The Aztec Crash Hoax
Columnist Frank Scully's 1950 bestseller described a saucer that crashed near Aztec with 16 small bodies aboard. His sources, Silas Newton and a man calling himself Dr. Gee, used the story to sell fake 'alien' oil-detecting devices. Reporter J.P. Cahn exposed them in True magazine in 1952, and the two were later convicted of fraud.
The ledger
What the record shows, what people say, and the best explanation available so far.
What's documented
- Newton and Leo GeBauer's fraud and Cahn's investigation are well documented.
What's claimed
- A real crash and recovery covered up by the military.
Best explanation so far
A con. It is still an important lesson because later crash stories, including parts of the Roswell legend, echo its details.
Check the sources
Go to the originals. Every link opens the archive or record in a new tab.
If you liked this one
Roswell
A 'flying disc' press release, a weather balloon retraction and a legend that took 30 years to form.
The Maury Island Incident
A tale of falling slag, men in black and a deadly plane crash.
The Majestic 12 Documents
Supposed top secret papers about a secret UFO control group. The FBI called them bogus.