Stanton Terry Friedman was born July 29, 1934, in Elizabeth, New Jersey. He earned a B.S. in 1955 and M.S. in nuclear physics in 1956 from the University of Chicago and spent 14 years on classified nuclear projects at General Electric, Aerojet, General Motors, Westinghouse, TRW, and McDonnell Douglas.
In 1970 he left industry to investigate UFOs. Starting in 1978 he located and interviewed Roswell witnesses and concluded the 1947 event involved recovery of an extraterrestrial craft and small humanoid bodies that were immediately classified.
- Worked on nuclear aircraft, fission/fusion rockets, and space power systems 1956–1970.
- First civilian to document the Roswell crash site and revive the case with witness interviews from 1978.
- Defended authenticity of select MJ-12 documents in his 1996 book Top Secret/MAJIC.
- Lectured at over 600 colleges and appeared on numerous television programs including Larry King Live.
- Died May 13, 2019, at Toronto Pearson Airport after a speaking engagement.
- United StatesBorn 1934, dual citizen
- University of ChicagoB.S. 1955, M.S. 1956 nuclear physics
- General ElectricNuclear physicist 1956–1959
- WestinghouseNuclear physicist 1966–1968
- McDonnell DouglasNuclear physicist 1970
- Roswell UFO Hall of FameInducted
Background
Stanton Terry Friedman was born July 29, 1934, in Elizabeth, New Jersey, and raised in nearby Linden. He graduated from Linden High School in 1951 as valedictorian, attended Rutgers University for two years, then transferred to the University of Chicago where he received a Bachelor of Science in physics in 1955 and a Master of Science in nuclear physics in 1956.
From 1956 to 1959 Friedman worked at General Electric on radiation shielding for the Aircraft Nuclear Propulsion program. He moved to Aerojet General Nucleonics in 1959 and spent four years on nuclear systems for space and terrestrial use including fusion propulsion concepts.
In 1963 he joined General Motors Allison Division and worked on the Military Compact Reactor program, magnetohydrodynamics, and desalination projects through 1966. He then spent two years at Westinghouse Astronuclear Laboratory on the NERVA nuclear rocket program focusing on radiation shielding and instrumentation.
Friedman’s final industry roles were brief stints at TRW Systems in 1969–1970 and McDonnell Douglas on compact nuclear power plants for space. Across these fourteen years he held security clearances on advanced, later canceled projects.
Friedman became interested in UFOs after reading Edward Ruppelt’s 1956 book in 1958. In 1970 he left full-time nuclear work to investigate the topic scientifically and began lecturing on the subject.
In 1978 Friedman tracked down retired Major Jesse Marcel and other Roswell witnesses. Over the following decades he interviewed dozens of military and civilian personnel who described unusual metallic debris and small humanoid bodies recovered in July 1947.
Friedman co-authored Crash at Corona with Don Berliner in 1992 and presented his Roswell findings in books, lectures, and television appearances. He maintained that the Army Air Forces quickly imposed the highest level of classification on the recovery.
In 1996 Friedman published Top Secret/MAJIC in which he examined the MJ-12 documents, compared signatures and fonts, and concluded that the Eisenhower Briefing Document, Truman-Forrestal memo, and Cutler-Twining memo were genuine and described a secret committee managing recovered extraterrestrial technology.
Friedman appeared on programs including Unsolved Mysteries, Larry King Live, and Nightline. He lectured in more than 50 U.S. states, 10 Canadian provinces, and 19 other countries. He co-authored additional books with Kathleen Marden on the Betty and Barney Hill case and scientific skepticism.
Friedman received a Lifetime UFO Achievement Award in 2002 and was inducted into the Roswell UFO Hall of Fame. He continued lecturing until shortly before his death.
Legacy
Stanton Friedman died of a heart attack on May 13, 2019, at Toronto Pearson Airport while returning from a speaking engagement in Columbus, Ohio. He was 84 and lived in Fredericton, New Brunswick, with dual U.S.-Canadian citizenship.
His books, lectures, and Roswell interviews remain widely cited in UFO research. He is remembered as the researcher who brought the Roswell incident back into public discussion and consistently argued for the reality of extraterrestrial visitation based on witness testimony and declassified documents.
Last updated 25 October 2026