William Steinman
William Steinman was an American UFO researcher and author, best known for his investigation into the alleged 1948 Aztec, New Mexico UFO crash and for his correspondence with Dr. Robert Sarbacher and Dr. Eric Walker in 1983 — correspondence that produced two of the most significant insider admissions in early UFO research history. Steinman co-authored the book UFO Crash at Aztec with Wendelle Stevens.
| Role | UFO researcher; author |
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Investigation of the Aztec Case
Steinman devoted substantial effort to investigating the alleged 1948 Aztec crash, analyzing court records from the fraud trial of Silas Newton and Leo Gebauer (the two con men whose claims about the Aztec case were later used to discredit it) in search of evidence that a genuine recovery event had occurred independent of their fraudulent claims.
The 1983 Sarbacher and Walker Correspondence
Prompted by Stanton Friedman's public release of the Majestic 12 Documents in the early 1980s, Steinman wrote to Dr. Robert Sarbacher — a physicist who had served on the DoD Research and Development Board — with twelve questions about UFO-related government programs. Sarbacher's November 1983 reply constitutes one of the most detailed written admissions by a credentialed government insider, confirming:
- That Vannevar Bush, John Von Neumann, and J. Robert Oppenheimer were definitely involved in crash retrieval efforts.
- That recovered materials were extremely light and very tough.
- That recovered occupants were reportedly constructed like insects due to their low mass.
- That he viewed official UAP reports at his Pentagon office.
Steinman also interviewed Eric Walker, former president of Penn State University and executive secretary of the Defense Research Board, who confirmed attending the crash retrieval meeting at Wright Field described by Sarbacher (circa 1949–1950). When Steinman raised the Majestic 12 documents, Walker responded: "Yes, I know of MJ-12. I have known of them for 40 years." Walker advised Steinman to drop the subject, stating he was "delving into an area that you can do absolutely nothing about" and that he was "chasing after and fighting with windmills."
Significance
Steinman's correspondence with Sarbacher and Walker in 1983 represents a pivotal moment in UAP research: two high-ranking government-connected individuals, contacted independently by a civilian researcher, produced consistent admissions about crash retrieval programs and the involvement of the US government's most senior wartime scientists. The resulting letters and interview notes are primary source documents that remain central to the evidentiary record.