Arthur Exon's Roswell statements
From the UAP Encyclopedia, the open encyclopedia of UFO and UAP history · 🗓️ Event
Contents 7
| Date | July 1989 |
|---|---|
| Topics | Crashes & retrievals (topic), Beings & bodies (topic), Secrecy & cover-up (topic) |
| People | Arthur Exon, Kevin Randle, Don Schmitt, Karl Pflock |
| Testimony | Shellenberger testimony, p. 104 |
| Year | 1989 in UFO history |
| Timeline | 1989 on the UAP Timeline |
| Sources | 5 |
Arthur Exon (died 23 July 2005) was a U.S. Air Force officer who later commanded Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. In interviews in 1989–1990 he told Roswell researchers that debris and bodies from the 1947 Roswell incident had been brought to Wright Field for analysis, statements that became a cornerstone of the case for a crash recovery, though he later said he had no firsthand knowledge.[1][2]
Background
Exon was at Wright Field in 1947 and later, as a brigadier general, took command of Wright-Patterson in August 1964. He retired on 1 May 1969.[1]
His statements
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Kevin Randle and Donald Schmitt interviewed Exon by telephone and in person between July 1989 and July 1990. He told them that Roswell debris had been brought to Wright Field's materials evaluation laboratories, where testers found thin but extremely strong, flexible, foil-like pieces that could not be dented; a couple of people thought it might be Russian, but the general view was that it came from space. He said he had flown over the area and seen a gouge in the ground, and that bodies and the main body of the craft had apparently been found at another site and brought to Wright-Patterson. He also described a secret oversight group of senior officials, which he called the "Unholy Thirteen", controlling information about the recovery.[1][3]
Later qualifications
In a letter to Randle, Exon said he had no firsthand knowledge of the events and that, although he had been quoted accurately, the authors gave the impression of more direct knowledge than he had. Researcher Karl Pflock later reported that Exon told him his remarks were based on rumours and talk he had heard. Randle disputes that reading and maintains that Exon's statements remain significant.[1][2][3]
People and topics
- Arthur Exon — Air Force general who said he heard Roswell debris and bodies were studied at Wright Field.
- Roswell — The New Mexico town at the center of the 1947 crash story.
- U.S. Air Force — The U.S. military service that ran the official UFO projects from 1947 to 1969.
- Wright-Patterson Air Force Base — The Ohio air base that housed Project Blue Book and is linked to the Hangar 18 legend.
- Kevin Randle — Roswell researcher and author of many books on crash-retrieval claims.
- Don Schmitt — Roswell researcher and co-author of Witness to Roswell.
- Roswell incident — The July 1947 recovery of debris near Roswell, New Mexico, announced as a "flying disc" and then explained as a weather balloon.
- Karl Pflock — Roswell researcher who concluded the debris was from Project Mogul.
On the Timeline
- Osedacz thesis on fastwalkers (1989) (June 1989) — An Air Force captain writes that a database of UAP in near-Earth orbit has long existed.
- Puthoff on tracking the phenomenon (1989) (11 July 1989) — Puthoff tells Vallée nobody seems to be tracking the phenomenon properly.
See every 1989 event on the UAP Timeline →
References
- Patrick Gross, "Gen. Arthur Exon", Roswell witness page, UFOs at close sight · ufology.patrickgross.org · archived copy
- Kevin Randle, "Recanting Roswell certainty", A Different Perspective (Jan 2017) · kevinrandle.blogspot.com · archived copy
- Roswell incident — Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org · archived copy
- The Roswell rebuttals · theobservermagazine.substack.com · archived copy
- roswellproof.com · roswellproof.com · archived copy
Further reading
- Roswell incident — Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org · archived copy
- UFOs and the Air Force: records — National Archives · archives.gov · archived copy
- Wright-Patterson Air Force Base — Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org · archived copy
- Hangar 18 (the legend and 1980 film) — Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org · archived copy
- Dwight D. Eisenhower — Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org · archived copy
This page was last edited on 29 October 2026. Articles are written in our own words from the sources listed under References; disputed claims are attributed to the people who made them.
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