Sure he's credible. But Marcel sr had the credentials at the relevant time--base intel officer. There are skeptics who'd have us believe he was senile by 1978 and was coached by Friedman to say what he did. Hogwash.
Marcel is definitely NOT credible, period, for the very reason you list above AND the reporting of what he said is also different to multiple sources too! He was never told the truth about the 1947 UFO Wave, imo. Marcel was just a pawn that could be sacrificed for the following reasons.
Jesse's most excellent adventure
Being the base Intelligence officer means he has lifetime security agreements that he must keep. Meaning, any "truth" you believe he gave is just disinformation for the stupid ass Moore Berliz book which was more disinformation thanks to a number of Air Force OSI people running Moore as a disinformation agent. But 'you' somehow believe Stanton was owed the truth by any of these people? Outrageous, really, to not understand just how gullible people can be and what LIES this is all based on.
Neither you, nor Stanton, nor the readership of Berliz's book and those that followed were ever owed the truth about any of it. It is almost certain Marcel himself was NEVER told the truth about "The Wave". He's just a sacrificial pawn, period. You obviously do NOT understand intelligence operations and need to know, imo.
There is ample proof that the ongoing UFO Wave of 1947 was an organized propaganda effort by Need to Know Intelligence Operatives in an isolated compartmentalized operation within some intelligence agency in the US government. [See below in this post.]
WTF, man, the US Government ran the greatest propaganda machine in WWII with rubber inflatable tanks, planes, etc. making the German military believe whole army divisions were where they were not. And you think they could not fly fake or real UFO's for some reason? BS. I don't claim to know exactly why the US Need to Know people ran this Deception Campaign, but I believe it has to do with secret weapons development the Nazis had done with UFO and rocket development. It is a FACT secret weapons were removed from Germany ASAP and brought to the USA to continue R&D using captured German scientists and engineers -for example Project Paperclip. Also, we were already in a Cold War with the Russians, so this could have been news reporting to disinfo the Russians. Much of it could simply be Media Hysteria too!
One thing is for certain: Stanton NEVER had a Need to Know, and the Burn Bags took care of the details about this 1947 UFO Wave 30 years BEFORE Stanton got jack crap nothing but disinformation.
See below...I don't think this guy was joking at all. He gave waayyy too detailed information to be a joke. This is WHY I know Roswell is part of some MILITARY UFO EARTH BASED secret program. We do NOT have a need to know! That's how the game is played. Arnold KNEW he was bugged in WA, and he starts the propaganda catching wild fire with Fate magazine too! What an amazing media campaign.
Also, the very end of the article says these sightings were happening for 10 days, so that predates Roswell too.
How many ET UFO Investigators SERIOUSLY followed-up on any of these reports? There was enough information there to track down some relatives, etc. IMO.
PROJECT 1947 - UFO REPORTS 1947
I thank Sentry for finding that link. His blog is blueblurrylines.com
Roswell Morning Dispatch, - July 8, 1947
Report Flying Disk Found
By The Associated Press
Two flying disks were reported found in Texas and at least one is being investigated by military officials as the total number of Texans claiming to have seen the mysterious objects passed the 50 mark yesterday.
The disks were reported found on a beach near Trinity Bay, near Houston, and near Hillsboro.
The Houston Chronicle said a great deal of mystery surrounded the one found near there by Norman Hargrave, a jeweler, Sunday. He first reported that he had found the aluminum disk floating near the beach while he and his wife were walking. He described it minutely, even giving an inscription he said it carried.
Today he said it was all a joke, but the Chronicle, after extensive checking, said "there are some mysterious facts contained in his (Hargrave's) first report that lend credence to the tale."
Hargrave first said the disk bore this wording: "Military secret of the United States of America. Army Air Forces M4339658. Anyone damaging or revealing description or whereabouts of this missile subject to prosecution by the U.S. government. Call collect at once, LD446, Army Air Forces Denot, Spokane, Wash." He said the words "non-explosive" also were carried.
It was recalled that the initial reports of flying saucers or disks originated in the Spokane area.
The Chronicle, meanwhile, telephoned Spokane, and said it "brought interest" on the part of the commanding officer, but he would not confirm or deny that the missile may have carried the message. Later he referred Houston to Wright Field, Ohio, but the commanding officer there was out of town.
In Houston, Col. R. W. Warren, commanding officer of Ellington Field, said he had been instructed by Washington to investigate.
Houston police would not say if they had the missile.
The second flying disks (sic) was reported found by Bob Scott, a farmer living two and a half miles east of Hillsboro. He said the disk fell on his place Friday, and that it resembled a saucer. He said it was so bright he could not look at it very long.
He said he was afraid people might believe he was "going to extremes in imagining things" and he told no one but his family until yesterday.
Then he notified O.F. Kissick and Joe Gerick, Hillsboro, who went to the field and investigated. Most of it had melted, they said. Gerick said one piece looked like tin foil, but when he picked it up, it appeared to be celluloid.
Another development in Houston was a suggestion by Charles Odom, 23, air force captain in the last war, that the flying disks might be "crystal balls" similar to those he said were used by the Nazis.
He said these balls were electronically operated, and while in midair would send back to a radar screen on the ground the altitude, speed and other data of bombers it approached.