Not Secret, Not a Leak: What the New “Roswell” Video Really Is

Short answer: No—these aren’t “secret Roswell recordings,” and the viral clip does not show a confirmed UFO wreck or an alien. The much-hyped video is a public item in the U.S. National Archives, not a leak. Now here’s the twist that makes this story worth your time: the Archives are actively posting Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena records in 2025, and a newly noticed 22‑minute compilation stirred up old myths, fresh confusion, and a classic case of seeing shapes that aren’t there.

The Big Correction Up Front

• Misleading claim: “Leaked, secret Roswell footage.”
• Verified fact: The clip spreading online appeared in the National Archives’ public catalog—part of a 2025 push to add UAP‑related materials. That is the opposite of a leak.
  • National Archives UAP page: https://www.archives.gov/research/topics/uaps/moving-images-and-sound
  • Press note on ongoing releases (2025): https://www.archives.gov/press/press-releases/2025/nr25-07

So What Is Everyone Watching?

Several outlets point to a roughly 22‑minute video labeled “The Roswell Incident” that surfaced in the National Archives’ online listings around mid‑September 2025 and then raced across social media. Calling it a “mysterious leak” makes it sound covert. It isn’t.

• What it seems to be: A short, compiled piece mixing still images, documents, and previously known Roswell material.
• What it is not: A new, authenticated recording of alien bodies.

Important context:

• The Archives have hosted “Roswell Reports” videos for years—including a 1997 Air Force companion video and taped interviews from the 1990s. See: https://archive.org/details/CSPAN3_20210620_202900_Reel_America_The_Roswell_Reports_-_1997
• NARA preserves and posts records created by other agencies. Hosting a file is not endorsing an extraterrestrial conclusion. Overview: https://www.archives.gov/research/topics/uaps/moving-images-and-sound

Where the “Alien Body” Talk Came From

Some tabloids and commenters point to a crater photo where they “see” what looks like a figure. That reaction has a name: pareidolia—our brains finding patterns (faces, bodies) in random shapes.

• Claim: The video shows a body.
• What checks out: It shows imagery where some viewers think they see a shape.
• What the evidence says: This is subjective interpretation, not verified proof.

For a flavor of the coverage (note: tabloid): https://www.thesun.ie/news/15859699/ufo-debris-alien-bodies-roswell-incident-video-new-mexico/

The Official Record Still Says “No Aliens”

Two detailed U.S. Air Force reports remain the baseline for Roswell:

• 1994: Debris linked to Project Mogul, a high‑altitude balloon program.
• 1997 (“Case Closed”): “Bodies” stories likely stem from crash‑test dummies and unrelated aircraft incidents recalled years later.
  • Read the sources:
    • 1997 companion video context: https://archive.org/details/CSPAN3_20210620_202900_Reel_America_The_Roswell_Reports_-_1997
    • Air Force report (text): https://archive.org/stream/AFD-101027-030/AFD-101027-030_djvu.txt
    • NARA’s explainer blog (2014): https://unwritten-record.blogs.archives.gov/2014/07/07/the-roswell-reports-what-crashed-in-the-desert/

Key finding: Nothing in the newly circulating clip overturns those conclusions.

How the Story Got Murky—Fast

BILD’s post used the dramatic headline “Geheime Roswell-Aufnahmen – Liegt hier ein Ufo-Wrack samt Alien?” (“Secret Roswell recordings—Is this a UFO wreck and an alien?”), and credited multiple sources:

• “National Archives Catalog” (correct for some materials)
• Reuters/Getty
• “Reality Entertainment” (a commercial UFO/conspiracy label)

That mix signals a curated presentation—not a single archival “reveal.” The line between public records, stock footage, and documentary imagery got blurred in the packaging. BILD link: https://www.bild.de/news/ausland/geheime-roswell-aufnahmen-liegt-hier-ein-ufo-wrack-und-ein-alien-68cd487eaf784b5fa5e3ca74

Timeline, Simplified

• 1947: Debris recovered near Roswell, New Mexico.
• 1994 & 1997: Air Force reports point to Project Mogul and non‑ET explanations.
• 2014: NARA blog explains the Roswell holdings and context.
• 2025: NARA begins rolling additions of UAP records; a 22‑minute “Roswell Incident” video appears in the catalog and goes viral.
• Headlines call it a “leak”; reality says “public posting.”

What We Verified vs. What’s Unclear

• Verified:

  • The video is (or was) in the National Archives’ public catalog.
  • NARA is actively adding UAP records in 2025.
  • The “alien body” claim relies on subjective interpretation of images, not authenticated evidence.
  • Official investigations found no extraterrestrial wreckage or bodies.

• Unclear/needs more data:

  • The precise National Archives Identifier (NAID) and upload timestamp for this exact 22‑minute file—NARA’s catalog doesn’t always display an obvious “posted on” date for every item.
  • The full provenance of every shot in BILD’s compiled presentation, given its mixed credits.

If you have the specific catalog link you saw, we can pull the NAID and description and confirm every detail.

Why This Keeps Happening

Roswell sits at the crossroads of history and myth. Public archives lend legitimacy, compilation videos add drama, and social feeds reward the most exciting spin. Put it all together, and “public posting” morphs into “secret leak,” and a rock shadow becomes “a body.”

Bottom Line

• Not a leak: The video is a public National Archives item.
• Not secret footage: Roswell moving‑image records have been accessible for years.
• No verified alien: The strongest available evidence still points to non‑ET explanations.

See For Yourself

• National Archives UAP moving‑image page: https://www.archives.gov/research/topics/uaps/moving-images-and-sound
• NARA UAP press note (2025): https://www.archives.gov/press/press-releases/2025/nr25-07
• NARA blog on Roswell holdings (2014): https://unwritten-record.blogs.archives.gov/2014/07/07/the-roswell-reports-what-crashed-in-the-desert/
• Air Force report text (1997): https://archive.org/stream/AFD-101027-030/AFD-101027-030_djvu.txt
• 1997 “Roswell Reports” video context: https://archive.org/details/CSPAN3_20210620_202900_Reel_America_The_Roswell_Reports_-_1997

Have a link to the exact 22‑minute “The Roswell Incident” catalog entry? Share it, and we’ll trace its metadata, sourcing, and any edits—on the record.