we are going to see more and more...
Of these visitors from space.
And that before too long,
The evidence will be incontroversial--
That you will have on your tv screens and on your movie screens...
Concrete evidence that the ships are here and that they are real...
And they're not fantastic things which have been cooked up to make a movie.
we can say that the recent sightings...
Are in no way connected with any secret development...
By any agency of the united states.
There's nothing to hide at all.
The expression ''flying saucers'' is a catchall term...
For unusual lights appearing in the sky.
we've been able to explain them as hoaxes;
As erroneously identified friendly aircraft;
As meteorological or electronic phenomena;
Or as light aberrations.
None of the evidence that l have examined...
would indicate any proof at all...
That we are being visited by extraterrestrials.
There is absolutely no evidence.
we have not been hiding anything.
Personally, i'm convinced that...
There must be many, many higher civilizations...
ln this enormous and incredibly ancient universe of ours.
Doesn't feel like 30 years, does it?
Does to me.
[ woman ] we had some good times under these skies.
Come on, mom.
[ people shouting, indistinct ]
[ chattering ]
Jan! Oh!
Are you gonna be here with-- we'll see each other later.
[jan ] where have you been living?
[ woman ] oh, we're in a small town in louisiana.
No, he's retired now.
[ man ] hey, look, they got us on television!
Turn that thing up, will ya?
[ woman on tv ] former military men have gathered in roswell today...
For the 30th reunion of the army's renowned 509.
- the 509! -dropping the a-bomb is not all the 509 is famous for.
For more than six hours in july of 1947,
The town of roswell was known as the flying saucer capital of the world.
[ laughter ] debris recovered from a crash site in the desert...
was originally identified by army intelligence officer majorjesse marcel...
As being from a flying saucer.
But the party didn't last too long,
Much to the embarrassment of the army and in particular major marcel,
Shown here holding what turned out to be...
A piece of aluminum foil from a weather balloon.
[ booing, hissing ]
l told you this may happen.
l can handle it. [ man ] we heard enough. Turn that thing off.
Lewis?
Jesse. My god! l didn't know you'd be here. l heard you weren't doing well.
Oh, yeah. Just a little something about my chest.
l'm sorry. well, you're here now.
what the hell else counts, huh? how's, uh, vy? yeah.
Oh, she's fine. She's with me. Yeah.
So is my son. He drove us down.
He's a doctor now in montana.
Not bad for an army brat. No.
Lewis, could l talk to you a little bit later?
Yeah. You're gonna be here at the barbecue, right? no, l mean alone.
Let it go, jesse,
For your own sake.
[ man ] welcome back to kjfl, the voice of roswell.
General, you and i were both here in 1947.
Oh, yeah. Let's talk a little bit about U.F.O.S.
Now, the 509th ought to be remembered for all the good things it did,
Not for one dumb, stupid screwup.
Major marcel made a mistake. Big deal. So what?
Shit happens. Satisfied?
-jesse marcel. -when it comes to U.F.O.S,
As far as i'm concerned, it's a big bag of bullshit.
Out of the way! Here l come! The man from outer space! End of story.
- [ balloons popping ] - take me to your leader, 509th!
[ laughter ]
Remember, you said you weren't gonna get back into this.
Seems to me that i never got out of it.
Oh, jesse, you promised.
Vy, l said i'd think about it. That's all l said.
Dad, don't do this. You made a deal.
Did i?
[ door closes ]
Hey, major, not gonna make too good a night for flying, is it?
what are you talking about? i love this kind of weather!
Little more wind, i'll be airborne!
Hey, joe. Looks like a big one coming up.
l wouldn't worry too much. l got all the a-bombs battened down.
[ thunder rumbling ]
[ sighs ] [ pounding ]
[ chuckling ] hi, dad.
what happened to the rabbit hut? l brought them in so they wouldn't get all wet.
Uh-huh. why don't we put them in a box? i did. They jumped out.
l mean a big box. we couldn't find a big box.
Mm-hmm. [ rattling overhead ]
Sounds like something's come loose up on the roof.
Yeah. what do you say we take a peek, huh? yeah.
Come on.
Hey, dad, do soldiers fly in weather like this?
- not if they don't have to. - what if they have to?
- well, they try and fly around it. - what if they can't?
well, if they can't, they just buckle up and they fly straight through.
Really? wow.
[ vy ] jess?
Yeah. l need a hand.
Oh, hey. Let me get this. [ grunting ]
[ thunderclap ]
[ sheep bleating ]
Come on! what the hell's wrong with you?
Come on!
what in the hell--
[ snorting ]
[ phone ringing ]
lntelligence. Marcel.
Uh, yeah, this is deputy pritchard down at the sheriff's office.
Yes, deputy. what can l do for you?
well, sir, the sheriff thinks maybe you should come on down,
'cause, you see, this here local rancherjust brought in a whole lot of--
l don't know what you'd call it,
But he claims it all came down at his place,
And the sheriff thinks it might be something you guys sent up.
Something, you know, top secret.
- like a missile. - uh, right. Like, say, maybe a missile.
Go ahead. Go on, tell him.
But if it ain't,
lt's a flying saucer. That's telling him.
Sir. Major.
You got a second, colonel? what?
ln private?
Listen, the sheriff called. Says a rancher-- [ continues, indistinct ]
Gentlemen.
ls this, uh, sheriff prone to drinking?
Not that l know of.
well, maybe it's, uh, some sort of... Cowboy humor.
Could be. l just figured...
You wanted to, uh, check it out, sir, just in case.
Absolutely. Better safe than sorry.
Yes, sir.
Sherman, it seems something odd crashed nearby.
well, it couldn't have been anything of ours.
l'd have heard about it from the pentagon.
we know that, sherman. You're our pipeline to knowledge.
Come with us.
You and marsha up for some bridge this weekend?
well, l don't know. l'll have to check on it.
lf you know what's good for you. [ chuckles ]
And now, frank joyce with the local news.
well, it's been kind of an interesting day here in roswell.
we have in our studio mac brazel.
Mac, could you tell us exactly what it is you found up there on your ranch.
Yeah, well, i'd say most likely...
lt's something that come from another planet.
Everything out there was real strange,
Like from one of them flyin' saucers.
[ frank ] well, we have been hearing all last month...
About people seeing strange things in the air.
But if you are right, we may have one on the ground.
where'd you say this stuff came down?
A ranch about 60 miles west of here,
Run by a fellow name of brazel.
Any ideas? [ man ] hey, how'd your interview go?
- went pretty good, l guess. - you the fellow, that brought this in?
lt might not be a bad idea if y'all got somebody out there to clean that mess up.
'cause whatever in the hell that is, it's scattered all up and down my place,
Any my damn sheep won't cross through it.
when exactly did you find this stuff?
About three days ago, right after that last storm.
what made you bring it in here?
well, a neighbor of mine said that, uh,
lt might be part of one of them, you know, flyin' saucers we've been hearin' about.
She said there's some newspaper offerin' a $3,000 reward for a piece of it.
And to be honest with you, i could use the money.
Hey, look at this.
whoa.
Yeah, l really like that one.
- mind if we keep some of this stuff? - l reckon not.
l can always get more. You ought to see the damn place.
l'll meet you back at the base. Yes, sir.
l gotta warn you, it's quite a ways out there.
Turning out to be a rather interesting day.
Now, where this thing landed or crashed or whatever...
ls about ten miles south.
l reckon we'll stay here tonight. Come on.
we're staying in here?
what? well, hell no! That's the barn, man.
we're gonna stay at the main house.
Come on.
This here's the biggest piece of it i've found so far.
Hauled it out with my truck.
[ chuckles ] it's as light as a feather.
[ hooting ]
[ crickets chirping ]
Oh, my god.
This thing was big.
Anything? uh-uh.
You know those japanese balloon bombs?
Yeah. Made of rice paper.
About 30 feet in diameter.
They don't come apart when they land unless the bomb goes off.
Then you'd see char marks everywhere.
Right.
was this gouge here before?
Nope.
All right.
Let's just suppose los alamos or white sands...
Launched some ultra-experimental plane, rocket or whatever.
They'd be out looking for it. Maybe they are.
Maybe they can't find it. That's happened.
Sherman, look around you. what do you see?
l mean, what do you see geographically?
This place may be remote by car, but not by plane.
You'd have to be blind not to spot this from the air.
Nobody's found anything because nobody's out looking.
And that means this ain't ours.
Mr. Brazel! Yeah?
You may have just earned yourself 3,000 bucks.
Huh!
[ whispering ] hey. wake up.
Huh? hi. what's up?
There's something downstairs i wanna show you. Okay.
Okay.
All right? not even to your closest friend.
ls it top secret? well, not yet.
You mean you think it's gonna be? yeah, l do.
Dad, you have my word. Okay.
All right.
l want you to tell me what you think this is.
Oh, jess. lt's a mess.
Take a closer look.
where'd you get this?
Someone's ranch.
Hey, is it from a crash?
How do you know about that?
we heard about it on the radio. Everybody's talking about it.
Can l keep this piece?
- please, dad? - sure. why not?
we got lots more of those. Thanks.
Hey, take a look at this one.
Looks like an ordinary piece of tin foil, doesn't it? yeah.
well, if l scratch it--
watch this.
l fold... And l fold...
And, just for good measure, i fold again.
Abracadabra.
How'd it do that?
Beats me.
Hey. Hey, look. There's something written in here. Look.
l think it's egyptian.
l don't think so.
Maybe it's chinese. No.
No, it's not.
Son,
You may be the first person in human history...
Ever to see writing from another world.
Think it could be russian?
Sure hope not.
Did you try a cutting torch? didn't do a thing, sir.
Sir? l want this written up as a press release.
Yes, sir. Uh, excuse me, sir?
- is this ajoke? - no, it's not.
''this flying object landed on a ranch in roswell sometime last week.
''not having phone facilities, the rancher stored the disk until such time...
''when he was able to contact the sheriff's office,
''who in turn notified majorjesse a. Marcel...
Of the 509th palm group intelligence office.''
How come they never even mentioned my name?
Maybe one of the other papers will.
You know we're gettin' calls from hong kong?
How the hell did they find out about it so fast?
l think it went out over radio as well.
The london times. l'm not in.
Sheriff isn't in. Cheerio.
Boys, what do you say we shut down this phone answering business,
Get on out to that ranch, and have a look at this damn thing for ourselves.
Ah, shit!
[ siren wailing ]
Hey, bob, here comes sheriff wilcox. See if he can get us in.
- open the gate. - no, sir.
what do you mean, no? i'm the sheriff of this here county.
- i'll go where l damn well please! - we have our orders.
- whose orders? - colonel blanchard's, sir.
well, this is turning into a regular circus.
Hey, sergeant. Halt. Halt!
ldentification. Are you kidding me?
Sorry, sir. Everyone has to do it.
Colonel blanchard's orders.
[ airplane passing overhead ]
where's that thing goin'?
Hey, sheriff, what do you think?
You know, l don't think i ever told you this, jess,
But l almost got to drop fat man on hiroshima.
You did? yeah.
lf old paul tibbets hadn't been able to go i'd have been in.
[ chuckles ]
l always thought that was my only shot at the history books,
But, uh, now l see it wasn't.
lnteresting how things come around, sort of like fate.
Yeah. [ phone buzzing ]
Yeah. l'll get it. General ramey on the line, sir.
- should i-- - no, that's all right. General.
- what the hell is wrong with you? - pardon?
You know what i'm talking about. what do you think this is, april fools' day?
what kind of a goddamn idiot released this nonsense?
Sir, if l did something wrong, i'm sorry.
But-- you're sorry?
Sir, as far as we can ascertain, not even los alamos was testing anything like this.
Major marcel and i have been checking all morning.
Now, no disrespect intended, sir,
But if you guys know something that we don't, you should've told us!
All right, listen. Do you think it's soviet?
No, we do not think it's russian.
Have you-- sir-- excuse me, sir.
with all due respect, i did inform washington.
l informed general mcmullen-- personally. Personally?
That is correct, sir. when?
Yesterday, as soon as l saw the stuff. ln fact,
At his specific request, sir, i sent him some samples,
And they would've reached washington by, uh, last night.
[ ramey ] l wanna see the material myself. Keep an eye on it.
Yes, sir. l'll send someone right to you.
No, no, no. There's no problem.
we've been bringing it from the site all day.
And l wanna see whoever saw this thing.
[ ramey ] is that clear? yes, sir, l understand.
They wanna see you in ft. worth.
- me? - yeah.
Major marcel. Colonel dubose. Colonel.
welcome to ft. worth. General ramey's waiting.
Thank you.
l want these men off this truck right now!
we gotta get these boxes unloaded, and l mean right now. Let's move it!
l'd say it was right about...
Here, sir.
There's an access road that comes in from the east that, uh--
well, it's not on this map. lt's pretty bad. l can't imagine it would be.
There's a windmill about a hundred yards south of the large gouge...
where the object must've hit.
There's debris scattered everywhere. l've never seen anything like it.
Sir. Major.
we have some reporters coming. we'll show them the debris that the rancher found.
You will keep your mouth shut, and l will field all questions.
ls that understood? yes, sir.
Get the reporters.
l don't understand. what's this? this is what you found.
No. Uh, sir, this is, uh--
well, this is a weather balloon. l mean-- yeah.
This is the, uh-- this is the part that hangs down...
That reflects the radar.
l mean, this is ordinary foil. This is tin foil.
we send these up every day. That may be true, major,
But the fact is...
This is what you found.
And from now on, you're not to talk to anyone about this.
That includes your family. Understood?
Yes, sir.
[ man ] now, this is officer irving newton, weather officer, ft. worth.
Now, tell us, what's your opinion? it's a weather balloon.
l guess what made this one here so confusing...
ls that it has this radar target attached.
Quite frankly, i'm a bit surprised that someone with major marcel's experience...
Didn't recognize it for what it was.
[ ramey ] major marcel, would you hold this for the reporters, please?
lf you would kneel down, l think we could get everything into the same picture.
Thank you.
This just in.
what goes up must come down. Bad news, folks.
Seems our flying saucer is more like an empty teacup.
''according to general ramey, major marcel should have realized...
That what the rancher had found was, in fact, nothing but a weather balloon.''
Talk about having confidence in your army.
Here l was planning on inviting the martians on this show so we could hear their side.
Sure saved me from a lot of embarrassment, i'll tell you.
[ frank chuckling ] mom, what are they talking about?
we held it in our hands. You saw it too.
Hello? hi, son.
Dad. where are you? i can't tell you that.
Just want you and mom to know that i'm fine.
Okay. Um, dad says he's fine. when will you be back?
l don't know. l might have to stay on a day or two.
The cowboy cookout's tomorrow night.
Hey, l know that.
And you better believe i'm gonna try my darndest to be there, all right?
Dad, are you okay?
Yeah.
Put your mother on. l love you, son.
-jess? - hi, hon.
Hi. Are you really okay?
Yeah. Yeah, l really am.
[ vy ] okay, l love you.
Look, i, uh, gotta go.
l love you too.
Bye, hon.
Okay, general ramey, we understand what happened at roswell...
was just some major's mistake, huh? yes.
But now you're saying there are no flying saucers at all?
well, as far as the military is concerned, yes.
That is correct. That is my information.
But people have reported seeing 'em all over the country. How do you explain that?
well, when you actually examine this, it turns out to be not quite true.
See, they've been reported in every state except one-- kansas.
Kansas is a dry state. They still have prohibition.
l think that drinking may have had a little something...
To do with this... ''phenomenon.''
Sherman?
uh, lewis?
would you mind leaving us for a moment?
what do you have to say to me you can't say in front of him?
well, i'd feel happier if he weren't here. well, l wouldn't.
No, l think l will step outside.
Thanks.
-what the hell's all this about? - l wanna see your report.
what report? on what we saw at the ranch.
On what's been happening around here since i've been gone.
'cause l saw planes coming into ft. worth carrying boxes l know came from here.
And somehow, l don't think it's laundry they're unloading.
So if i'm the fall guy on this, i wanna know what i'm the fall guy for.
Then i'll be a good soldier.
Let me see your report, sherman.
l don't know what you're talking about.
The hell you don't.
Let me put it this way. lf there were such a report,
lt would almost certainly be classified by now,
Andyouwould not be authorized to see it. Sherman!
[ sighs ] i can't do it.
l outrank you, and this is an order!
lt doesn't matter that you outrank me.
l'm not answerable to you on this, jess.
l make my reports to the pentagon directly.
That is my mandate.
we won a war by keeping our mouths shut.
lf you have a problem with that, i suggest you take it up with washington.
l'm not allowed to talk about it, and i'm sorry. But--
lf they say it's a weather balloon, son, it's a weather balloon.
- but do you believe it? - that's not the issue!
- but dad-- - honey, don't ask your father any more questions.
Son, i'm gonna need that piece back...
l gave to you.
They'd asked if l kept any pieces. why?
l am not in a position to ask those sorts of questions, all right?
l have been ordered not to discuss it, and a soldier obeys orders.
That is the first thing you'll learn when you go into the military.
l'm not going to be a soldier.
where'd you put the piece?
lt's in my room.
Come on.
# stare up to the stars #
# asking why is it real #
# all eyes #
# but this, l know #
# my love can grow #
#for still #
# i'm here #
Frank joyce. My god. How are you?
So l heard wrong. So you haven't given up. well--
Frankly, i'd have thought you knew more about all of this than l ever did.
l probably do.
But there's a few things missing, like what happened here at the base...
when l was off in ft. worth is what i'd like to know.
why? because l don't wanna go down in the history books...
As some damn jackass that made a ridiculous mistake.
Hell, l know what a weather balloon looks like. Everyone does.
Frank, i've been living with this thing for so long,
Just building up inside of me, you know.
Do you mind? mmm.
And unfortunately, in my case, anyway,
lf it doesn't come out soon, it's not gonna come out at all.
[ coughs ] maybe you shouldn't have that.
lt's too late for me.
l'm thinking of telling what l know.
Telling? who?
Newspapers. Maybe you.
l don't know. l'm not sure yet.
why don't we go outside?
Judd roberts, he was my station manager.
He and i, we never really believed that balloon story.
But, you know, you gotta be careful with this stuff.
Real careful.
[ frank ] ''according to general ramey,
what may have confused them all was a radar tracking device suspended underneath it.''
well, so much for the little green men.
And now, it's back to music.
## [ country ]
You don't believe it?
Frank, if it's a weather balloon,
Tell me how come brazel's ranch was all cordoned off when we got there.
And if it was a weather balloon,
How could marcel not recognize it when the damn things are sent up...
By the 509 twice a day from that rooftop across the street?
l mean, you just look up. There they are.
Balloons. [ chuckles ]
They come down in my place, your place, everybody's place.
Even my dog's recognized the damn things by now.
l think we should go find that rancher.
Let's do it.
Over there. lsn't that him?
Hey, mac? mac?
Yeah? can we talk to you?
what do y'all need? have you seen this?
what?
''it's a weather--'' weather balloon? [ vehicle approaching ]
That's a bunch of horse shit. [ brakes squeaking ]
''a hair ass rancher--'' that's ''harassed.''
That's horse shit too. l'll tell you what this is about.
Are you mac brazel? yeah.
You're coming with me. l'm what? hey!
[ all shouting ]
Let's go! Get in! Let's go!
[ mac shouting ]
Hey, what are you--
[ frank ] now, what l heard was that they took him to the base...
And grilled him for three days.
[ mac ] i'm gonna tell you something, and y'all better listen to me.
You don't got no right doin' this. You hear me?
l'm a private goddamn citizen. You understand me?
l'll tell you something else. l'm gonna write my congressman.
You bet your sweet ass i'm gonna write my congressman.
l don't know what the hell this country's going to. Mr. Brayzel--
lt's brazel! Goddamn it! You don't even know my goddamn name!
we were talkin' before about what it means to be a patriot.
You don't know what that means, mister. You better read the bill of rights.
where does it say anything in the bill of rights...
About kidnapping private citizens off the street?
why don't you show me that amendment. Show me that page number, man!
when national security's at stake, rules don't mean a thing.
Goddamn it! l don't wanna hear that shit anymore either!
Christ! You think i'm some kind of fool just 'cause l wear a cowboy hat?
l know what l saw. l held it in my goddamn hands!
They said the material was a weather balloon.
well, how in the hell does a weather balloon affect our national security?
Huh?
Maybe i'm just stupider than l think i am. Now, l don't get this.
l mean, unless y'all are expectin' some sort of surprise balloon attack.
Look, there's just two possibilities here.
Either that damn thing is a flyin' saucer, or it ain't.
And if it is, well, i'm owed $3,000.
And if it ain't, then it's real simple. l ain't owed nothin'.
lf you get my drift.
[ frank ] now, you say this is completely authorized? [ mac ] oh, yeah.
Yeah, it's completely authorized.
l-i think it's time we set the record straight.
l reckon l knew all along that that stuff out there wasn't from outer space.
And after all them stories come out about it--
[ frank ] then he just out and out recants.
Says his conscience has been bothering him a lot,
So he figured he'd better tell everyone what really went on out there.
Then maybe he wouldn't feel so bad.
You found this a half month earlier?
Yeah, thereabouts.
lt just laid out there for a while. l didn't think nothin' of it,
Till l started hearin' all them stories about flyin' disks.
Then some neighbors stopped by my place one afternoon.
They said something about somebody offerin' a reward for pieces of disk or whatever.
l figured, what the hell, i'd give it a shot.
But the debris. well, yeah. l mean, that was just...
Tin foil and scotch tape and balsa wood, l guess.
Hell, l never thought it'd cause this kind of hullabaloo.
Thanks, mac.
Off the record, what's the truth?
The truth? [ chuckles ]
l'll tell you the truth.
You know how sometimes folks, they talk about little green men?
well, they ain't green.
where in the hell did he get the money for that? l don't know.
## [ continues ]
Do you think they bribed him? i don't know.
l'm not sure l wanna know. Yeah.
Listen, thanks. l appreciate it.
Hey, tread easy. lt's not a game.
Scotch and soda. Make that two.
what do you want? l wanna know what was in that report.
lt's been 30 years, sherman. l think you can tell me now.
what report? july, 1947.
First off, l wasn't even here during that whole time.
what are you-- according to base, i was on leave.
No, we went up to that ranch together.
lf you believe that, l can only tell you that your recollection is faulty,
Because l wasn't here at the time, all right?
well, no, it's not all right! Dance time, dear.
Excuse us, won't you?
[ man ] be with you in a second, sir.
This isn't good for you.
Really, jess. l know.
lt's gonna lead to nothing but more pain.
l mean, if you don't care about your health, why should i?
Still play any golf, jess?
l haven't for years. lt's bad for his emphysema.
what do you think they have golf carts for?
Didn't bring my clubs.
You'll rent some.
[ grunts ] and carson actually denied being here?
Said he was away on leave.
[ scoffs ] why are you really doing this, jesse?
l'm tired of living a lie, lewis. Oh, come on.
How long you been married? you never lied? your wife never lied?
lf it weren't for lies, we'd never get through. [ coughs ]
They used me. They also promoted you, jess.
we all know that, man.
You were a good soldier. l think you ought to stay that way.
l don't want to go to my grave not knowin'.
l have a right to know. l think we all do.
This is dangerous.
Tell anybody l said any of this, i'll deny it.
You understand?
First of all, carson was there. l know this because he took me to the sight with him.
Said he wanted another set of eyes on this.
Guess you'd been sent off to ft. worth.
Looks like half the town is here.
Now, the reason that i'm not telling you anything is that...
l want your honest, untarnished response.
And l don't care how farfetched or foolish it is.
Fine.
[ plane passing overhead ]
what do you think made that gouge?
we figure that's where it hit the ground.
But to me, the most puzzling feature is...
we were unable to locate any rivets.
l mean, how in the hell was that thing held together?
There aren't even any seams.
And as if that weren't weird enough,
There seems to be no engine, no moving parts.
l mean, how did that thing fly?
Maybe the engine's somewheres else.
Maybe this is just a part of it.
This doesn't even feel like metal.
More like skin.
This was where? about two and a half miles east of here.
Over here!
Uh, just you, mr. Carson.
wait here.
[ man ] over here. Check it out.
So what did you find?
Nothing.
Nothing?
By the way, you weren't here today.
That's what l figured.
was l with you?
Not sure yet. But, uh,
l'll let you know.
[jesse ] so you never saw the second site?
No.
Stanton and harris-- you know them?
No.
They're both here. They may have been at the second site.
Really? what'd they see? ask them.
Come on, lewis. l can't tell you anything more.
The army's worked very hard to bury this.
They want to keep it that way.
[ chattering ] [ laughing ]
Excuse me, fellas. ls one of you named stanton?
- yeah. - could l talk to you?
Hey. [ chuckles ]
He looks a little different from his picture.
Hell, he's a lot older.
l think you, uh, want to talk to him too.
- really? - he flew the spotter plane.
Yeah. l flew the one that found the second site.
- you mind if l join you? - no, not at all.
[ stanton ] go ahead.
l don't give a damn. l'll tell anyone. l mean it.
l was flying pan am, right?
And l spot this long, shiny thing like a... Cigar tube.
Bigger than my plane. Practically runs into me.
So l report it, like i'm supposed to.
By the book. l fill out a mountain of papers.
They can me. Fired.
Said l was unfit.
''fine,'' l says. ''give me the lie detector test.''
''out,'' they says.
That's what you get when you tell the truth, so fuck 'em, screw 'em.
About the second site?
The second site, yeah.
we were checking the area around the first site,
The evidence of other debris and things like that.
Suddenly l saw something kind of, well, glittering.
l couldn't tell what it was because of the sun's position,
So l took her down for a closer look.
lt was a cylindrical object i'd say 30 feet in length.
Oh, no. lt was larger, round.
well, maybe not cylindrical. Circular.
Yeah. But it was dome-shaped, definitely. Absolutely dome-shaped.
lt was not dome-shaped.
All right. Maybe ''domed'' is the wrong word. lt was kind of like an egg.
[ airplane engine roaring ]
Yeah. l'm there.
How the hell did he ever get his pilot's license?
Hey! Hey!
l saw it.
And l saw the bodies too.
Bodies?
Five or six of 'em.
- there weren't that many. -all right. All right.
l was flying fast. l didn't really have time to count.
But l definitely saw three bodies. Maybe four.
The main point is, there were bodies.
Yeah. Of monkeys.
Rhesus monkeys. Chimpanzees. Something like that.
And what they're in is some kind of experimental rocket, like an a-9.
And what happened was,
lt exploded, went off-range, and that's why it was all hushed up.
l don't know who you are, but you don't know what the hell you're talking about.
Really? l don't know what about? have you guys listened to yourselves?
Hey, l know what a monkey looks like. lt's not what l saw.
From where? a hundred feet flying by? whiz-bang?
That was a monkey with all of its hair singed off,
His head swollen up like a melon from decompression.
No eyes. They were popped out, leaving nothing but these black holes.
That thing was like no monkey you ever saw.
l've seen 'em.
The government didn't launch monkeys till '52. Yeah?
How do you know?
[ man ] you saw the bodies. You think they were monkeys?
[ stanton ] l didn't see any bodies. l smelled 'em.
-come on. - i'm telling you what i know. Brown saw the bodies.
Brown?
Melvin brown. Sergeant melvin brown, my buddy. Now deceased.
Him and me, we were supposed to guard...
whatever these-- you know-- on the way back to the base.
So, what do you think's under there?
They told us not to look.
l'm not saying ''look.'' i'm saying ''think.''
l don't know.
whatever it is, l don't think the ice is doing the job.
Hey, keep your head tilted this way. lt's not so bad.
lt wasn't like an order. what?
Not to look. l thought they said ''please.''
whoever says ''please'' around here?
[ stanton ] he was yakkin' on about look, don't look.
l mean, l was curious too. But orders are orders.
You gonna tell if l do?
Only if i'm asked.
Tell you what. why don't you just face in that direction...
And then you won't know if l looked or not.
Maybe l did and maybe l didn't.
All right.
Did he ever tell you what it was he saw?
He was too upset to talk about it.
well, l saw the coffins.
we didn't know what we were building back then,
But they told us they were just boxes, you know?
But, hey, there were...
Four little boxes...
And one big one.
[ man ] bring it on in!
[ people chattering, indistinct ]
[ man ] atten-shun!
They told us not to look--just turn around and walk away.
So you never saw what was in the ambulance?
Right. Did you smell anything?
Come on! No, l didn't smell anything.
They were probably in body bags by then.
You know who might have seen 'em?
The mortician over at corona. what's his name?
Paul davis? uh, david paulous-- something like that.
l think.
[ doorbell rings ]
Are you the one that called? yeah.
Do you really think they'll come after you?
They said they would.
Hey, these guys were not kidding, all right?
l mean, they even came in and picked up the press release, the one you guys sent out.
From the radio station, from the newspaper, they just came in, picked it up...
ln and out, no more paper trail.
Total denial.
That rancher was threatened. The sheriff was threatened.
l knew these people, and they threatened me.
- that was 30 years ago. - yeah, well, maybe i'll just wait 30 more.
well, l don't have 30 years.
l probably don't have two.
Now, i'm asking, man to man.
well, if it's any help to you, l know that that weather balloon thing was a lie.
l know that. That's not what i'm here for.
Look, l just don't want to get involved in this, all right?
l mean, as far as i'm concerned, it never goddamn happened.
Now, have you got it? please.
[ coughing ] please.
Aw, hell.
Nobody's gonna believe it anyway.
[ sighs ]
l was working late on this fella.
l usually don't work at night, but the phone rings.
[ ringing ]
Funeral home. lt's some captain from the base.
Yes, captain, we carry those.
How many?
well, now, gee, that sure is an awful lot.
Hold on and let me go see.
l checked to see how many small caskets we have.
l'm afraid l only have one in stock.
But now, l could order more, of course.
Now he asks something strange.
Can they be what?
Hermetically sealed?
well, uh, i-i guess they could.
But frankly we don't have too much call for that around here.
Folks are generally pretty satisfied if these things just close.
And then he says he wants them tonight.
Tonight? uh, no, sir.
The soonest that l could possibly have them for you...
would be day after tomorrow.
So he asks how he can preserve the bodies now.
well, uh, in that case,
l would say dry ice.
Captain, how did these kids die?
l decided to go to the base myself,
See if l could help.
Hi, david. Go ahead.
My girlfriend worked there as a nurse,
And l figured she would know what was what.
But as l drove on,
l saw that the base was swarming with activity--
Night lights and nonmilitary guys in dark suits.
lt was like the whole place was on...
Some kind of an alert.
Has there been some kind of an accident?
Not that l know of.
Oh, i'm sorry.
Um, i-i gather some kids were killed.
At least, that's what l understand. l wouldn't know about that.
what the hell are you doin' here?
Oh, i'm a local mortician. l was called by captain-- some captain.
Oh? okay.
Janet.
what's happening here?
what are you doing here? l was just-- i just thought that--
Get out. l'm telling you, get out of here.
l mean it! Hey, you!
what are you doing? you don't belong here.
wait a minute! Let me go!
what the hell is this?
Let me go. l can walk.
l was told there'd been an accident. You heard wrong!
But l was called-- l said, you heard wrong.
You don't have to be so damn nasty.
l called janet, but she didn't want to talk.
She said she might meet me when she got off work.
Hi. Hi.
May l take your order? um, uh, the same.
Okay.
So what was going on back there?
You must never tell anyone...
what i'm about to say.
l want you to promise.
Janet-- promise me.
Promise.
Okay, okay, l promise.
Terrible things could happen to me if they found--
David, the base is crawling with hotshots. who?
l don't know. These guys have been coming in from washington by the planeload.
Thank you. You're welcome.
So?
That's not all l saw.
l saw the bodies.
what bodies?
They were--
They were fetus-shaped. They were s--
They had these--
They weren't human, david.
l walked in while they were performing their autopsies.
God, the stench.
People with their hands over their noses.
Men i'd never seen before, they were taking all these pictures of these...
Bodies.
Janet--
-janet-- -[ match striking repeatedly ]
Janet, it's gonna be okay.
l'm fine.
You okay? mm-hmm.
Can l keep this? uh-uh.
where's janet now?
She died in a plane crash.
At least, that's what they said.
[ tearing paper ]
No, he's not here right now. l've told you that. who is this, please?
[ door closes ] jess, where were you?
who is this? jess, i'm scared.
why don't you just tell me who this is, okay?
Yes, hello?
[ man ] l know what you're trying to do.
You should look in to the case of gary ward.
He committed suicide six months ago.
Or was it a car accident? [ click, dial tone ]
Great. Now, do you see where this is getting you?
This is happening because i'm getting closer to it. Sit down.
You're close to nothing. Face it, dad.
You're never gonna find what you're looking for.
You just want an answer, like there's proof out there of god or an afterlife.
U.F.O.S-- it's all the same thing. Something to hang on to when nothing makes sense.
This is fantasy to make you feel better in the night.
lt's the truth, and you know it. Or you used to know it.
You were there, son, in the kitchen with me.
You saw what l saw. You held it in your hands.
lf you choose to run away from that, that's up to you. l'll do this alone.
- please do it alone. - stop it. - no, l will not.
- look what you're doing to us! - look whatthey'redoing to us.
[ scoffs ]
l want you to know something. l really admire you...
For what you're doing.
Excuse me. Major?
Uh, could we talk?
So you saw the bodies? no, sir. But, uh, we know people who did.
One of them was on the medical staff and the other was, uh,
Helping recover the bodies from the crash scene.
what did they look like? one guy says that they were-- they were...
Like real humans with real smooth skin.
That was the guy from the crash site. Right, but the other one--
He was from the autopsy room, and he insists that they were really small, like children.
But much frailer, and they had sort of scaly skin.
Like a reptile, sort of. And their heads were shaped sort of like eggs.
No, no, like a pear. Like an upside-down pear.
A little more like eggs. No.
were these guys making this up? uh-uh. No way. Neither of them.
we know these guys. They were really scared.
Look, l was shot down overjapan, okay?
l know what scared looks like. lt was nothing compared to the look on these guys' faces.
Captain henry enicht, who left us...
One rainy morning in august of 1969,
And lt. Colonel everett pryor,
who passed away one year ago today.
You will all be sorely missed.
Bugler, please.
## [ ''taps'' ]
Excuse me, please.
l wonder if l could talk to you privately for a few minutes.
[ indistinct ] ## [ continues ]
There's nothing to be afraid of. Come on inside.
we hear you're thinking about talking.
That could be very risky.
l've been tracking this story, and l know the chances you're taking.
who are you? some people call me townsend.
My name's not important. l've been on the same search that you have.
But l think l may have gone much deeper.
l don't know if i believe it all, but...
This is what i found out.
Supposedly, four tiny bodies were recovered from the crash, right?
Right.
[ townsend ] well, they did bring them back here to the base.
Eyes: almond shaped.
No discernible auditory lobes.
Skin texture: slightly scaly,
Almost reptilian.
Stretchable, somewhat elastic,
Over what feels like...
Smooth muscle.
ln skeletal tissues, no striated muscle discernible.
ln the thoracic area, also no striated muscle.
Mouth would seem to be a wrinkle-tight fold.
A colorless liquid present in the body.
Doesn't seem to be what we call blood.
Uh, seems to have...
No digestive system.
No gastrointestinal tract.
There's no rectal area.
No reproductive organs.
No genitalia.
No teeth.
The mouth opens to a cavity about two inches deep-- hey!
This one just moved!
He was alive?
ltwas alive.
This information went straight to the president, and his response...
was to form a top-secret commission to deal with it.
Under what agency will we be operating?
None. we will have complete control.
Morning, mr. Secretary. Good morning.
And our mandate, exactly?
To investigate the event and all of its, uh,
lmplications-- the technology.
And any other such events, should they occur.
But most of all, to safeguard the public interest.
That's why this information has to be so carefully controlled.
Think of our religious institutions. l mean,
lf this were all to just come out, what are people going to believe in?
Not to mention the effect on our social and our political institutions.
Even the military?
Especially the military.
l mean, what the hell are we dealing with here?
ls it friendly? is it hostile? maybe it's neither.
Maybe they're just studying us the way we study insects.
well, the point is, there could be panic if this all came out.
we're supposed to ensure domestic tranquility, not eliminate it.
l mean, what-- what if people think that we are not in control of the skies?
They'd be right.
what about leaks? someone's bound to say something.
well, as long as we control the way the information is released,
Leaks shouldn't necessarily hurt us.
ln fact, mingled with a little well placed disinformation, they should help.
Hoaxes. Oh, yes. Certainly.
And also accurate information released...
From less-than-reputable sources.
That's not such a bad technique either.
- recruit a group of crackpots? - exactly.
Gentlemen, if you'd open the folders in front of you.
As you can see, under magnification...
The creature's skin appears to be, uh, mesh-like.
- rather like that of a lizard. - has there been any communication?
From? it, to us.
Uh, not sure. Possibly.
we believe that it may use some form of, uh,
Thought projection.
At least, that's what the men who've been close to it seem to think.
- how long do we keep this to ourselves? - well, there's no telling.
we will determine that. why?
l think mankind has the right to know about something as significant as this.
well, yes. Of course.
we don't intend to keep this under wraps forever.
Right.
Okay. Good. Fine.
So what they decided to do was build some secret bases...
Out in the middle of the desert to study all this.
But secretary forrestal demanded that he see for himself...
what was going on out there.
[ water dripping ]
[ buzzer sounds ]
ln here, gentlemen.
How are you doing today?
Oh, uh, let me check, and i'll see what i can do, okay?
[ machine beeping ]
He knows you're here. l thought this was mirrored.
lt is.
[ gasping ] jesus! what's the matter, james?
Oh! More of them are coming.
-what do you mean? - different ones.
Not like him.
Many different races,
Different species.
They're coming!
[ gasping ] are you okay?
Yeah. Yeah, i'm all right.
[ beeping intensifies ] oh, my god.
Oh, shit. No, no, no, no, no, no!
Something's happening here. Norman, we're losing him!
Check the cardiogram for arrhythmia. Get an endo tube, stat!
Communicate. Tell me what to do!
Please, what can we do for you?
[ steady beep ]
Oh, god!
So where's the body? the one that died?
Have you seen it? no.
l have seen photographs.
Photographs can be faked. That's true.
But the people whose word i've come to rely on insist they were not.
what's more, they maintain that secretary forrestal was correct...
when he said he somehow sensed that more of them would be coming.
And they say further contact did, in fact, take place.
Now, if that's true, what happened here is merely the tip of the iceberg.
Thank you all for coming, ladies and gentlemen.
l hope we all meet again soon.
[ indistinct ]
The most talked-about incident is said to have occurred...
At holloman air force base in 1964.
l wasn't there personally, but i'm given to understand...
That a disc actually landed by intention.
And then an exchange with alien life forms occurred.
You know the movie-- close encounters?
Yeah. lt was based on that incident.
But they may not have gotten it quite right.
You see, physicists now speculate...
That it's unlikely these things fly vast distances from other solar systems,
But that they come from a place that's much closer and farther away.
You see, there may not be just one universe.
Did you know that mathematicians now theorize...
That there could be ''multi-verses''--
Other dimensions that coexist with our own,
And that these beings have the technology to somehow just slip in and out.
Another alien visitor claimed...
That his race had been looking in on us for centuries,
And that they had, in fact, influenced the course of human history...
ln some rather critical and startling ways.
This visitor somehow displayed...
The way aliens have been genetically altering the development of our dna...
From our very beginnings, and that they had inspired our greatest spiritual leaders.
You're telling me that the missing link...
Could be the result of alien genetics?
l believe this information is correct.
But who could really say for certain?
Ma, did you see where dad went?
No, l didn't.
well, okay. Let's not worry about it.
l'm not worried about it. Not anymore.
Do you see what's happened?
No.
There's a man that you and l used to know when you were a boy,
The soldier that was your dad.
He's back.
Over the years, there must be... People like me,
People who've wanted to talk about what they know.
l'm sure there were some.
But then it's all so hard to believe, isn't it?
l think that secretary forrestal tried, or may have. l'm not sure.
while he was at bethesda, he was working on a diary...
That was said to contain an account of his experiences with alien life forms...
And proof that the government was trying to keep all this information covered up.
Apparently, he checked into the hospital for over-exhaustion and stress.
l'm sure that you personally can sympathize...
with how difficult it would have been for him to reveal...
All these secrets.
[ chattering, indistinct ]
lf secretary forrestal left any kind of note, it was never found.
And his diaries are still classified.
Since then, things have gotten even more bizarre.
Planes vanishing, cattle mutilations, human abductions.
And then there are the stories of area 51.
what is area 51?
That's where people swear they've actually seen recovered alien craft,
And that we're working with it right now.
[ man ] how long have we had this, colonel?
That depends on who you talk to.
The top part is antigravitational.
ls this all true?
well, that's a good question.
One must proceed cautiously here, on guard against one's desire...
To want it to be true or want it not to be true.
One must be, as much as possible, neutral.
well, how can you be neutral?
A thing is either true or it's not. There is no middle ground.
All right, all right.
[ sighs ] then none of it is true.
- none of it? - well, maybe some of it.
Ugh! Now you're playing with me.
why are you playing with me?
Because maybe you wouldn't even know what was true...
lf you'd seen it all for yourself.
How's that for an answer? then what did l see out there in that field?
Oh, that.
why, that was a weather balloon.
Hah! No, it wasn't.
l know what l saw, and it was not from this world.
Don't you understand, jesse? you have nothing.
Just a lot of old memories and secondhand recollections.
Nobody is going to take you seriously.
Not without proof.
Not without hard evidence.
But please, feel free to tell anybody...
Anything that i've said here this afternoon.
Because maybe it really is true. And the public has a right to know, don't they?