h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I did some research about Roswell with a view to writing a Guide entry some time ago. I decided not to on the grounds that in the end the US Government's arguments are persuasive.

It works like this: in order to believe that Roswell was a cover-up, it is necessary to accept that all US govenrment (and some civilian) personnel present at the recovery and investigation of the crash, were instructed to keep their mouths shut, and did so.

Now, the highest grade secrets at the time related to nuclear weapons and to specaflight programmes. In both cases the Russians knew almost as much as the Government did.

Why should we believe that at Roswell, uniquely amongst all Government activities, Civlivian or military, not one single person has cracked. More, people present at the time are prepared to swear affidavits that it was a weather baloon, even after being presented with a release form the Secretary of State expressly releasing them from any form of injunction or instruction to secrecy.

It was a UFO all right. An Unidentified Flying Object. Exactly that. Very prosaic and not ayt all sinister - right up to the moment when it was identified, at which time it became a weather balloon with a radar tester on it. Remember that radar in those days was less sophisticated: now very few things in the air remain unidentified for long.

It's either that, or it was aliens on a practice run for the abduction of Elvis....

My guide entry about this subject was meant to be written in a way which didn't really say yes or no to the conspiracy-theory. In fact I hoped that it would promote some people to look into the facts and become interested. Your view is one, there are others I have spoken to over the net who are just as convinced that it was an alien spacecraft. Personally I try not to reveal my true opinions about the matter. After all, I am just the author of this entry. It's you, the reader, who must make the judgement.

Hmm, yes, there are bound to be people out there who believe it was an alien spacecraft. Any opinion is valid on the net ( see http://www.h2g2.com/A164404 ).

In fact, there are even people who believe that the oval-grille Escort was a good car.

But there are much more believable conspiracy theories than Roswell. Elvis having been abducted by aliens being one of them

Perhaps you should write something about the abduction of Elvis then?