cover image The Roswell Dig Diaries

The Roswell Dig Diaries

. Pocket Books, $21.95 (263pp) ISBN 978-0-7434-8612-5

In this valuable addition to UFO literature, McAvennie pulls together a batch of documentary materials relating to an archeological dig made in 2002 on the site of the alleged UFO crash at Roswell, N.Mex., in July 1947. Sponsored by the Sci-Fi Channel, the book has a slight bias in favor of those who argue that there's been a cover-up of unacceptable proportions. To get the job done, the sponsors had to raise money, recruit volunteers and present a detailed plan to the supporting experts from the superb archeology department at the University of Mexico. Though equipped with the latest techniques and technology, the dig also faced such obstacles as no-show volunteers, wind, weather, high altitude and higher temperatures. The concluding report suggests that some of the objects found at the site require further analysis and that an impact can't be ruled out. One wishes success to this book, the planned two companions and the Sci-Fi Channel's suit under the Freedom of Information Act to secure any surviving documents from the Air Force, if only to reduce the backbiting and witch-hunting that divide skeptics and believers.