People
William Blanchard
Colonel William H. Blanchard commanded Roswell Army Air Field during the July 1947 Roswell incident. He is central to Roswell history because testimony from Walter Haut indicates Blanchard directed release of the original statement that a "flying disc" had been recovered.
| Role | Colonel; commander of Roswell Army Air Field |
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Role In Roswell
According to multiple witness accounts, Blanchard approved and dictated the press-release language that produced the first Roswell headlines. Within hours, higher-level command in Fort Worth replaced that narrative with a weather balloon explanation.
Blanchard's position and authority at Roswell place him at the decision point between local recovery reporting and later public reclassification of the event.