Whistleblower says 'US still holding secret Roswell UFO files'

A former British Ministry of Defence (MoD) UFO investigator has suggested the US government is still withholding classified information about the infamous Roswell case as thousands of alien enthusiasts have descended upon the New Mexico town.

Nick Pope, who while a civil servant at our MoD had responsibility for investigating UFO phenomena to determine if they had any defence significance, also said modern scientific techniques should be used to try to get to the bottom of the mystery which launched the conspiracy theories which prevail that the US Government is withholding crashed UFOs and dead aliens.

The Roswell mystery has been at the heart of the UFO scene since in early July 1947 the military sensationally announced in a press release it had found the remains of a crashed flying saucer in the desert near to the New Mexico town of the same name.

A photograph was released showing Major Jesse Marcel holding foil debris from the "crash site".

But the following day it retracted the statement, saying it was in fact a damaged US Air Force air balloon.

It led to speculation ever since of a major cover-up, with the initial information accidentally released.

Witnesses later came forward to say there had been alien bodies within the "crashed craft", which along with the wreckage were then taken to the mysterious top-secret Area 51 military base in Nevada.

It has gone on to become the biggest UFO conspiracy theory on record.

Last month, a new witness came forward as reported by Express.co.uk.

This weekend an estimated 50,000 people headed to the annual Roswell UFO festival, which ends later today, to celebrate the anniversary of the event, which is also marked globally on July 2 as World UFO Day.

Mr Pope told NewsNation Prime: “There is science still to be done in Roswell.

“The fact that we’re still talking about these 80 years, nearly, after the event shows the enduring power of this mystery.”

The festival involves themed movies, concerts, a parade and talks by UFOlogists about the last year.

This includes about 12 months ago when US government whistleblower David Grusch came forward with claims the Defense Department has recovered a number of crashed UFOs under a top-secret retrieval program.

Mr Pope added: "It was the US military, themselves, who said: ‘We have recovered a flying disc.’ They changed their story within 24 hours and said it was just a weather balloon."

He says since the Roswell incident the US military has likely withheld much more date from sightings by its own pilots.

He added: “We simultaneously have radar data, forward-looking infra-red camera films of these taken from the jets, and sometimes satellite data. Although, of course, a lot of that is still classified.”

A recent “crypto terrestrial hypothesis” was published by researchers at Harvard which floated the theory that aliens might be on Earth, undetected among us, appearing like humans.

Mr Pope said it was “refreshing” for many scientists and academics to pen the paper called: “A case for scientific openness to a concealed earthly explanation for Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena.”

He added: "This is more of a thought experiment than a ‘we found something’. A few years ago, this would have been inconceivable. Now, it’s out in the open.

“This is total vindication for people who, for years, were languishing in the fringe, thinking this was all conspiracy theory. Now, we’re having hearings in Congress. Scientists and academics are daring to ask this ‘what if’ question.

“This is the greatest mystery of our time, and its’s about time we got it out in the open.”

Mary Horton, who was born in Roswell, told Kob4 this was her second year attending the festival.

She said: "They keep telling me I was in that crash that landed here. So we heard about the festival and decided to come and try it. So we’re having a blast over here.”

Michelle Kern added: "I love going around and seeing all of that alien stuff. The eyewear, the headwear, you know, and enjoying the vendors.

“I believe in aliens. I was telling her on the way here, I said, ‘What about if there’s aliens in a parallel universe, and they’re going to a human festival?'”