A lively “Washington versus Roswell” UFO debate on Oct. 10 brought Pacific Northwest stories to a New Mexico (and national) audience, pitting Washington state’s 1947 Maury Island Incident and Mount Rainier sightings against Roswell’s famed crash narrative during a live program at Truth or Consequences Brewing Company.

The event was hosted by Dr. Tim Mounce, host of the “All Things Unexplained” podcast, who introduced teams of researchers and journalists from the rival groups, and emceed the debate.

Representing Washington – attorney, filmmaker, historian and Des Moines resident Steve Edmiston – argued that the Maury Island Incident and Ken Arnold sighting near Mount Rainier launched the modern “flying saucer” era.

He was joined by Jason Mattson of the Lewis County Historical Museum and videographer Vince Ynzunza, who said the Arnold report “ignited the public’s fascination with UFOs” and coined the term “flying saucers.”

“Kenneth Arnold’s 1947 Mount Rainier sighting ignited the public’s fascination with UFOs and gave us the term ‘flying saucer,'” Ynzunza said.

Edmiston described FBI files enclosed in a big binder that he said documented the government’s early involvement with the Maury Island case and told attendees:

“No other UFO incident has been investigated to this extent and with this documentary record.”

Roswell advocates countered that their case remains the most consequential because of its military connections and enduring testimony. Roswell Daily Record journalist and filmmaker Toby Martinez and tour guide and researcher Paul Semones revisited the 1947 press release that announced the Army Air Force had “captured a flying saucer,” then quickly reversed course. Semones told the audience, “For 78 years, these pictures have confused the world,” arguing that photographs of debris shown in Texas did not settle what happened in New Mexico.

The program mixed scholarship with showmanship, including an audience bingo game tied to UFO buzzwords, giveaways and a tongue-in-cheek conclusive signing of the “Roswell Washington UFO Accords,” which acknowledged Washington as the “birthplace of the flying saucers and the Men in Black” and Roswell as the “UFO capital.”

The event wrapped up with a brief question and answer session that included a few fascinating stories of personal UFO/UAP experiences from the crowd.

The host ended the evening by encouraging attendees to “get off our screens” and spend more time looking up at the night sky.

On a personal note, we had a great time in the cordial town of Truth or Consequences, enjoyed their hot springs mineral baths and desert air, as well as the hospitality, craft beers and boisterous crowd at the Truth or Consequences Brewing Company.

We hope this debate is just the start of a new annual tradition that really takes off like a flying saucer.

VIDEO

Below is raw video of our live stream, as filmed on location by Scott Schaefer (running time 2-hours, 2-minutes):