Dr. Johnson and some of his associates, using state of the art enhancement techniques, have taken a close up look at the photographs he took on July 8, 1947 .

Following is :

1. A discussion of what the debris in these photos shows or doesn't show, links to these enhanced photos and related Web pages, and at the very end a summary of the opposing views of Kevin Randle and Dr. J. Bond Johnson.

2. What in my opinion is the MOST promising in all of this, is a discussion of the analysis of a memo General Ramey is holding in his hand in some of these photos. This could REALLY provide the answers everyone's been looking for.

Some of these photos, now housed at the University of Texas at Arlington, show debris spread out on the floor of an office at the headquarters of the 8th Army Air Force, Fort Worth, Texas, now known as Carswell AFB. A spirited debate has been going on for some time now regarding exactly what the debris in these photos actually is.

At the time, and AFTER Dr. Johnson took his photos, Brigadier General Roger Ramey, Commanding General of the 8th Army Air Force, held a press briefing and then went on WBAP radio making the same statement. He announced the debris in the office was nothing more than the remains of a Rawin Radar Reflector that had been carried aloft by a weather balloon, and crashed on a ranch outside of Roswell. This, he claimed, was the debris brought to him by Major Jesse Marcell, which earlier that day had been mistakenly reported as debris from a crashed "Flying Disc".

All of the noted Roswell researchers and authors over the years have presented evidence supporting the theory that acting on orders from Major General Clements McMullen in Washington, D. C., General Ramey had the real debris Marcel brought with him switched with the Rawin debris. This was a deliberate effort to get the press off the AF's back, and cover up the fact they had indeed recovered a crashed "Flying Disc" near Roswell. In other words the press release that initiated from the Roswell AAF got out before the Pentagon had a chance to react. Thus, this was damage control. At least this is one commonly held theory.

Dr. Bond Johnson and his project team, called RPIT (Roswell Photo Interpretation Team), believe their photo enhancements show some of the debris material is not part of the Rawin target material. In other words original crash debris, or at least SOMETHING else is mixed in. Therefore, they proclaim General Ramey is not guilty of having switched the debris material.

Researchers such as Kevin Randle and Stan Friedman reject this assertion. Further, photo experts such as Bruce Maccabee and Bob Shell do not agree the enhancements show what the RPIT members claim.

I have friends on both sides of this issue, so I am not going to express an opinion one way or the other. However, I will try to put this into perspective as I see it.

1. It is accepted as fact that Marcel brought with him on the flight from Roswell to Ft. Worth actual material from the Brazel debris field.

2. It is accepted as fact that Rawin Radar reflector material IS the predominant material in the photos.

3. All researchers and Bond Johnson's RPIT group agree it's mostly Rawin target.

4. Unless and until it can be proven beyond any doubt Non-Rawin material is mixed in the debris, in my opinion the entire debate is moot.

A. No one can prove absolutely the photos are of the very same material Marcel brought with him from Roswell.
B. Without this proof on when the Rawin material may or may not have been substituted for the real crash material, everything else is speculation, conjecture, and opinion.
C. It doesn't matter if Ramey ordered the switch on his own, or acted on orders of McMullen. What's important is what's shown in the photos.

HERE IS WHAT IS CLAIMED TO BE IN THE MEMO SO FAR

The Crest in the Upper Left Hand corner of the message appears to be a cradle phone circa 1947 which could indicate that this was an official phone message. The time of receipt appears to be 1533 (which coincides with the RPIT time line precisely).

There is agreement among two local RPIT members (Ron Regehr and Debbie Stock) as to the following words:

AS THE ... 4HRS THE VICTIMS OF THE ... YOU FORWARDED TO THE ... AT FORT
WORTH, TEX. ... THE "CRASH" "STORY" .... FOR 0984 ACKNOWLEDGES ... EMERGENCY
POWERS ARE NEEDED SITE TWO SW MAGDALENA, NMEX ... SAFE TALK ... FOR MEANING OF
STORY AND MISSION ... WEATHER BALLOONS SENT ON THE ... AND LAND .... ROVER
CREWS ... (SIGNED) TEMPLE

I have listed below the Web sites where you can view the enhancements and decide for yourself.

http://www.ufomind.com/people/j/johnsonj/ (about J. Bond johnson)

http://adm2.ph.man.ac.uk/ (Main Link to Debris and Memo)
http://adm2.ph.man.ac.uk/ftw-pics/index.htm (Ramey Office Photos)
http://adm2.ph.man.ac.uk/ftw-pics/new-1/index.htm (Memo)
http://adm2.ph.man.ac.uk/ftw-pics/new-1/rmysignl.htm (Memo)

http://adm2.ph.man.ac.uk/ftw-pics/download/index.htm (2.5 meg image scan a BIG file)

http://www.abduct.com/aaer/n52.htm (Symbols In Debris)
http://www.abduct.com/aaer/n53.htm (Symbols In Debris)

http://www.artbell.com/jbjohnson.html (Ramey Photos & Symbols)

http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Hollow/8827/ramey.html (Memo)

http://www.abcfield.force9.co.uk/rpit/letter.html (Memo)

I was going to paraphrase a number of discussions I've had with Dr. Johnson, Stan Friedman, and Kevin Randle in the last 6 months on this subject to give you a feel for the two opposing positions. However, in George Filer's FILER'S FILES #52-1998 dated 12/31/98 such a summary already exists and is copied below. I also recommend you visit George's www site at www.ufoinfo.com/filer/index.html

Dave

From Filer's Files......

ROSWELL PHOTO CONTROVERSY CONTINUES

Did a space craft crash near Roswell in 1947?  Photographs now 
being examined may show possible strange symbols and writing 
that seem unlikely to be engraved or embossed on Mogul balloon 
materials and a radar target like kite. Numerous books have been 
written claiming an  alien craft crashed, but they are based 
mostly on forty or fifty year old  memories and testimony. 
Intelligence officer Major Jessie  Marcel had picked up some of 
the debris on a ranch near Roswell, showed it to his family and 
brought it to Roswell Air Base for examination.  On July 8, 
Colonel Blanchard announced that the Army Air Force had captured 
a flying saucer.  Major Marcel and the debris were flown to Fort 
Worth, Texas. James Bond Johnson was ordered by his newspaper 
the Fort Worth Star-Telegram to go to the base and photograph 
the debris. When he arrived at the Eighth Air Force Commander's  
office, he was met by Colonel Dubose the Chief of Staff.  
General Ramey was not there, but a still wrapped package of 
debris was on the floor.  Colonel Dubose and Bond Johnson 
unwrapped the debris and spread it out to prepare for the photo 
shoot. Respected researchers have maintained that the real alien 
debris had been switched.  In the book, The Roswell Incident, by 
Charles Berlitz and William Moore on Page 35 it states: 
"Actually," said Major Jesse Marcel, shown kneeling here amid 
what he described as some of the less spectacular pieces of 
wreckage, "this material may have looked like tinfoil and balsa 
wood, but the resemblance ended there." At first newsmen were 
permitted only as close to this material as was necessary to 
take the picture.  Later, after torn-up pieces of an actual 
weather device had been substituted for the real wreckage on 
General Ramey's orders, press photographers were permitted to 
examine at will.  Editor's Note: One problem we have is that 
Moore offered three different versions of the quotes attributed 
to Marcel, first in his book, then when he sent out his notes, 
and finally in his magazine, FOCUS.  The controversy continues.

KEVIN RANDLE  writes: I think it is time to review the various 
tales told by J. Bond Johnson as he continues to tell us about 
the photographs he took in General Ramey's office.  I think we 
now agree that he took six pictures rather than the two that he 
originally claimed.  The evidence here is the quality of the 
pictures.  They all look basically the same, have the same 
lighting and angles, the debris in the pictures, and RAMEY'S HAT 
and tie on the radiator. (Yes, examine the picture carefully and 
you'll see a brigadier general's star on the cap and not a 
major's leaf.)  Now, Johnson is telling us that when he entered 
Ramey's office, Colonel DuBose was there and they unwrapped the 
debris while waiting for Ramey to arrive.  What Johnson said to 
me originally was "So I drove directly to Carswell [though in 
1947 it would have been the Fort Worth Army Air Field] and my 
recollections are now I went in and I opened my carrying case 
with my Graphic [camera] and I had just brought one holder with 
me with two pieces of the four by five film.   I posed General 
Ramey with this debris..."  Notice that he said nothing about 
unwrapping debris or anything else at this point.  This is all 
based on what he told me during our first conversations in early 
1989 and are, of course, on audio tape.  Johnson reported in 
February 1998 that "I was met by COL DuBose and ushered into 
Ramey's office. Dubose (sic) went to find Ramey.  I used that 
time to further unwrap and arrange the debris."  When he was 
challenged on this point, that he was unwrapping the material in 
General Ramey's office, the story shifted subtly.  Now we learn, 
"When he arrived at the Eighth Air Force Commander's office, he 
was met by Colonel Dubose (sic) the Chief of Staff.  General 
Ramey was not there, but a still wrapped package of debris was 
on the floor. Colonel Dubose and Bond Johnson unwrapped the 
debris and spread it out to prepare for the photo shoot.  
Fifteen minutes later, General Ramey arrived clutching a piece 
of paper..."  Once again Johnson raises the question of when 
Ramey told him it was a weather balloon.  "No one seemed to know 
the exact identity of the debris."  Not according to Johnson 
himself.  He told me, in 1989 in two separate interviews that 
Ramey told him it was a weather balloon.  To quote Johnson, once 
again, "I posed General Ramey with this debris.  At that time I 
was briefed on the idea that it was not a flying disc as first 
reported, but in fact, was a weather balloon that had crashed."  
There was no misunderstanding here.  That quote came in the 
middle of a long narration by Johnson.  My original question had 
been just to have him relate, in detail, what happened.  I was 
not questioning him closely so that he was confused and I did 
not put words in his mouth.  Those were his own memories until 
he decided that he must have photographed the "real" stuff.  
Johnson posted, on the Internet, a "press release" in which he 
alleged that the University of Texas at Arlington held the 
photographs under high security, that they were arranging a 
special public showing of huge blowups of the photos and that 
the University and the Air Force had fought about the photos. 
According to the University, none of this is true either.  When 
I ordered the blowups for analysis, I was told, without asking, 
that these tales were not true.  There was no special security, 
there was no planned show, and there had been no fight with the 
Air Force.  I could go on with other Johnson misrepresentations, 
but is there any real point.  Johnson has changed his story 
significantly, he changes when facts suggest a version of his 
tale to be wrong, and he keeps inventing new details to thrill 
us all because he is the "Roswell Photographer."  Isn't it time 
to stop reporting his tales.  They only confuse the issue rather 
than clarify it.  His transparent attempt to read the "Ramey 
message" with all sorts of references to "victims" and 
"wreckage" and a second site at "Magdalena" have not been 
duplicated by other researchers. The interpretations of the 
message leave a great deal to be desired.  Thanks to Kevin 
Randle

RESPONSE FROM JAMES BOND JOHNSON:  There remain two unwrapped 
packages of the debris in clear view in the Ramey office photos, 
including in the Newton photo.  Bob Durant and others continue 
to expose their ignorance re the remarkable findings of the RPIT 
(Roswell Photo Interpretation Team) volunteers.  Instead of 
embarrassing himself with his ignorance by taking cheap pot 
shots at this very dedicated international group of photo 
analysts, they MIGHT have joined this distinguished group in 
their quest to finally solve the Riddle of Roswell.  How can 
fully displayed symbols and other anomalous objects carefully 
unearthed from the Ramey office photos be dubbed "fantasies?"  
Again and again the RPIT has invited wider assistance and has 
NOT drawn any final conclusions as to the preliminary 
revelations of their remarkable findings!  Durant --along with 
other UFOlogists -- have been invited repeatedly to roll up 
their sleeves and PARTICIPATE in this fascinating project. 
Second, Johnny Mann, when he was in Roswell with Major Jesse 
Marcel, Sr. showed Marcel the pictures in THE ROSWELL INCIDENT.  
Mann   says that Marcel told him those pictures had been staged.  
There is NO dispute that the pictures taken of Major Marcel were 
staged.  I staged them.  It has been published repeatedly that I 
helped to unpack the "flying saucer" crash debris that Marcel 
couriered from Roswell to Fort Worth on orders of General Ramey. 
Then I "posed" -- arranged, displayed -- the junk in an attempt 
to make a meaningful photo record and then took the six famous 
pictures of Major Marcel, General Ramey and Colonel  examining 
the debris.  There is NO issue here. As far as I know, that is 
the only time that Marcel referred to those pictures. See 
website at: http://adm2.ph.man.ac.uk/ftw-pics/index.htm.  Thanks 
to Colonel James Bond Johnson