Press Reference
Death on the Range (UFO Update)
Schmitt Conference Files (MSS 370)
This archive presents digitized materials from the Schmitt Conference Files (MSS 370) held at the University of New Mexico Center for Southwest Research & Special Collections.
The collection documents discussions, correspondence, conference papers, and investigative materials relating to animal mutilation cases and associated helicopter reports in the American Southwest during the late 1970s.
The files were compiled in connection with the April 20, 1979 conference on animal mutilations held in Albuquerque, New Mexico under the auspices of United States Senator Harrison Schmitt.
Included in this release are conference transcripts, conference invitations, white papers, Senate memoranda, grant materials, investigative updates, and correspondence connected to Operation Animal Mutilation and related livestock mutilation inquiries.
These records provide primary-source documentation of how livestock mutilation reports were investigated, debated, and publicly discussed during the period, offering historical insight into the scientific, political, and investigative response to the phenomenon.
Source
MSS 370 — University of New Mexico, Center for Southwest Research & Special Collections
Published
2026-02-20
“Mystery Helicopters and Animal Mutilations: Exploring a Connection” (Copyright © 1979 Thomas R. Adams) is reproduced here for historical research, archival preservation, and scholarly reference. The document was originally distributed to participants of the April 20, 1979 conference on animal mutilations held in Albuquerque, New Mexico under the auspices of United States Senator Harrison Schmitt. Illume Umbra Research does not claim copyright ownership of this work. It is presented in good faith under a fair use assessment for non-commercial educational and research purposes.
Contact: justin.long@illumeumbra.org
Scope and Arrangement
This digital publication presents primary-source materials from MSS 370, University of New Mexico, Center for Southwest Research & Special Collections. Files correspond to specific archival container designations and are reproduced in container-faithful digital form.
No rearrangement of archival order has been applied. Materials are presented in accordance with original box and folder designations. Where a single folder was scanned in multiple segments, those segments have been consolidated into a unified PDF for access purposes only; the original archival structure has not been altered.
Where present, contemporaneous newspaper clippings are included as discrete excerpts retained within the collection to document reporting or contextual reference. Periodical publications are documented at the metadata level only, reflecting their presence in archival materials without reproducing full published issues.
Additional folders or materials from MSS 370 may be incorporated as review and redaction permit.
Documents
Primary documents published from archival containers.
Transcript
Document
MSS 370 — Box 33 / Folder 10 — Conference Transcript (Compiled)
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Conference Papers
Document
MSS 370 — Box 33 / Folder 10 — Mystery Helicopters and Animal Mutilations: Exploring a Connection (Project Stigma)
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Document
MSS 370 — Box 33 / Folder 10 — Conference Invitations
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White Papers
Document
MSS 370 — Box 33 / Folder 14 — BDM White Paper
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Operation Animal Mutilation
Document
United States Senate Memorandum re: Rommel and Schoenfeld Labs
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Document
SFDO Project Report — Cattle Mutilations (July 18, 1979)
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Document
David Perkins (AMP) Letter to Sen. Schmitt — Animal Mutilations Update (June 8, 1979)
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Document
Sen. Harrison Schmitt Letter to Dr. J. Howard Sherrod — Livestock Mutilations (May 7, 1979)
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Document
LEAA Grant Application — Operation Animal Mutilation (April 4, 1979)
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Document
First Quarterly Progress Report — Operation Animal Mutilation (May 29–June 30, 1979)
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Document
Kenneth Rommel Press Conference Summary — Cattle Mutilations (April 15, 1980)
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Document
United States Senate Memorandum — Rommel Response to Schmitt Press Statements (April 16, 1980)
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Document
Harrison Schmitt Letters re: LEAA Grant and Rommel Investigation (May 21, 1979)
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Document
Peter Jordan Letter to Harrison Schmitt re: Operation Cattle Mutilation (July 12, 1979)
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Document
Tommy Roy Blann Letter to Harrison Schmitt re: Livestock Mutilations (October 1, 1979)
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Referenced Press
Non-government publications documented as present in the originating file. These entries are metadata-only unless otherwise noted.
Press Reference
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