11 August
The National Archives has today released another 34 'UFO files' covering the period 1985-2007. The files from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) contain top secret memos in which UFOs are discussed, as well as sightings and incidents reported by members of the public, parliamentary questions, briefings and photos. In all, almost 9,000 pages of new material are now open to the public.
The files reveal that 'defence experts' were called in to examine a 2004 photo of a 'flying saucer' taken outside Retford town hall in Nottinghamshire. According to the files, experts from the Defence Geographic and Imagery Intelligence Agency (DGIA) could not reach any 'definitive conclusions' on the contents of the picture.
'The truth is in these files'
Dr David Clarke, author of the book The UFO Files and Senior Lecturer in Journalism from Sheffield Hallam University, said: 'The famous catchphrase from The X-Files was 'the truth is out there'. Many people continue to believe the governments of the world know 'the truth' about UFOs and are concealing the fact that we are not alone in the universe. But I believe the truth is in these files. The files suggest that the UK government knows as much as we do about alien visitors and has no evidence to suggest that we have ever been visited, despite the interest it has taken in sightings over the years.'
Further file highlights
The files also shed new light on the famous RAF Lakenheath incident in 1956 in which fighter planes were scrambled to intercept an unidentified flying object tracked on radar. Retired RAF Fighter Controller Freddie Wimbledon's memories of the night are included in the new release, while retired MoD official Ralph Noyes recalls being shown gun camera footage of the UFO at a special screening in 1970.
Other highlights from this release include:
- the UFO sighting in East Dulwich which led to a visit from 'Mork and Mindy'
- files on the Rendlesham Forest incident including the News of the World splash which first broke the story
- new policy files detailing the government's approach to the UFO issue, including the MoD admission in 1995 that 'higher priorities' had prevented a full-scale study of the thousands of UFO reports they had received since the Second World War
The files are free to download for a month at nationalarchives.gov.uk/ufos
