How it all began in Roswell can be found here: >>>The Beginning<<<
But what happened at Fort Worth Army Airfield (FWAAF) shortly before the press conference?
FWAAF – Fort Worth Army Airfield, Texas (1947)
Through witness statements, assumptions, and conclusions, this time period can now be reconstructed quite well.
MAJOR GENERAL CLEMENTS McMULLEN
General McMullen, who had commanded the 8th Air Force in Fort Worth just seven months earlier and was succeeded by Roger Ramey, called DuBose at Fort Worth Army Air Field. He explained what had occurred earlier and informed him that the debris found in Roswell was on its way to them.
The recovered parts would be transported with a B-29. McMullen was now the Deputy Commander of the Strategic Air Command (SAC), with headquarters at Andrews Field, Maryland.
McMullen ordered DuBose over the phone:
Go to the aircraft, see what it is, and call me.
In the early afternoon of July 8, 1947, there was growing anticipation for the arrival of the aircraft coming from Roswell Army Air Field.
W.D. Smith Commercial Photography, Inc. Collection,
University of Texas at Arlington Libraries.
Airplanes – B-29 in flight. (1951). Retrieved from library.uta.edu/digitalgallery/img/20096386
The aircraft in question was a B-29.
The Boeing B-29 Superfortress was a long-range bomber developed by the U.S. manufacturer Boeing Airplane Company in the 1940s. It was the largest and most powerful bomber of World War II and remained in service during the early phase of the Cold War.
Colonel DuBose received the report that the aircraft had just landed.
Plane to tower communication – Fort Worth 1947
Illustration / B-29 and canvas bag
At the time of the Roswell incident, Thomas Jefferson DuBose was the chief of staff to General Roger M. Ramey, commander of the Eighth Army Air Corps, headquartered in Fort Worth.
THOMAS JEFFERSON DuBOSE
He walked toward the aircraft on the tarmac. Meanwhile, the pilot was already stepping out.
Illustration / Pilot
Both saluted, and the pilot said to DuBose:
This is the material collected outside of Roswell, and Colonel Blanchard (from the RAAF) said I must deliver it to General Ramey.
DuBose responded with an “Ok” and took possession of the large canvas bag, which was secured with a lock. The pilot also handed him the corresponding key.
It remains uncertain whether Jesse Marcel, who had collected the debris, was also aboard the aircraft at that time or landed shortly afterward on a different plane.
DuBose himself could not recall whether Jesse Marcel was on the same plane or arrived later in a smaller aircraft. Robert R. Porter, the B-29 flight engineer who flew from Roswell to Fort Worth, stated: “The people on board included Major Jesse Marcel.“
It is possible that he stepped out of the B-29 a few minutes later.
DuBose immediately brought the bag to General Ramey’s office and placed it near the desk. Ramey entered the office, and both took a quick look inside the canvas bag. When Ramey realized it contained many small fragments, he called in an assistant to lay out the included brown paper tarp on the office floor. It’s possible the bag also contained shoebox-sized boxes with several additional pieces. The carpet was still relatively new, as it had been replaced only recently.
To protect it from the small debris, the tarp or wrapping paper was laid out before the press conference.
This is supported by a statement from Thomas Jefferson DuBose:
I wouldn’t swear that it was placed there – but I believe it was placed there to prevent things from messing up the carpet.
Another statement from DuBose regarding the paper tarp:
Well, this brown paper, I won’t make a sworn statement about it; it might have been delivered with the debris. Maybe it was in the bag.*
*) Both scenarios are likely true. This aligns with the statement by Robert R. Porter, who flew in the B-29 from Roswell to Fort Worth.
Robert R. Porter: “I was involved in loading the “B29” with the material, which was wrapped in packages with wrapping paper. One of the pieces was triangle-shaped, about 2 1/2 feet across the bottom. The rest were in small packages, about the size of a shoe box, The brown paper was held with tape. The material was extremely lightweight. When I picked it up, it was just like picking up an empty package.“
After the brown paper was laid out, they emptied the canvas bag and placed everything on the floor. Everything was then ready for the scheduled press conference in the late afternoon, for which the press had already been informed.
Ramey might have come to the idea, based on the suspicion that this could possibly be a remnant of Project Mogul, which was actually classified, to not show the found items at the upcoming press conference.
GENERAL ROGER RAMEY
This could have been the technical equipment that Captain Sheridan Cavitt mentioned in a statement. He was one of the three people (along with Jesse Marcel and Lewis Bill Rickett) who were on the ranch to recover the debris in Roswell:
I also vaguely recall some sort of black box (like a weather instrument).
(mentioned Cavitt in the Roswell Report)
Ramey may have been concerned that something related to the Project Mogul activities could be inferred from the press photos. As a result, he decided to leave out the technical equipment. After all, Project Mogul was designed to listen to the atmosphere and detect potential atomic bomb tests by the Soviet Union, allowing the assessment of their size, strength, and activity based on this data.
Mogul
It is documented that Ramey gave a radio interview, as reported by several newspapers, where he also mentioned that the discovery seemed incomplete.
The News and Observer: July-09-1947
This would have been a protective claim, as a weather balloon also carried instruments for measurement.
Although the Air Force did not find documented evidence that Gen. Ramey was directed to
espouse a weather balloon in his press conference, he may have done so because he was either aware of Project MOGUL and was trying to deflect interest from it.
DuBose himself mentioned that there was some sort of cover-up story. Above all, it was about calming the press and bringing peace to the situation.
Ramey instructed DuBose to call him once the press arrived.
>>> THIS IS HOW IT CONTINUED <<<
MAJOR JESSE ANTOINE MARCEL
GENERAL WILLIAM HUGH BLANCHARD