Investigations by Linda Moulton Howe and a forthcoming book entitled The Aztec Incident: A Recovery in Hart Canyon brings a convergence of espionage, King Kong, flying saucers, and more exposition of Cold War paranoia. Horror takes many forms, and today’s horror more and more deals with the dark side of governments.Anathema to Western democracy is the Orwellian fears that your neighbor and your government is watching.
The story is quite convoluted. In the first half of 1948, reports of strange happenings in Aztec, New Mexico began to seep out via word of mouth. Sociologists would have a field day, but ufologists believe that some alien craft landed there and the military pounced upon it with relish leaving a trail of brutal debriefings and terrified and threatened citizens. Folklorists might say that Cold War legends and fears set about a FOAF (friend of a friend) legend ablaze. Historians and reporters find it impossible to untwine the facts and horrors, but with a stroke of luck a Freedom of Information Act search uncovered a blacked out declassified document.
After much additional research, the name appears to be … Bruce Cabot.
Cabot (1904 – 1972) was an American film actor most remembered as Jack Driscoll in King Kong (1933). After his acting stint, Uncle Sam needed him, and so during World War II, Cabot was a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army Air Forces specializing in intelligence. Like many of that era – and today – Cabot loved his country and one day when he was at the Beverly Hills Country Club he was playing golf with wealthy Denver oil man, Silas Newton. Newton told his friend, Cabot, that this UFO out in Aztec was in fact real.
Newton had loose lips. But he was not the only one passing along this story. It began to appear in a myriad of sources: Kansas newspapers, a college lecture, and later in a 1950, sensational, Frank Scully private press book called Behind the Flying Saucers. The USAF OSI (Office of Strategic Intelligence) began to investigate, but was getting nowhere. They asked the FBI to assist, and this is where Cabot’s civilian report comes into play. After hearing Newton mention the space craft near Los Alamos, he reported this to his local agency, thus why we have his document.
While no one can say what may have happened, or what began the legend, a number of odd coincidences came together and these are investigated in the forthcoming book by Scott Ramsey. He declares in pre-release interviews that heavy-handed military types terrorized local citizens – a claim that seems to ring all true even today. Like so many things, it doesn’t seem to matter if aliens crashed, the government’s quick to leap to stifle any potential leak about anything hinting at top secret, and immediately brings many layers of cover-up that intensifies citizenry’s desire to know what in the world is so important to suppress liberty? That leads to anger, bitterness, and protests that create more government cover-ups.
From such things horror springs.
The document (about Aztec and not Roswell) stated:
March 22, 1950
To: Director, FBI
From Guy Hotel, SAC, Washington
Subject: Flying Saucers / Information Concerning
The following information was furnished to SA … {by Bruce Cabot}.
An investigator for the Air Forces stated that three so-called flying saucers had been recovered in New Mexico. They were described as being circular in shape with raised centers, approximately 50 feet in diameter. Each one was occupied by three bodies of human shape but only three feet tall, dressed in metallic cloth of a very fine texture. Each body was bandaged in a manner similar to the blackout suits used by speed flyers and test pilots.
According to Mr. {Cabot the} informant, the saucers were found in new Mexico due to the fact that the government had a very high-powered radar set-up in that area and it was believed the radar interferes with the controlling mechanism of the saucers.
No further evaluation was attempted by SA {?} concerning the above.
[Numerous official dates, stamps, and scribbles on the document]
Bruce Cabot with the "Beauty that killed the Beast", Fay Wray
