted with the limited documentary findings discussed in the GAO report.
UFO
Strong context for understanding where the GAO Roswell records search fits within the broader history of US government UFO inquiries.
UFO Crash at Roswell
Directly addresses documentary evidence, witness narratives and how Roswell developed into a major historical controversy.
The Roswell Incident
Helped shape modern Roswell interest and provides essential background for why Congress and the GAO later examined surviving records.
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Endnotes
3.
Source: sgp.fas.org
Link:https://sgp.fas.org/othergov/roswell.html
Source snippet
FAS Project on Government SecrecyGAO Report on Roswell, NM UFO CrashOur search for government records concerning the Roswell crash yielde...
5.
Source: vault.fbi.gov
Title: Roswell UFOOn
Link:https://vault.fbi.gov/Roswell%20UFO
Source snippet
UFOOn July 8, 1947, the FBI Dallas Field Office sent a teletype regarding a “flying disc” that resembled a high altitude weather balloon...
Published: July 8, 1947
7.
Source: gao.gov
Link:https://www.gao.gov/
Source snippet
onal watchdog," GAO investigates federal spending and performance...
8.
Source: archives.gov
Title: Project BLUE BOOK
Link:https://www.archives.gov/research/military/air-force/ufos
Source snippet
Unidentified Flying ObjectsThe records include approximately 2 cubic feet of unarranged project or administrative files, 37 cubic feet of...
9.
Source: media.defense.gov
Title: AFD 101027 030
Link:https://media.defense.gov/2010/Oct/27/2001330219/-1/-1/0/AFD-101027-030.pdf
Source snippet
Air Force: "The Roswell Report: [Case Closed]({{ 'case-closed/' | relative_url }})""Roswell Incident." The focus of the GAO probe, initiated at the request of New Mexico Congre...
10.
Source: washingtonpost.com
Link:https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1994/01/14/gao-turns-to-alien-turf-in-probe/a42ab4bd-cd82-4c1c-a88a-3800e10616c4/
Source snippet
The Washington PostGAO TURNS TO ALIEN TURF IN PROBE13 Jan 1994 — Schiff said after calling Aspin last March to request a Defense Departme...
11.
Source: Wikipedia
Title: Roswell incident
Link:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roswell_incident
Source snippet
Roswell incidentAfter metallic and rubber debris was recovered by Roswell Army Air Field personnel, the United States Army Air Forces...
12.
Source: muller.lbl.gov
Title: Roswell Incident
Link:https://muller.lbl.gov/teaching/physics10/Roswell/RoswellIncident.html
Source snippet
INCIDENT REPORTDuring the in-briefing process with GAO, it was learned that this audit was, indeed, generated at the specific request of...
13.
Source: oocities.org
Link:https://oocities.org/area51/corridor/8148/gao.html
Source snippet
The GAO Roswell ReportJun 5, 2025 — DATE: 7-30-95. The following is the complete text of the GAO Report to Congressman Steve Schiff havin...
Additional References
14.
Source: researchgate.net
Link:https://www.researchgate.net/publication/362854511_A_Grounded_Theory_Update_on_the_Roswell_UFO_Incident
Source snippet
A Grounded Theory Update on the Roswell UFO IncidentSomething unquestionably strange fell southeast of the tiny New Mexican town of Coron...
15.
Source: dafhistory.af.mil
Link:https://www.dafhistory.af.mil/Portals/16/documents/AFD-101201-038.pdf
Source snippet
Roswell Report... request made by Representative Steven H. Schiff (R-NM) for information regarding an alleged crash of an unidentified fl...
16.
Source: af.mil
Link:https://www.af.mil/The-Roswell-Report/
17.
Source: ufotransparency.com
Title: 1995 07 28 gao roswell report nsiad 95 187 gao nsiad 95 187 roswell 1995
Link:https://ufotransparency.com/files/1995-07-28-gao-roswell-report-nsiad-95-187-gao-nsiad-95-187-roswell-1995
Source snippet
Results of a Search for Records Concerning the 1947 Crash...28 Jul 1995 — The FBI Dallas teletype of July 8, 1947 described recovery nea...
Published: July 8, 1947
18.
Source: skepticalinquirer.org
Title: The GAO Roswell Report and Congressman Schiff Special Report
Link:https://skepticalinquirer.org/1995/11/the-gao-roswell-report-and-congressman-schiff/
Source snippet
The GAO Roswell Report and Congressman Schiff. Philip J. Klass. From: Volume 19, No. 6 · November / December 1995 · Twitter Facebook.Read...
Published: December 1995
19.
Source: legistorm.com
Link:https://www.legistorm.com/reports/view/gao/25725/Results_of_a_Search_for_Records_Concerning_the_1947_Crash_Near_Roswell_New_Mexico.html
Source snippet
records covering activities of the Roswell Army Air Field had been destroyed. GAO did locate two 1947 records that mentioned the crash--a...
20.
Source: deseret.com
Title: ufo documents destroyed unjustifiably lawmaker says
Link:https://www.deseret.com/1995/7/30/19185015/ufo-documents-destroyed-unjustifiably-lawmaker-says/
Source snippet
`UFO' DOCUMENTS DESTROYED UNJUSTIFIABLY...30 Jul 1995 — The GAO report, released Friday, said that two government documents are the onl...
21.
Source: journals.ala.org
Link:https://journals.ala.org/index.php/dttp/article/view/6568/8762
Source snippet
ala.orgUFO's and Government Disclosure—A Brief Look into...by R Dzakovic · 2017 · Cited by 1 — For example, the document number “GAO-NSI...
22.
Source: latimes.com
Link:https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-01-30-mn-17009-story.html
Source snippet
GAO Investigating Report That Government Covered Up...Jan 30, 1994 — GAO Investigating Report That Government Covered Up '47 UFO Incident...
23.
Source: reddit.com
Link:https://www.reddit.com/r/UFOs/comments/w7s572/what_about_the_roswell_documents_werent_they/
Source snippet
pposed to be automatically declassified due to the statute...
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