Documents / Document
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.
“Mission Control”2 pages
DR CLARKE- REQUEST FOR INFORMATION Request 1 Copy of the file relating to a UFO report by Mrs J Bowles and Mr E Pratt near Winchester, Hampshire, on 14 November 1976. File AIR 2/18977 identified. Recalled from the PRO. It contained 11 UFO reports made to the MOD between 5th and 301h November 1976. There were no reports for the 14th November and none from Mrs Bowles or Mr Pratt. Dr Clarke informed in my letter of31 October 2002. Request 2 Copy of the files containing briefing and background notes on UFOs prepared by the Head of S4(Air), with contributions from RAF Ops (GE)2 and DI55 for reference by Lord Strabolgi in his closing address during the House of Lords debate on UFOs, 18 January 1979. We had two files on this -D/DS8/75/3/1 Parts A and B- Parliamentary Correspondence-House ofLords Debate 1979. Both were destroyed in 1990. Dr Clarke was informed in my letter of 16 September 2002. In his reply of 7 October Dr Clarke expressed surprise at this because a file D/DS8/75/3- UFO Parliamentary Correspondence, was listed as being held by the MOD in answer to a PQ by Lord Hill-Norton on 14 October 1998. This file was in fact a general Parliamentary Correspondence file. When retrieved from archives it was found to contain the following background papers, relevant to the Lords debate. 1. Signal message (Unclassified) from UKMIS New York to FCO dated 6 Dec 1977. Concerning a draft UN resolution on UFOs. 2. Signal message (Confidential) from FCO to UKMIS New York dated 1 Dec 1977. Talks of UK opposition to a Grenada resolution on UFOs and our intention to vote against any such resolution. 3. Signal message (Restricted) from FCO to UKMIS New York dated 30 November 1977. Ministers view that an agency on UFOs would reduce the credibility of the UN and the UK should oppose it. 4. Agenda Item No.128, 33rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly, dated 15 September 1978. (Restricted). Concerns the establishment of an agency or department of the United Nations for undertaking, co-ordinating and disseminating the results of research into unidentified flying objects and related phenomena. 5. Letter from the United Kingdom Mission to the United Nations, to UN Dept of FCO, date 21 November 1978. (Restricted). Refers to a letter circulated to Missions by the Permanent Mission of Grenada concerning their wish to set up an agency for the study of UFOs.
Document, cited by the archive. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. 492 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.