On June 25, 1978, James Minton, his wife and I, breakfasted together in a motel in Carlyle, Illinois, on the day Betty Hill, Charles Hickson,and I each addressed the UFO Study Group of Greater St. Louis, hosted by Mrs. Rosetta Holmes, at the Fish Hatchery grounds. Jim and I, over several coffees, discussed our respective interests in the UFO and have since that day "kept in touch" as I continued to develop new material about the UFO crash/retrieval syndrome. In September of 1979, Jim called to relate that he had talked with a former Air Force friend, William Draeger of Austin, Texas, who had uncovered some information about a 1950 crash incident occurring in Mexico.

I knew the incident well, and that it had been disputed by some researchers. However, I had not pursued the case beyond having referred to the alleged crash in my previous paper. At that time, I had used information related by Todd Zechel to the Midnight Globe. Since, further research into the case by Zechel and others has revealed that not only the year of the incident was wrong, having changed from 1948 to 1950, but also the crash site has changed.

Whatever the status of the case, I was eager to learn anything new, so Minton made arrangements for me to call Draeger the same day. One call led to another as Draeger had hoped to gather information from still another backup source. Like his friend Minton, he was willing and able to probe - and is resourceful. And being also honest, Draeger said he was unable to get his other source to talk, but agreed to submit a statement for this paper relative to his investigation in Mexico (names withheld). His letter, dated October 11, 1979, follows:

"Todd Zechel called me in Austin, Texas, on Sunday, August 13, 1979. He was acting as consultant to a Japanese television crew from Nippon Television Network taping a UFO documentary. They were in Del Rio, Texas, researching the alleged UFO crash which occurred in 1950 (and has at times been erroneously reported as having occurred near Laredo, Texas). On Monday August 14, I was employed as interpreter for the Japanese crew due to the fact that I was raised in Del Rio and speak Spanish fluently. The retired Colonel who witnessed the UFO in the air and later on the ground was also in Del Rio with Todd and reported that the soldiers surrounding the crashed craft were Mexican troops. I contacted the Mexican Army General who had command of that specific area of the border and initially talked with him by telephone. I identified myself and my position and related that in 1950, a UFO was reported to have crashed 30 miles northwest of Del Rio, that we had along a pilot who had seen it in the air and later on the ground being guarded by Mexican troops until American Air Force units arrived to retrieve the craft and a body that was found aboard. Without pause, the General answered in Spanish, "Yes, I know about that. I don't have any papers or documents to prove it, but due to my position, I know about that."

When I asked if he would consent to an interview, he paused and said he would be busy for 30 minutes but afterwards would be free for an interview at his home. When the 7-man crew, the retired colonel, and myself arrived and we talked with him, he totally denied any knowledge of the incident and on camera, he denied and evaded any questions dealing with the incident and UFOs. The General is a military celebrity and began his career as a young Lieutenant serving under Pancho Villa during the Mexican Revolution. He was acquainted with several movie stars, like John Wayne, and became friends with General George Patton when he was stationed at Fort Clark, 35 miles from the border. They played polo together. I believe the General is beyond reproach and that he "slipped" on the telephone but maintained strict security for the interview.

I, William H. Draeger, do hereby swear to God that the above statement is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth."
(signed) William H. Draeger