Within Records
The Congressman Who Forced the Paper Trail
Representative Steven Schiff turned Roswell from a local UFO dispute into a formal records inquiry across federal agencies.
On this page
- Why Schiff questioned the missing records
- How the GAO inquiry was framed
- What Schiff criticized after the report
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Introduction
Representative Steven H. Schiff of New Mexico played a unique role in the modern history of the Roswell UFO controversy. He did not claim to have solved the case, nor did he lead a congressional investigation into extraterrestrial life. Instead, his significance lay in forcing the federal government to conduct a formal records search. Through persistent inquiries in the early 1990s, Schiff transformed Roswell from a long-running public dispute into an official accountability question: if a major military incident occurred near Roswell in 1947, what records should exist, where were they, and why were some apparently missing? His efforts ultimately triggered investigations by both the General Accounting Office (GAO, now the Government Accountability Office) and the U.S. Air Force, creating the most extensive government paper trail ever assembled on the incident. [U.S. Department of War]media.defense.govU.S. Department of War Government RecordsU.S. Department of WarGovernment RecordsMarch 24, 2018 — 13 Jul 2021 — Schiff: On July 8, 1947, the Roswell Anny Air Field (RAAF) public…(https://media.defense.gov/2021/Jul/13/2002761373/-1/-1/0/GENERAL_ACCOUNTING_OFFICE_S_SCHIFF.PDF)
Why Schiff Questioned the Missing Records
Schiff’s involvement began not as an attempt to prove an alien crash but as a response to complaints from constituents and researchers who argued that official records relating to Roswell were difficult to locate. What particularly troubled him was the apparent absence of documentation that one might expect for an event that had generated national headlines in July 1947.
According to contemporary reporting, Schiff became frustrated after learning that the National Archives held records from Project Blue Book—the Air Force’s later UFO investigation programme—but did not appear to possess comparable Roswell records. He described being repeatedly redirected among agencies without obtaining clear answers, leading him to seek outside assistance from the GAO. [The Washington Post]washingtonpost.comThe Washington PostGAO TURNS TO ALIEN TURF IN PROBE13 Jan 1994 — However, Schiff said, Archives officials told him they did not have the…
The key issue for Schiff was administrative accountability rather than a predetermined conclusion about UFOs. If the military’s explanation was correct, records should help demonstrate that fact. If records were missing, Congress needed to understand why. This approach gave the Roswell debate a governance dimension that had largely been absent from earlier public discussions.
How the GAO Inquiry Was Framed
Schiff asked the GAO to investigate two specific questions:
- What reporting requirements existed in 1947 for incidents comparable to the reported Roswell crash?
- What government records existed concerning the event?
The framing was important. Rather than asking the GAO to determine whether aliens had visited Earth, Schiff requested an audit of government procedures, records retention practices, and documentary evidence. The inquiry therefore focused on whether records should have been created, whether they survived, and whether agencies could account for them. [U.S. Department of War]media.defense.govU.S. Department of War Government RecordsU.S. Department of WarGovernment RecordsMarch 24, 2018 — 13 Jul 2021 — Schiff: On July 8, 1947, the Roswell Anny Air Field (RAAF) public…(https://media.defense.gov/2021/Jul/13/2002761373/-1/-1/0/GENERAL_ACCOUNTING_OFFICE_S_SCHIFF.PDF)
The resulting investigation became unusually broad. GAO investigators searched classified and unclassified records from numerous Department of Defense organisations as well as the FBI, CIA and National Security Council. The inquiry examined documents dating from 1947 through the 1950s and required multiple federal agencies to conduct formal searches of their holdings. [U.S. Department of War]media.defense.govU.S. Department of War Government RecordsU.S. Department of WarGovernment RecordsMarch 24, 2018 — 13 Jul 2021 — Schiff: On July 8, 1947, the Roswell Anny Air Field (RAAF) public…(https://media.defense.gov/2021/Jul/13/2002761373/-1/-1/0/GENERAL_ACCOUNTING_OFFICE_S_SCHIFF.PDF)
Schiff’s request also had a secondary effect: it prompted the Air Force to undertake its own extensive review of historical records. The Air Force’s 1994 Roswell report explicitly traced its involvement to the congressional and GAO inquiries that followed Schiff’s actions. [NSA]nsa.govreport af roswellreport of air force research regarding the21 Jul 1994 — Air Force involvement in the alleged UFO-related incident popularly known as t…
The Mechanism That Forced Agencies to Search
One reason Schiff’s intervention mattered is that it changed the status of Roswell inside government bureaucracy. Prior to his request, Roswell was largely a subject of public speculation, journalism and private research. Once a member of Congress requested a GAO investigation, agencies were required to respond through formal oversight channels.
The GAO report sent to Schiff documented searches across multiple institutions and recorded what was found, what was not found, and what records had been destroyed. Even the CIA conducted a specific search for Roswell-related material after the inquiry raised questions about whether such a search had ever been performed. The agency ultimately reported finding no Roswell crash documents in its databases. [FAS Project on Government Secrecy]sgp.fas.orgFAS Project on Government SecrecyGAO Report on Roswell, NM UFO CrashOn May 30, 1995, the CIA's Executive Director informed us that a sear…
This process created something Roswell had lacked for decades: an official record of the government’s search efforts themselves. Regardless of what one believes about the underlying incident, Schiff ensured that agencies had to state publicly what records existed and what records did not.
What Schiff Criticised After the Report
When the GAO delivered its findings in 1995, Schiff did not present the report as proof of an extraterrestrial event. Instead, he focused on what he considered a troubling records-management problem.
The GAO discovered that important Roswell Army Air Field administrative records and outgoing message files covering periods that included the 1947 incident had been destroyed. The available disposition paperwork did not identify who authorised the destruction, when it occurred, or under what authority it was carried out. [U.S. Department of War]media.defense.govU.S. Department of War Government RecordsU.S. Department of WarGovernment RecordsMarch 24, 2018 — 13 Jul 2021 — Schiff: On July 8, 1947, the Roswell Anny Air Field (RAAF) public…(https://media.defense.gov/2021/Jul/13/2002761373/-1/-1/0/GENERAL_ACCOUNTING_OFFICE_S_SCHIFF.PDF)
Schiff publicly criticised this situation. He argued that documents which could have provided more information about the Roswell event were gone and that the military could not adequately explain their destruction. He also expressed concern that some of the missing materials appeared to have been permanent records that should have been retained. In particular, he noted that outgoing communications from the Roswell base might have revealed how local military personnel reported the incident to higher headquarters. [Deseret News]deseret.comDeseret News`UFO' DOCUMENTS DESTROYED UNJUSTIFIABLY…30 Jul 1995 — Schiff said the GAO estimates the information was destroyed more th…
Importantly, Schiff’s criticism centred on accountability rather than certainty. The missing records did not prove a cover-up, but they prevented investigators from fully reconstructing what information military officials possessed at the time.
Schiff’s Lasting Impact on the Roswell Record
The most enduring consequence of Schiff’s involvement was procedural rather than evidentiary. His efforts compelled the federal government to conduct searches that otherwise might never have occurred. Those searches produced the 1995 GAO report, contributed to the Air Force’s Roswell investigations, documented the destruction of certain records, and established an official chronology of what agencies could and could not locate. [U.S. Department of War+2NSA]media.defense.govU.S. Department of War Government RecordsU.S. Department of WarGovernment RecordsMarch 24, 2018 — 13 Jul 2021 — Schiff: On July 8, 1947, the Roswell Anny Air Field (RAAF) public…
As a result, Schiff occupies a distinctive place in Roswell history. He neither confirmed nor disproved extraordinary claims. Instead, he forced the question into the realm of congressional oversight, records retention, and government accountability. The paper trail that modern researchers examine today exists largely because a congressman insisted that federal agencies explain what happened to the documents. [U.S. Department of War]media.defense.govU.S. Department of War Government RecordsU.S. Department of WarGovernment RecordsMarch 24, 2018 — 13 Jul 2021 — Schiff: On July 8, 1947, the Roswell Anny Air Field (RAAF) public…(https://media.defense.gov/2021/Jul/13/2002761373/-1/-1/0/GENERAL_ACCOUNTING_OFFICE_S_SCHIFF.PDF)
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Endnotes
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Source: [media]({{ ‘media/’ | relative_url }}). defense.gov
Title: U.S. Department of War Government Records
Link: https://media.defense.gov/2021/Jul/13/2002761373/-1/-1/0/GENERAL_ACCOUNTING_OFFICE_S_SCHIFF.PDFSource snippet
U.S. Department of WarGovernment RecordsMarch 24, 2018 — 13 Jul 2021 — Schiff: On July 8, 1947, the Roswell Anny Air Field (RAAF) public...
Published: March 24, 2018
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Source: nsa.gov
Title: report af roswell
Link: https://www.nsa.gov/portals/75/documents/news-features/declassified-documents/ufo/report_af_roswell.pdfSource snippet
report of air force research regarding the21 Jul 1994 — Air Force involvement in the alleged UFO-related incident popularly known as t...
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Source: sgp.fas.org
Link: https://sgp.fas.org/othergov/roswell.htmlSource snippet
FAS Project on Government SecrecyGAO Report on Roswell, NM UFO CrashOn May 30, 1995, the CIA's Executive Director informed us that a sear...
Published: May 30, 1995
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Source: deseret.com
Link: https://www.deseret.com/1995/7/30/19185015/ufo-documents-destroyed-unjustifiably-lawmaker-says/Source snippet
Deseret News`UFO' DOCUMENTS DESTROYED UNJUSTIFIABLY...30 Jul 1995 — Schiff said the GAO estimates the information was destroyed more th...
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Source: media.defense.gov
Title: AFD 101027 030
Link: https://media.defense.gov/2010/Oct/27/2001330219/-1/-1/0/AFD-101027-030.pdfSource snippet
Department of WarU.S. Air Force: "The Roswell Report: [Case Closed]({{ 'case-closed/' | relative_url }})"In July 1994, the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force concluded an...
Published: July 1994
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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 — However, Schiff said, Archives officials told him they did not have the...
Additional References
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Source: dafhistory.af.mil
Link: https://www.dafhistory.af.mil/Portals/16/documents/AFD-101201-038.pdfSource snippet
DAF HistoryThe Roswell ReportThis report represents a joint effort by Col. Richard L. Weaver and 1st Lt. James. McAndrew to address the r...
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Source: facebook.com
Title: geoff cruickshank a former australian intelligence official on what is inside th
Link: https://www.facebook.com/NewsNationNow/posts/geoff-cruickshank-a-former-australian-intelligence-official-on-what-is-inside-th/973701515036866/Source snippet
Air Force released “The Roswell Report: Case Closed.” The 231-page report debunks claims that an alien spacecraft...Read more...
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Source: scribd.com
Title: The Roswell Report Fact vs Fiction in the New Mexico Desert
Link: https://www.scribd.com/document/33094619/The-Roswell-Report-Fact-vs-Fiction-in-the-New-Mexico-DesertSource snippet
Roswell Report: Fact vs. Fiction 1994 | PDFThis report represents an effort to address the request made by Representative Steven H. Schif...
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Source: muller.lbl.gov
Title: Roswell Incident
Link: https://muller.lbl.gov/teaching/physics10/Roswell/RoswellIncident.htmlSource snippet
INCIDENT REPORTAir Force involvement in the alleged UFO-related incident popularly known as the "Roswell Incident" began as the result of...
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Source: youtube.com
Title: The [Roswell UFO Crash]({{ ‘roswell-ufo-crash/’ | relative_url }})
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSoRHwKWRxMSource snippet
Roswell Steven Schiff GAO Congressman Steven Schiff - The Accidental Whistleblower The Future Past...
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Source: youtube.com
Title: Reel America: “The Roswell Reports”
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7rVSri-7esSource snippet
Congressman Steven Schiff Accuses Pentagon of Roswell Cover-Up...
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Source: Wikipedia
Title: Roswell incident
Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roswell_incidentSource snippet
Roswell incidentAfter metallic and rubber [debris]({{ 'debris/' | relative_url }}) was recovered by Roswell Army Air Field personnel, the United States Army Air Forces...
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Source: youtube.com
Title: The Truth about Roswell: Decoding Decades of Deception
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rih9-80p0EcSource snippet
Reel America: "The Roswell Reports" - 1997 U.S. Air Force Film...
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Source: youtube.com
Title: Congressman Steven Schiff
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0-itHJNgbYSource snippet
The Truth about Roswell: Decoding Decades of Deception...
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Source: gutenberg.org
Title: 63659 h
Link: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/63659/63659-h/63659-h.htmSource snippet
The Roswell Report: Case Closed, by James McAndrew—...In July 1994, the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force concluded an exhaustive...
Published: July 1994
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