By Michael Shinabery
New Mexico Museum of Space History
“Of the several dozen Project Mogul balloon flights from 1947-1950 – the majority launched from the
Tularosa Basin – three lifted aloft this week in 1948.
One launched Aug. 31 and tested an automatic ballast valve, then landed at Fort Stockton, Texas. A Sept. 1
flight was recovered at Neuvas Casas Grandes, Chihuahua, Mexico, and a Sept. 3 flight-tested a neoprene
coated nylon balloon that touched down at Villa Ahumada, Chihuahua.
The Roswell Report: Case Closed” (USAF/1997) reported Mogul had military and scientific purposes, but the
foremost was listening for launches of Soviet nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles. A monograph, “Cold
War Balloon Flights 1945-1965” (on the Web site vectorsite.net), said microphones attached to the balloons
listened for “sound waves.”
Mogul sought to “maintain America’s technological superiority, especially with respect to guarding against
… a devastating surprise attack” the Soviet Union might launch, said “The Roswell Report” Fact vs. Fiction in
the New Mexico Desert” (USAF/1994).
New Mexico Museum of Space History
“Of the several dozen Project Mogul balloon flights from 1947-1950 – the majority launched from the
Tularosa Basin – three lifted aloft this week in 1948.
One launched Aug. 31 and tested an automatic ballast valve, then landed at Fort Stockton, Texas. A Sept. 1
flight was recovered at Neuvas Casas Grandes, Chihuahua, Mexico, and a Sept. 3 flight-tested a neoprene
coated nylon balloon that touched down at Villa Ahumada, Chihuahua.
The Roswell Report: Case Closed” (USAF/1997) reported Mogul had military and scientific purposes, but the
foremost was listening for launches of Soviet nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles. A monograph, “Cold
War Balloon Flights 1945-1965” (on the Web site vectorsite.net), said microphones attached to the balloons
listened for “sound waves.”
Mogul sought to “maintain America’s technological superiority, especially with respect to guarding against
… a devastating surprise attack” the Soviet Union might launch, said “The Roswell Report” Fact vs. Fiction in
the New Mexico Desert” (USAF/1994).
SEARCHING FOR THE TRUTH - THE MOGUL BALLOON CONTROVERSY CONTINUES by Dennis Balthaser
ADVERTISERS
ASK ABOUT
ADVERTISER RATES
AND REACH YOUR
NEW CUSTOMERS!
ASK ABOUT
ADVERTISER RATES
AND REACH YOUR
NEW CUSTOMERS!
| WANTED Frontier Science Researcher Writers |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
Recently Mike Shinabery, education specialist at the New Mexico Museum of Space History, contacted me for
comments about an article he was writing about the Mogul Balloon controversy related to the 1947 Roswell Incident.
His article was published in the Alamogordo Daily News newspaper on Sunday, August 30, 2009, and is shown here in
its entirety.
comments about an article he was writing about the Mogul Balloon controversy related to the 1947 Roswell Incident.
His article was published in the Alamogordo Daily News newspaper on Sunday, August 30, 2009, and is shown here in
its entirety.
DENNIS BALTHASER
(pronounced Ball-thay-sir)
moved to Roswell in 1996
to pursue his interest in
Ufology, after retiring
from the Texas Highway
Department in El Paso,
with 33 years in civil
engineering.
Prior to that he served 3
years in a U.S. Army
engineering battalion.
He was the UFO
Investigator and served
on the Board of Directors
for the International UFO
Museum between 1996
and 1998. Today he is an
independent researcher,
investigator, journalist
and lecturer.
Dennis has done over
350 TV, radio and other
media interviews related
to and since the 50th
anniversary of the Roswell
Incident in July, 1997,
including; CNN, MTV, SCI-
FI, The TODAY show,
Dateline, Nightline, NBC,
ABC Nightly News, Jeff
Rense, Sightings on the
radio, Ted Loman’s Off
the Record, Rob
McConnell’s X-Zone Radio
Show, Art Bell’s Coast to
Coast AM;, Discovery
channel, National
Geographic and History
channel, to mention a few.
Dennis is a certified UFO
investigator with MUFON
(the Mutual UFO
Network), and is a board
member of the advisory
board for the Great
Pyramid of Giza Research
Association. His main
areas of research
comprise the 1947
Roswell Incident, Area 51,
Underground Bases and
the pyramids of Egypt.
He currently writes
editorials for 31 web sites
and UFO magazine,
pertaining to his research,
and works closely with
well-known researchers
Stanton Friedman, Frank
Warren, Scott Ramsey
and many others.
Dennis' award winning
web site www.
truthseekeratroswell.com
has had over one million
visitors since 1998.
(pronounced Ball-thay-sir)
moved to Roswell in 1996
to pursue his interest in
Ufology, after retiring
from the Texas Highway
Department in El Paso,
with 33 years in civil
engineering.
Prior to that he served 3
years in a U.S. Army
engineering battalion.
He was the UFO
Investigator and served
on the Board of Directors
for the International UFO
Museum between 1996
and 1998. Today he is an
independent researcher,
investigator, journalist
and lecturer.
Dennis has done over
350 TV, radio and other
media interviews related
to and since the 50th
anniversary of the Roswell
Incident in July, 1997,
including; CNN, MTV, SCI-
FI, The TODAY show,
Dateline, Nightline, NBC,
ABC Nightly News, Jeff
Rense, Sightings on the
radio, Ted Loman’s Off
the Record, Rob
McConnell’s X-Zone Radio
Show, Art Bell’s Coast to
Coast AM;, Discovery
channel, National
Geographic and History
channel, to mention a few.
Dennis is a certified UFO
investigator with MUFON
(the Mutual UFO
Network), and is a board
member of the advisory
board for the Great
Pyramid of Giza Research
Association. His main
areas of research
comprise the 1947
Roswell Incident, Area 51,
Underground Bases and
the pyramids of Egypt.
He currently writes
editorials for 31 web sites
and UFO magazine,
pertaining to his research,
and works closely with
well-known researchers
Stanton Friedman, Frank
Warren, Scott Ramsey
and many others.
Dennis' award winning
web site www.
truthseekeratroswell.com
has had over one million
visitors since 1998.
The Journal of Frontier
Science is looking for
intelligent, informed,
talented Writer-
Researchers in the
fields of:
furthering the study of
Ufology.
JFS is an excellent
format for publishing
your own research for
peer review and
education purposes.
See the Submissions
page for information!
Science is looking for
intelligent, informed,
talented Writer-
Researchers in the
fields of:
- Ufology
- The Paranormal
- Cryptozoology
- Parapsychology
- Etc.
furthering the study of
Ufology.
JFS is an excellent
format for publishing
your own research for
peer review and
education purposes.
See the Submissions
page for information!
| Copyright © 2009 JFS |
Militaries have long utilized balloons. During World War
II, according to vectorsite.net, the Allies developed
“decoys … such as inflatable phony tanks … to fool
German reconnaissance aircraft.” An article in the New
Mexico Museum of Space History Archives, “Remote
Piloted Aerial Vehicles,” described how Austrians, in
1849, “launched some 200 pilot less balloons against
the city of Venice. The balloons were armed with
bombs controlled by timed fuses.
… Some of the balloons exploded as planned but the
wind changed direction and blew several balloons back
over the Austrian lines.”
The Japanese launched “anti-personnel bombs” against
the United States and Canadian west coast, stated a
second archived article, “Fugos: Japanese Balloon
Bombs of WWII.” It documented how 9,300 were
II, according to vectorsite.net, the Allies developed
“decoys … such as inflatable phony tanks … to fool
German reconnaissance aircraft.” An article in the New
Mexico Museum of Space History Archives, “Remote
Piloted Aerial Vehicles,” described how Austrians, in
1849, “launched some 200 pilot less balloons against
the city of Venice. The balloons were armed with
bombs controlled by timed fuses.
… Some of the balloons exploded as planned but the
wind changed direction and blew several balloons back
over the Austrian lines.”
The Japanese launched “anti-personnel bombs” against
the United States and Canadian west coast, stated a
second archived article, “Fugos: Japanese Balloon
Bombs of WWII.” It documented how 9,300 were
| TODAY IS |
launched, resulting in “a little over 300 balloon bomb incidents.” The only deaths occurred after a woman
and five children at a church picnic in Oregon tried to move one of the contraptions. A 1945 Seattle Times
article said the bomb exploded.
Mogul, one of the first post World War II balloon programs, continued “the cooperative wartime
relationship between civilian research institutions and the military,” said “The Roswell Report: Fact vs.
Fiction in the New Mexico Desert.” The document, along with Karl Pflock in “Roswell” (Prometheus/2001),
stated New York University was the civilian institution involved with Mogul.
Technology to fly balloons to extreme altitudes came with the “invention of improved plastics, particularly
polyethylene” after World War II, said “Cold War Balloon Flights.” While under contract to the military, NYU
graduate student Charles Moore “made a significant technological discovery: the use of polyethylene for
high altitude balloon construction” said “Roswell: Case Closed.” Mogul became the first balloon project to
use the lightweight polyethylene.
Moore, in a 1995 NMMSH oral history, said that in early 1947 his group “approached General Mills to make
balloons out of polyethylene and were rebuffed. … We of course weren’t in position to describe the classified
high priority programs we had.” So a manufacturer in Merignac, New York, “made the first polyethylene
balloons,” said Moore.
Documentation compiled by NMMSH archivist Wayne Mattson showed that on June 4, 1947 the fourth
Mogul flight touched down northwest of Roswell. “The Roswell Report: Fact vs. Fiction in the New Mexico
Desert” described how three “lifter balloons” pulled a “train” of equipment that included 26 main balloons.
The “train” stretched to 657 feet and, said “Cold War Balloon Flights,” included “kitelike structures covered
with aluminum foil to allow the balloon system to be tracked on radar.” The two Air Force “Roswell”
publications conjecture that upon landing this might have been misconstrued as a “debris field,” becoming
the impetus behind the infamous UFO Roswell Incident.
and five children at a church picnic in Oregon tried to move one of the contraptions. A 1945 Seattle Times
article said the bomb exploded.
Mogul, one of the first post World War II balloon programs, continued “the cooperative wartime
relationship between civilian research institutions and the military,” said “The Roswell Report: Fact vs.
Fiction in the New Mexico Desert.” The document, along with Karl Pflock in “Roswell” (Prometheus/2001),
stated New York University was the civilian institution involved with Mogul.
Technology to fly balloons to extreme altitudes came with the “invention of improved plastics, particularly
polyethylene” after World War II, said “Cold War Balloon Flights.” While under contract to the military, NYU
graduate student Charles Moore “made a significant technological discovery: the use of polyethylene for
high altitude balloon construction” said “Roswell: Case Closed.” Mogul became the first balloon project to
use the lightweight polyethylene.
Moore, in a 1995 NMMSH oral history, said that in early 1947 his group “approached General Mills to make
balloons out of polyethylene and were rebuffed. … We of course weren’t in position to describe the classified
high priority programs we had.” So a manufacturer in Merignac, New York, “made the first polyethylene
balloons,” said Moore.
Documentation compiled by NMMSH archivist Wayne Mattson showed that on June 4, 1947 the fourth
Mogul flight touched down northwest of Roswell. “The Roswell Report: Fact vs. Fiction in the New Mexico
Desert” described how three “lifter balloons” pulled a “train” of equipment that included 26 main balloons.
The “train” stretched to 657 feet and, said “Cold War Balloon Flights,” included “kitelike structures covered
with aluminum foil to allow the balloon system to be tracked on radar.” The two Air Force “Roswell”
publications conjecture that upon landing this might have been misconstrued as a “debris field,” becoming
the impetus behind the infamous UFO Roswell Incident.
the elite 509th Bomb Wing (at Roswell Army Air Field) misidentified.”
Pflock wrote he was “certain Project Mogul and the supporting activities of the New York University team at
Alamogordo played a central role in the incident. … It would have been quite consistent with concerns
about Mogul security for the army quietly to contact the Roswell newspapers and radio stations and ask
them to spike or downplay the story,” he said. Additionally, Mogul officials did visit Roswell Army Air Field
“to make sure the just-renewed New York University/Project Mogul activities at Alamogordo Army Air (Field)
would not lead to any further misunderstandings,” Pflock said.
Balthaser said the government’s third and fourth explanations came in the form of the 1994 and 1997
“Roswell” publications. He counters those with the fact, he said, that the “Russians didn't do any nuclear
testing until 1949,” and that the bodies allegedly recovered at Roswell could not have been
anthropomorphic dummies because those “weren’t used until 1953. Weather balloons and Mogul balloons
didn’t have bodies on board,” he said. “It's time for the proponents of the Mogul balloon theory to move
on.”
Michael Shinabery is an education specialist at the New Mexico Museum of Space History. E-mail
him at michael.shinabery@state.nm.us. Wayne Mattson, a NMMSH archivist, and Michael Smith, the
museum registrar, contributed to this article.
Pflock wrote he was “certain Project Mogul and the supporting activities of the New York University team at
Alamogordo played a central role in the incident. … It would have been quite consistent with concerns
about Mogul security for the army quietly to contact the Roswell newspapers and radio stations and ask
them to spike or downplay the story,” he said. Additionally, Mogul officials did visit Roswell Army Air Field
“to make sure the just-renewed New York University/Project Mogul activities at Alamogordo Army Air (Field)
would not lead to any further misunderstandings,” Pflock said.
Balthaser said the government’s third and fourth explanations came in the form of the 1994 and 1997
“Roswell” publications. He counters those with the fact, he said, that the “Russians didn't do any nuclear
testing until 1949,” and that the bodies allegedly recovered at Roswell could not have been
anthropomorphic dummies because those “weren’t used until 1953. Weather balloons and Mogul balloons
didn’t have bodies on board,” he said. “It's time for the proponents of the Mogul balloon theory to move
on.”
Michael Shinabery is an education specialist at the New Mexico Museum of Space History. E-mail
him at michael.shinabery@state.nm.us. Wayne Mattson, a NMMSH archivist, and Michael Smith, the
museum registrar, contributed to this article.
“I suspect,” Moore said, “that the New York
University flights probably are responsible for the
Roswell incident. … Every time that we flew
balloons in late June, and early July the local
radio station in Alamogordo would carry reports
of flying saucers being seen over the Tularosa
UFO researcher and columnist Dennis Balthaser,
a Roswell resident, disagreed.
“It’s of special interest to me as a researcher,
that in the photographs taken in General Ramey’
s office on July 8, 1947… the only thing
presented for the photographs was a weather
balloon, with none of the equipment that would
have been attached to a Mogul balloon, such as
sonobuoys or radar reflectors,” he said.
University flights probably are responsible for the
Roswell incident. … Every time that we flew
balloons in late June, and early July the local
radio station in Alamogordo would carry reports
of flying saucers being seen over the Tularosa
UFO researcher and columnist Dennis Balthaser,
a Roswell resident, disagreed.
“It’s of special interest to me as a researcher,
that in the photographs taken in General Ramey’
s office on July 8, 1947… the only thing
presented for the photographs was a weather
balloon, with none of the equipment that would
have been attached to a Mogul balloon, such as
sonobuoys or radar reflectors,” he said.
| Gen. Ramey and Col. DuBose examine remains of a weather balloon in the General’s office. Used with permission from the University of Texas Arlington Archives Library |
Balthaser pointed out that the fourth Mogul flight, on
June 4, 1947 “was actually cancelled due to poor weather
conditions. The balloon was probably released due to
having been filled for launch, without any of the testing
equipment attached,” he said. “Since the (UFO crash)
happened … in early July, that balloon must have taken
the long way to arrive at the ranch almost a month later.”
There have been four different official explanations of the
incident over 62 years. The first “excuse,” Balthaser said,
was the July 8, 1947 press release that reported “we have
a flying saucer in our possession. The next morning
newspapers east of Chicago had General Ramey’s cover-
up story that it was nothing but a weather balloon, which
June 4, 1947 “was actually cancelled due to poor weather
conditions. The balloon was probably released due to
having been filled for launch, without any of the testing
equipment attached,” he said. “Since the (UFO crash)
happened … in early July, that balloon must have taken
the long way to arrive at the ranch almost a month later.”
There have been four different official explanations of the
incident over 62 years. The first “excuse,” Balthaser said,
was the July 8, 1947 press release that reported “we have
a flying saucer in our possession. The next morning
newspapers east of Chicago had General Ramey’s cover-
up story that it was nothing but a weather balloon, which
So the controversy about the Mogul balloon theory continues in articles such as the one above, on the Internet from
time to time, and in other forums. If the debunkers and critics would bring something new to the table just once, it
might be worth discussing, but after 62 years that hasn’t, and apparently is not going to happen. The Roswell crash
based on extensive research by David Rudiak and others has eliminated the Mogul balloon theory as a possible
solution to the Roswell Incident, and as I stated in the above article, “I think it’s time for the proponents of the Mogul
balloon theory to move on.”
Note: Illustrations and photos were not present in article written by Mike Shinabery, and have been inserted in
Dennis Balthaser’s article for clarification.
time to time, and in other forums. If the debunkers and critics would bring something new to the table just once, it
might be worth discussing, but after 62 years that hasn’t, and apparently is not going to happen. The Roswell crash
based on extensive research by David Rudiak and others has eliminated the Mogul balloon theory as a possible
solution to the Roswell Incident, and as I stated in the above article, “I think it’s time for the proponents of the Mogul
balloon theory to move on.”
Note: Illustrations and photos were not present in article written by Mike Shinabery, and have been inserted in
Dennis Balthaser’s article for clarification.
