Carl Howe
Carl Howe (also referenced as "Mr. Carl Howe" in FBI records) is an individual cited in the famous Hottel Memo of March 22, 1950, as the source of the claim that three flying saucers recovered in New Mexico had crashed due to interference from high-powered radar installations. Howe's identity, credentials, and reliability remain uncertain; no independent corroboration of his claims has been located in declassified records, and it is unclear whether he was a government official, military officer, civilian contractor, or private citizen.
| Role | Source cited in the Hottel Memo regarding radar-induced UFO crashes |
|---|
The Hottel Memo Reference
In the March 22, 1950 memo from FBI Special Agent Guy Hottel to FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, Hottel relayed information provided by an Air Force investigator (believed to be from the Air Force Technical Intelligence Center). The investigator stated that according to "Mr. Carl Howe," three circular flying saucers approximately 50 feet in diameter had been recovered in New Mexico, each occupied by three-foot-tall humanoid figures in metallic suits. Howe allegedly claimed that the discs crashed because high-powered radar in the region interfered with their control mechanisms.
The radar interference theory — attributing UAP crashes to electromagnetic disruption from ground-based radar systems — became a recurring hypothesis in early UFO literature and has been cited in connection with the 1947 Roswell crash, the alleged 1948 Aztec, New Mexico Crash, and other incidents.
Identity and Credibility
No biographical information about Carl Howe has been conclusively established. It is unknown whether he was:
- A military radar technician or engineer with knowledge of electromagnetic effects on aircraft systems.
- A scientist or contractor involved in UAP analysis.
- A civilian informant with secondhand knowledge.
- A fabricator or source of disinformation.
The fact that Howe's claims were transmitted through an Air Force investigator to the FBI suggests he had some degree of official contact, but the absence of corroborating documentation or follow-up investigation raises questions about the reliability of his account. The Hottel Memo itself does not evaluate the credibility of Howe's claims; it merely transmits them as received information.
Radar Interference Theory
The theory Howe reportedly advanced — that high-powered radar caused UAP crashes by disrupting their control mechanisms — was not unique to him. Similar claims appeared in early UFO literature, including Frank Scully's 1950 book Behind the Flying Saucers and in accounts of the Roswell and Aztec crashes. The proximity of radar installations at White Sands Missile Range, Holloman Air Force Base, and other New Mexico facilities lent surface plausibility to the theory, though no technical analysis confirming radar as a causal mechanism for UAP crashes has been publicly released.
Assessment
Carl Howe remains an enigmatic figure whose claims — transmitted secondhand through official channels — contributed to one of the most widely cited FBI documents in UAP research. Without independent verification of his identity or expertise, his statements must be regarded as unsubstantiated, though the fact that they reached the desk of J. Edgar Hoover indicates they were taken seriously enough by an Air Force investigator to warrant transmission to the FBI.