Mac Brazel
 In 1947, Mac Brazel was a leaseholder of the J.B. Foster ranch, southeast of Corona, New Mexico, where he raised sheep and cattle. Brazel was among the first to discover debris from the alleged crash of an alien craft. Mac's friend and neighbor, Will Proctor, accompanied Mac to check on the livestock when they discovered odd pieces of metal and debris scattered all over the Foster Ranch. They found strange pieces of foil that couldn't be cut, burned, or wrinkled and thin "I"-beams with strange symbols on them. Most interesting about these was that.
Proctor and Brazel brought pieces of the peculiar metal to the Will's parents' ranch, where Mac and Will's father, Floyd Proctor, attempted to burn and cut the mysterious material without success. The Proctors told Brazel that he might have a piece of a UFO and convinced him to turn it in to the sheriff. Mac agreed and brought the debris to Sheriff , who was baffled by the mysterious metal. The Sheriff called in the military to investigate the situation. Officer Jesse Marcel and Counter-Intelligence Corps Officer inspected the debris and determined it was likely to be a crashed UFO, an item for which they said a reward was being offered. The two officers left with the debris, promising Brazel the reward if it was indeed a "flying saucer."
The debris prompted the now-famous press release that was issued by Lt. Haut announcing that the USAF was in possession of the remnants of a UFO. The Roswell Daily Record published an article, "RAAF Captures Flying Saucer on Ranch in Roswell Region" on July 8, 1947.
While doing an interview at KFGL radio in Roswell, Brazel was taken into custody by Military Police Officers. His exclusive interview was confiscated, and the station was threatened with shutdown if they aired the story.
"I am sure what I found was not any weather observation balloon," he said. "But if I find anything else besides a bomb they are going to have a hard time getting me to say anything about it."
A few hours later Brazel returned to KGFL, escorted by military officers, where he then told the "truth" about the debris he found on his ranch. Brazel refuted his initial story, claiming he found the debris in mid-June and it was simply a weather balloon. On July 9, 1947, the Roswell Daily Record reported, "Harassed Rancher Who Located 'Saucer' Sorry He Told About It". Brazel did not receive the reward he was promised and never spoke about the events again. |
