Throughout the twentieth century and into the twenty-first, the subject of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) has evoked strong opinions and emotions. For some, the belief in or study of UFOs (known as ufology) has taken on the dimensions of a religious quest. Others remain nonbelievers or at least skeptical of the existence of alien beings and elusive vehicles which never quite seem to manifest themselves. Regardless of one’s conviction, nowhere has the debate about UFOs been more spirited than over the events that unfolded near the small New Mexico city of Roswell in the summer of 1947. Numerous witnesses, including former military personnel and respectable members of the local community, have come forward with tales of humanoid beings, alien technologies, and government cover-ups that have caused even the most skeptical observers to pause and take notice.

In July 1994, at the request of the Government Accounting Office, the U.S. Air Force completed a thousand-page report to explain the events that transpired in and near Roswell in the summer of 1947. That report sought to bring all the facts to light, declassify all the documents, and present the definitive truth to the public. The Roswell Report: Case Closed is the follow up to that report and contains additional materials and analysis intended to reach a complete, open, and final explanation of the events that occurred in the Southwest many years ago. While this explanation may not be as titillating as tales of unearthly craft and creatures, it is a fascinating story nonetheless.