Within Air Force
The Missing Records Problem in Roswell
GAO found only a small 1947 paper trail and noted destroyed administrative files, giving critics a durable records dispute.
On this page
- The two 1947 records GAO identified
- Destroyed Roswell administrative files
- Why absence is not proof but still matters
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Introduction
The General Accounting Office (GAO, now the Government Accountability Office) became a pivotal player in the Roswell debate because it was asked to determine not whether aliens had crashed in New Mexico, but whether the U.S. government still possessed records that could clarify what happened in 1947. Its 1995 review found remarkably little surviving documentation directly connected to the incident. At the same time, it discovered that key categories of Roswell Army Air Field records had been destroyed, and that the available paperwork did not clearly explain who authorised the destruction or when it occurred. Those findings gave both supporters and critics of the Air Force’s explanation something to point to: a small surviving paper trail on one hand, and a persistent records gap on the other. [GAO]gao.govnsiad 95 187NSIAD-95-187 Government RecordsJul 28, 1995 — In our search for records concerning the Roswell crash, we learned that some government…
The Two 1947 Records GAO Identified
After searching military archives and requesting information from numerous federal agencies, the GAO reported that only two surviving government records from 1947 directly concerned the Roswell incident. [Justia GAO Reports]gao.justia.comGAO Reports Government RecordsJustia GAO ReportsGovernment Records - NSIAD-95-187GAO found that some government records covering activities of the Roswell Army Air Fie…
The first was a July 1947 history prepared by the combined Roswell Army Air Field (RAAF) and 509th Bomb Group. According to the GAO, this history recorded the recovery of a “flying disc” and noted that military authorities later identified the object as a radar-tracking balloon. The second was an FBI teletype dated 8 July 1947 stating that military personnel had recovered an object resembling a high-altitude weather balloon equipped with a radar reflector. [Justia GAO Reports]gao.justia.comGAO Reports Government RecordsJustia GAO ReportsGovernment Records - NSIAD-95-187GAO found that some government records covering activities of the Roswell Army Air Fie…
What made these records important was not merely their content but their scarcity. Roswell had become one of the most famous UFO cases in history, yet the government’s search turned up only a pair of contemporaneous documents directly addressing the event. The GAO further reported that other classified and unclassified records it reviewed—including files from later Air Force UFO investigations—did not contain additional references to a recovered craft or bodies near Roswell. Executive-branch agencies contacted by the GAO likewise produced no hidden cache of Roswell documents. [Justia GAO Reports]gao.justia.comGAO Reports Government RecordsJustia GAO ReportsGovernment Records - NSIAD-95-187GAO found that some government records covering activities of the Roswell Army Air Fie…
For supporters of the Air Force’s Project Mogul explanation, the two surviving records were consistent with a balloon recovery. For critics, the fact that only two documents remained from such a famous event raised questions about what had been lost.
Destroyed Roswell Administrative Files
The most controversial part of the GAO inquiry concerned records that no longer existed.
The audit found that important Roswell Army Air Field administrative records covering the period from March 1945 through December 1949 had been destroyed. Even more significant, outgoing message files covering October 1946 through December 1949 had also been destroyed. These message logs would have recorded communications sent from Roswell to higher headquarters during and after the July 1947 recovery. [UFO Transparency]ufotransparency.com1995 07 28 gao roswell report nsiad 95 187 gao nsiad 95 187 roswell 1995UFO TransparencyResults of a Search for Records Concerning the 1947 Crash…Jul 28, 1995 — The GAO's 1995 audit of federal records relat…
The GAO reported a troubling detail: the document disposition paperwork did not indicate who destroyed the records, when the destruction occurred, or under what authority it was carried out. In other words, investigators could establish that the records were gone but could not fully reconstruct the circumstances of their disappearance. [GAO]gao.govnsiad 95 187NSIAD-95-187 Government RecordsJul 28, 1995 — In our search for records concerning the Roswell crash, we learned that some government…
This finding immediately attracted attention because the missing outgoing messages were precisely the sort of records historians would want to examine. If Roswell officers had been reporting unusual debris, confusion about identification, or instructions from higher command, those communications would likely have appeared in the destroyed files. Representative Steven Schiff, whose inquiry prompted the GAO review, publicly highlighted the significance of the missing message records because they could have revealed how military personnel were describing the event internally at the time. [GeoCities]oocities.orgGeoCitiesThe GAO Roswell ReportJun 5, 2025 —… outgoing messages were permanent records, which should never have been destroyed. The GA…
Why Absence Is Not Proof but Still Matters
The missing records became one of the most durable disputes in the Roswell controversy because they create an evidentiary problem that neither side can fully resolve.
On one hand, the destruction of records is not evidence that those records contained proof of an extraterrestrial crash. Government agencies routinely dispose of records under retention schedules, and the GAO did not conclude that the missing files contained extraordinary information. It also found that there was no requirement in 1947 to prepare an air-accident report for the crash of a weather balloon, a point that aligned with the Air Force’s later argument that the event would not necessarily have generated the same documentation as an aircraft accident. [Justia GAO Reports]gao.justia.comGAO Reports Government RecordsJustia GAO ReportsGovernment Records - NSIAD-95-187GAO found that some government records covering activities of the Roswell Army Air Fie…
On the other hand, the absence of records limits how confidently historians can reconstruct what happened. The Air Force’s later case-closed conclusions depended heavily on surviving documentation linking the debris to Project Mogul. Yet the destruction of Roswell administrative files means that some potentially relevant contemporary evidence can never be examined. Critics therefore argue that certainty is weakened whenever key primary records are unavailable. [GAO]gao.govnsiad 95 187NSIAD-95-187 Government RecordsJul 28, 1995 — In our search for records concerning the Roswell crash, we learned that some government…
This distinction is crucial. Missing documents do not prove a cover-up, but they do create uncertainty. In historical investigations, the inability to inspect potentially relevant records often becomes a story in itself. Roswell is an unusually prominent example because the records gap concerns precisely the period when the incident occurred.
Why the GAO Findings Remain Central
The lasting significance of the GAO review is that it shifted part of the Roswell debate away from witness testimony and toward archival evidence. The inquiry established three points that continue to shape discussion:
- Only a very small number of contemporaneous government records concerning the incident were located. [Justia GAO Reports]gao.justia.comGAO Reports Government RecordsJustia GAO ReportsGovernment Records - NSIAD-95-187GAO found that some government records covering activities of the Roswell Army Air Fie…
- Key Roswell administrative and communications files had been destroyed, and the circumstances of their destruction could not be fully documented. [GAO]gao.govnsiad 95 187NSIAD-95-187 Government RecordsJul 28, 1995 — In our search for records concerning the Roswell crash, we learned that some government…
- The GAO found no hidden body of government records supporting claims of an extraterrestrial recovery. [Justia GAO Reports]gao.justia.comGAO Reports Government RecordsJustia GAO ReportsGovernment Records - NSIAD-95-187GAO found that some government records covering activities of the Roswell Army Air Fie…
As a result, the Roswell records issue remains a classic example of a historical evidence gap. The surviving documents point toward a conventional military explanation, yet the loss of potentially relevant records ensures that arguments about what might once have existed continue to accompany every discussion of the case. [GAO]gao.govnsiad 95 187NSIAD-95-187 Government RecordsJul 28, 1995 — In our search for records concerning the Roswell crash, we learned that some government…
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Endnotes
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Source: gao.gov
Title: nsiad 95 187
Link: https://www.gao.gov/assets/nsiad-95-187.pdfSource snippet
NSIAD-95-187 Government RecordsJul 28, 1995 — In our search for records concerning the Roswell crash, we learned that some government...
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Source: gao.gov
Title: nsiad 95 187
Link: https://www.gao.gov/products/nsiad-95-187Source snippet
Results of a Search for Records Concerning the 1947...Government Records: Results of a Search for Records Concerning the 1947 Crash N...
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Source: gao.justia.com
Title: GAO Reports Government Records
Link: https://gao.justia.com/department-of-defense/1995/7/government-records-nsiad-95-187/Source snippet
Justia GAO ReportsGovernment Records - NSIAD-95-187GAO found that some government records covering activities of the Roswell Army Air Fie...
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Source: archives.gov
Link: https://www.archives.gov/research/military/air-force/ufosSource snippet
Project BLUE BOOK - Unidentified Flying ObjectsThe National Archives has been unable to locate any documentation among the Project BLUE B...
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Source: archives.gov
Link: https://www.archives.gov/records-mgmt/resources/unauthorizeddispositionoffederalrecordsSource snippet
Unauthorized Disposition of Federal RecordsNARA establishes unauthorized disposition case files to track each allegation and any communic...
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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-1995Source snippet
UFO TransparencyResults of a Search for Records Concerning the 1947 Crash...Jul 28, 1995 — The GAO's 1995 audit of federal records relat...
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Source: oocities.org
Link: https://oocities.org/area51/corridor/8148/gao.htmlSource snippet
GeoCitiesThe GAO Roswell ReportJun 5, 2025 —... outgoing messages were permanent records, which should never have been destroyed. The GA...
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Source: sgp.fas.org
Link: https://sgp.fas.org/othergov/roswell.htmlSource snippet
Report on Roswell, NM UFO CrashOn July 8, 1947, the Roswell Army Air Field (RAAF) public information office in Roswell, New Mexico, repor...
Published: July 8, 1947
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Source: [media]({{ ‘media/’ | relative_url }}). defense.gov
Title: AFD 101027 030
Link: https://media.defense.gov/2010/Oct/27/2001330219/-1/-1/0/AFD-101027-030.pdfSource snippet
Air Force: "The Roswell Report: Case Closed"In July 1994, the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force concluded an exhaustive search for...
Published: July 1994
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Source: media.defense.gov
Title: GENERAL ACCOUNTING OFFICE S SCHIFF
Link: https://media.defense.gov/2021/Jul/13/2002761373/-1/-1/0/GENERAL_ACCOUNTING_OFFICE_S_SCHIFF.PDFSource snippet
Records13 Jul 2021 — On July 8, 1947, the Roswell Anny Air Field (RAAF) public information office in Roswell, New Mexico, reported the cr...
Published: July 8, 1947
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Source: govinfo.gov
Title: GA O/NSIAD-95-187
Link: https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-95-187Source snippet
GAO/NSIAD-95-187 - Government Records: Results of a...GAO/NSIAD-95-187 - Government Records: Results of a Search for Records Concerning...
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Source: Wikipedia
Title: Roswell incident
Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roswell_incidentSource snippet
Roswell incidentAfter metallic and rubber debris was recovered by Roswell Army Air Field personnel, the United States Army Air Forces...
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Source: muller.lbl.gov
Title: Roswell Incident
Link: https://muller.lbl.gov/teaching/physics10/Roswell/RoswellIncident.htmlSource snippet
INCIDENT REPORTUSAF records showed that between June 24, 1947, and July 28, 1947, there were five crashes in New Mexico alone, involving...
Published: June 24, 1947
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Source: britannica.com
Title: Roswell incident
Link: https://www.britannica.com/event/Roswell-incidentSource snippet
military initially claimed that the recovered debris near Roswell, New Mexico in June 1947 was from a “flying disc.” A rancher...Read more...
Published: June 1947
Additional References
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Source: af.mil
Link: https://www.af.mil/The-Roswell-Report/ -
Source: dafhistory.af.mil
Link: https://www.dafhistory.af.mil/Portals/16/documents/AFD-101201-038.pdfSource snippet
Roswell ReportThis report represents a joint effort by Col. Richard L. Weaver and 1st Lt. James. McAndrew to address the request made by...
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Source: centerforinquiry.s3.amazonaws.com
Link: https://centerforinquiry.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/29/1995/11/22165051/p22.pdfSource snippet
Field (RAAF) for this period of time were destroyed without proper author- ity.' [...Read more...
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Source: blogs.library.unt.edu
Link: https://blogs.library.unt.edu/sycamore-stacks/2022/07/07/75-years-after-the-roswell-incident-what-have-we-learned/Source snippet
75 Years after the Roswell Incident, What Have We Learned?7 Jul 2022 — The findings of GAO were published in July 1995 in a...
Published: July 1995
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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
Deseret News`UFO' DOCUMENTS DESTROYED UNJUSTIFIABLY...Jul 30, 1995 — Key military documents on the so-called Roswell Incident, cited by...
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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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Source: tampabay.com
Title: documents on roswell ufo missing
Link: https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1995/07/30/documents-on-roswell-ufo-missing/Source snippet
30 Jul 1995 — Key military documents on the so-called Roswell Incident, cited by UFO buffs as an alien crash, were apparently destroyed w...
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Source: youtube.com
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jyvCrvVWNcSource snippet
The Roswell Incident That Shocked the World (S1) | Ancient Aliens...
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Source: nsa.gov
Title: Uploaded On: 7/13
Link: https://www.nsa.gov/Helpful-Links/NSA-FOIA/Declassification-Transparency-Initiatives/FOIA-Reports-and-Releases/FOIA-Reports-and-Releases-List/igphoto/2002761379/Source snippet
Report of Air Force Research Regarding the "Roswell...Schiff, House of Representatives - Government Records - Results of a Search for Re...
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Source: youtube.com
Title: The Roswell Incident That Shocked the World (S1) | Ancient Aliens
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdBu36XkQLwSource snippet
The [Roswell UFO Crash]({{ 'roswell-ufo-crash/' | relative_url }}) (Overview) - Jimmy Akin's Mysterious World...
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