On July 8, 1947, the Roswell Army Air Field public information office reported recovery of a flying disc. Press reporting the next day carried the military's explanation that the recovered object was a radar-tracking balloon.

At a congressional request, the U.S. General Accounting Office searched a wide range of classified and unclassified government records. Its July 28, 1995 report identified two records originating in 1947 and reported that other Roswell Army Air Field administrative records and outgoing messages had been destroyed without a complete disposition trail.

The GAO report establishes what its search located and what agencies told the auditors. It does not independently reconstruct the debris or settle every later account attached to Roswell.

Record limits

Current limits on this record.

Current status: Official record trail
Material challenge: The official search was extensive but not complete: some relevant records were missing or destroyed, and the audit did not independently examine the recovered material.
Still open: The complete chain of custody for material recovered in July 1947 · The content of destroyed Roswell Army Air Field administrative records and outgoing messages · How later witness accounts relate to the surviving 1947 documents
Review date: 2026-08-13