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MOD file DEFE 24/2032/1

The Black Vault · 492 pages · text from the file's own layer

This Ministry of Defence file, released through The National Archives and published by The Black Vault, holds the MOD's 2002 handling of Dr David Clarke's requests for UFO documents under the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information. It includes the MOD's 9 December 2002 reply, which covered reports from 1976, 1980, 1993 and 1996 and charged £260. It also contains internal emails and file requisitions, plus Foreign Office and United Nations papers from 1978 on Grenada's proposal for UFO research.

  • p. 7 …I apologise for the quality of the Facsimile message from RAF Neatishead. We have checked with…
  • p. 313 …Sector Operations Centre (South) at RAF Neatishead have told D Air Def's staff that nothing…
  • p. 381 …Sector Operations Centre (South) at RAF Neatishead have told D Air Def's staff that nothing…
  • p. 394 …The lights observed from Skegness were captured on video which is being sent to RAF Neatishead…
  • p. 397 …RAF Neatishead if any aircraft activity was present on the radar in that area; Neatishead had…
  • p. 398 …Meanwhile, CRC Neatishead's inquiries had revealed no sign of air movements or military exercises in…
  • p. 417 …Tornado F3 QRA aircraft are held on high alert at RAF Leuchars but not routinely at…
  • p. 418 …No copy was sent to Neatishead. b. RAF Air Defence Ground Environment units, including CRC Neatishead…
  • p. 427 …The lights observed from Skegness were captured on video which is being sent to RAF Neatishead…
  • p. 430 …RAF Neatishead if any aircraft activity was present on the radar in that area; Neatishead had…
  • p. 431 …Meanwhile, CRC Neatishead's inquiries had revealed no sign of air movements or military exercises in…
  • p. 448 …Torna o F3 QRA aircraft are held on high alert at RAF Leuchars b t ot…
  • p. 449 …No copy was sent to Neatishead. b. RAF Air Defence Ground Environment units, including CRC Neatishead…
  • p. 456 …RAF Neatishead to GESM dated 5 Oct 1996 attached to a transcipt of conversations between Neatishead…
  • p. 463 Copies of report made by RAF Fylingdales, North Yorkshire, of unidentified objects tracked by the BMEWS…
  • p. 471 …Copies of report made by RAF Fylingdales, North Yo~kshire, of unidentified ~·;}.Y' object/s tracked…
  • p. 477 …Copies of UFO reports made in the early hours of30/31 March 1993 by RAF and…
  • p. 491 …Copies of UFO reports made in the early hours of 30/31 March 1993 by RAF…
.e
8 9. ·In
;..
sum, we cannot prove that all or even most of these so-
I
called sightings were not UFOs. But we can say that there is a
great variety of phenomena in the skies for which there are
. perfectly ordinary explanations. We have rio reason to believe
that the so-called UFOs are attributed to anything but these same
causes.
10. But what of these famous arrivals of UFOs, claimed to be
fully documented and authenticated by many witnesses. On
scrutiny they tend to be elusive. I will select one, which
Lord Clancarty has described in his book MYsterious Visitors
as •one of the most remarkable and unexplained mysteries of
k,
modern times•. He claims that during the Gallipots campaign
in 1975, an en~; ire British regiment, the First Fotirth Norfolks,
-was advancing towards Hill 60: a cloud descended and picked up
~he regiment and it was never heard of again ••••••• (checking
with Army Historical Branch)
11. As I h~ve indicated,there is no criticism of those who
accurately report phenomena. The criticism is of over-readiness
to call them ,!UFOs', and to transpose that into 'alien space
craft'. Thb reports are passed without critical scrutiny to
,-w,W\
the ufologists; who add~ without critical scrutiny, to their
huge files of 'reported sightings and landin~s•.
- 4 -
IIf.

Cases discussed

About this file

Document, cited by the archive. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is under it. 492 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.