Robert Shirkey affidavit on the Roswell debris flights
From the UAP Encyclopedia, the open encyclopedia of UFO and UAP history · 🗓️ Event
Contents 9
Robert Shirkey affidavit on the Roswell debris flights
| Date | 8 July 1947 |
|---|---|
| Topics | Crashes & retrievals (topic) |
| People | Robert Shirkey, William Blanchard, Jesse Marcel |
| Testimony | Shellenberger testimony, p. 38 |
| Year | 1947 in UFO history |
| Timeline | 1947 on the UAP Timeline |
| Sources | 7 |
Robert Shirkey was a first lieutenant with the 509th Bomb Group at Roswell Army Air Field in July 1947.[1] In an affidavit signed on 30 April 1991, he said that he watched debris he understood to be from "the crashed flying saucer" being carried onto a B-29 bound for Fort Worth, on the orders of the base commander, Colonel William Blanchard.[1] Michael Shellenberger's 2024 UAP timeline lists his account under 8 July 1947. It also records his claim that a later flight piloted by Oliver W. Henderson went directly to Wright Field.[7]
The affidavit
- His post. In the affidavit Shirkey said he "served as the assistant flight safety officer and was assigned to base operations for the 509th Bomb Group".[1]
- Other accounts describe him differently: the Houston Chronicle as the group's "operations officer", the Albuquerque Journal as its "assistant operations officer".[1]
- The loading. A call came in to have a B-29 ready "as soon as possible" for Fort Worth, on Blanchard's orders. When told it was ready, Blanchard "waved to somebody, and approximately five people came in the front door, down the hallway and on to the ramp to climb into the airplane, carrying parts of what I heard was the crashed flying saucer".[1]
- What he saw. He asked Blanchard to turn sideways so he could see.[1]
- Other flights. He said a B-25 took something to Fort Worth several days later. A third flight, a B-29 piloted by Oliver W. "Pappy" Henderson, went "directly to Wright-Patterson".[1][7] See Oliver Henderson and the Roswell flight.
- Second-hand claims. He said he "learned later" that a sergeant and some airmen "swept up everything, including bodies". He said the bodies "were laid out in Hangar 84", and that Henderson's flight carried that material.[1]
- The transfers. He said everyone involved, including himself, was "shipped out to different bases within two weeks".[1]
- In a later note he softened this. He said that while he knew of several people being shipped out, "not everyone actually were that may have been involved".[1]
- Signature. The affidavit states that he was not paid for it, and was signed on 30 April 1991 before a witness.[1] The timeline links to a scan of it.[6][7] It is one of a set of Roswell witness affidavits gathered in 1991–93.[4]
Later statements
- Houston Chronicle. Shirkey said he returned from lunch on 8 July 1947 to hear that Blanchard had ordered a B-29 to Fort Worth.[1]
- "Maj. Marcel came along with an open cardboard box with several pieces of this aluminum-like material with one of the I-beams sticking up in the corner… with characters written on a portion of it. What the characters were I cannot recall at all."[1]
- A man in a civilian suit carried a piece under his arm "like a poster board", and a staff car handed more boxes up to the rear door.[1] See Jesse Marcel.
- Weather balloons. The debris "looked nothing like weather balloons he saw launched from the weather building located near his own office".[1]
- Albuquerque Journal. For the 50th anniversary he told the Albuquerque Journal that the crew was ready for take-off about 2 o'clock, and the plane lifted off about 2 p.m.[1]
- Friedman. An account attributed to an interview with Stanton Friedman repeats the affidavit's wording.[1]
The transfer
- The orders. "Nine days later I got a telegram from the Eighth Air Force sending me to Clark Field in the Philippines" to fill a request for a weights-and-balance officer.[1]
- His orders were signed by Brig. Gen. Roger Ramey.[1]
- The flight. The deputy base commander, Lt. Col. Payne Jennings, who had flown the debris B-29 to Fort Worth, personally flew him to Hamilton Field, California. "When was the last time you heard of a first lieutenant being taxied by a deputy base commander in a B-29 to his next station?"[1]
- No vacancy. At Clark Field he found that no such vacancy existed, and he was made assistant operations officer of a photo-reconnaissance unit. He came to see his departure as "part of the cover-up".[1]
- The lost record. At the suggestion of the investigator Dennis G. Balthaser, Shirkey requested a copy of the reassignment teletype by letter on 17 March 1999.[1]
- On 22 August 2000 the Military Personnel Records Center in St. Louis replied that the record had been lost in the fire there on 12 July 1973.[1]
- Correction note: the earlier version of this article implied that the 1999 request was answered the same year. The reply came on 22 August 2000.[1]
The book
- Later life. Shirkey later taught oilfield safety at the Roswell branch of Eastern New Mexico University, next to the former airfield.[1]
- The book. His book Roswell 1947: I Was There (July 1999) is a 154-page paperback.[1]
- The investigator Patrick Gross notes a preface by Frank Kaufmann, "the now self-discredited witness", which suggests Shirkey "may have bought Kaufmann's tall tales".[1]
- The newsletter Saucer Smear called Kaufmann a major contributor and noted that Shirkey left out Glenn Dennis's story after Dennis declined to take part.[1]
- Correction note: the earlier version of this article called the book "self-published". That is not covered in the sources read here.[1]
Assessment
- Two roles. Gross separates Shirkey the witness from Shirkey the investigator.[1]
- Timing. His account was given more than 40 years after the event.[1]
- The Air Force view. The Air Force's 1994 and 1997 reports traced the debris to a Project Mogul balloon train.[2] See Roswell incident.
- UT Arlington holds the press photographs of the debris taken at Fort Worth.[5]
People and topics
- Robert Shirkey — 509th Bomb Group officer who said he watched Roswell debris being loaded onto a B-29 in July 1947.
- Roswell — The New Mexico town at the center of the 1947 crash story.
- Fort Worth — The Texas city where the Roswell debris was shown to the press in 1947.
- Wright-Patterson Air Force Base — The Ohio air base that housed Project Blue Book and is linked to the Hangar 18 legend.
- 509th Bomb Group — The nuclear-armed bomber group based at Roswell in 1947.
- Roswell Army Air Field — The bomber base at Roswell, home of the 509th Bomb Group in 1947.
- William Blanchard — Roswell base commander in 1947 who later became Air Force vice chief of staff.
- Jesse Marcel — Intelligence officer of the 509th Bomb Group who recovered the Roswell debris in 1947.
- Weather balloon — A balloon carrying weather instruments, used to explain the Roswell debris.
On the Timeline
- Thomas DuBose affidavit on the Roswell debris (8 July 1947) — Col. Thomas DuBose's affidavit says the Roswell debris went via Fort Worth to Wright Field and the balloon photos were a cover story.
- Garrett's suspicion of secret U.S. tests (1947) (19 August 1947) — An Air Force officer tells the FBI he suspects secret U.S. military tests explain some flying disc reports.
See every 1947 event on the UAP Timeline →
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
References
- Patrick Gross, "Robert Shirkey", Roswell witness page, UFOs at close sight · ufology.patrickgross.org · archived copy
- Roswell incident — Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org · archived copy
- Robert Shirkey witness page — Patrick Gross · ufologie.patrickgross.org · archived copy
- The Roswell witness affidavits (1991–93) · ufopedia.pages.dev · archived copy
- Roswell UFO incident collection — UT Arlington Libraries · libraries.uta.edu · archived copy
- ufologie.patrickgross.org · ufologie.patrickgross.org · archived copy
- Michael Shellenberger, written testimony to the House Oversight Committee (13 November 2024), p. 38 · oversight.house.gov
Facts in this article are drawn in part from the Wikipedia article “Roswell incident”, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.
Categories: 1947 | 509th bomb group | Crashes retrievals | Fort worth | Robert shirkey | Roswell | Timeline event | Wright-patterson air force base
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.
No discussion yet.