Document · 22 March 1950
FBI “Guy Hottel” memo
Also known as Hottel memo, Guy Hottel
A one-page memo of 22 March 1950 from Guy Hottel, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Washington Field Office, to Director J. Edgar Hoover. It relays a story passed to the FBI by an Air Force investigator from an informant: that "three so-called flying saucers had been recovered in New Mexico… circular in shape with raised centers, approximately 50 feet in diameter. Each one was occupied by three bodies of human shape but only 3 feet tall, dressed in metallic cloth of a very fine texture." It adds that the government's high-powered radar in the area was believed to have interfered with the craft's controls.
The information is third-hand, and the memo records no investigation. The FBI says it never followed the claim up and notes that the memo does not mention Roswell.
It is the most-viewed file in the FBI Vault and is often misreported as proof of the Roswell recovery; it is evidence that the story was circulating in 1950, not that it is true.
Sources: FBI "Guy Hottel" memo (1950)
Facts and claims
- documented Records that “three so-called flying saucers had been recovered in New Mexico… circular in shape with raised centers, approximately 50 feet in diameter. Each one was occupied by three bodies of human shape but only 3 feet tall, dressed in metallic cloth of a very fine texture.” Source: doc-hottel-memo-1950.pdf
- documented The information is third-hand. Hottel was passing on what an Air Force investigator said an informant told him. The memo itself notes that the government’s high-powered radar in the area was believed to interfere with the craft’s controls. The FBI says it never investigated further, and the memo is not evidence that the story is true. Source: fbi.gov (archived)
- claimed The most-viewed file in the FBI Vault. It is often misreported as proof of the Roswell recovery, but the FBI has noted it does not mention Roswell and was never followed up. — Federal Bureau of Investigation Source: fbi.gov (archived)
Connected files
Incidents
- Roswell crash (misattributed to) — Often cited as proof of the Roswell recovery; the FBI notes it does not mention Roswell
People
- Guy Hottel (authored by)
Organizations
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (produced by)
Concepts
- Crash retrieval & reverse engineering (alleges) — Relays an informant's story of three “flying saucers” recovered in New Mexico, each with three small bodies
More documents
- FBI file: Majestic 12
- AARO Historical Record Report, Volume 1
- GAO report on the Roswell crash records (B-262046, July 28, 1995)
- David Grusch — written opening statement, House Oversight hearing (July 26, 2023)
- Admiral Wilson memo (EWD notes)
- DOPSR case 22-SB-0151: prepublication clearance of Lacatski, Kelleher & Knapp's “Book 2” (April 24, 2023)