FOIA 18-F-0324 release

OFFICE OF THE UNDER SECRETARY OF DEFENSE
5000 DEFENSE PENTAGON
WASHINGTON DC 20301-5000
INTELLIGENCE
INFO MEMO
MEMORANDUM FOR RECORD
FROM: Garry Reid, Director for Defense Intelligence, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense
for Intelligence
SUBJECT: (U) Update on Media Reporting Related to the Advanced Aerospace Threat
Identification Program (AATIP) and Actions of Former DoD Employee Luis Elizondo
(UhMIBLUF: This memorandum summarizes recent media interest in the AATIP, which
has been accentuated by the public statements of former DoD employee Luis Elizondo, who has
aggrandized his role in the program. We are collecting facts regarding Mr. Elizondo's actual
role in the AATIP, reviewing the program's history with DIA, Navy, and Air Force, and
pursuing options to investigate Mr. Elizondo's possible mishandling of sensitive information.
• (Uh= Mr. Elizondo was assigned to OUSDI from September 28, 2008 to October
4, 2017. He served as an action officer in Partner Engagement, and subsequently as a
branch chief managing classified information to support the Office of Military
Commissions. To the best of my knowledge, he had no job responsibilities related to the
AATIP. The AATIP was terminated in 2012. An information paper on the program is at
Tab A.
• (Uh=1 On October 3, 2017, Mr. Elizondo submitted a resignation letter (Tab B)
requesting immediate termination of his employment. He was cleared out of USDI the
next day. He provided no reason for the sudden departure.
• (ty On or about October 4, after Mr. Elizondo had departed the organization, a
second resignation letter (Tab C) was delivered to the USDI Chief of Staff office. In this
letter, which is formatted as a "Memorandum for Record" but uses the salutation "Mr.
Secretary," Mr. Elizondo cites concerns over anomalous aerospace threats as the basis for
his resignation. Given the uncertain provenance of the second letter, OUSDI retained a
copy but did not provide it to the SecDef office.
• (UM In a phone call on October 5, when asked about the second letter, Mr.
Elizondo told me that for many years he had been secretly tasked by the Secretary of
Defense as the program manager for investigating UFOs and other aerial threats. He said
nobody in USDI was cleared for this program and would not discuss it further. I
discussed his claims with senior officials who would likely have known of such an
arrangement, but was unable to substantiate them.