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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. 13 …In addition, research into UFOs had revealed the existence of tHo sun-like stars, Zeta: I…
  • p. 48 …of religion with the UFO situation at that level. Some Christian researchers sul!gest that those…
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1299 U11ident(fied [ LORDS ] Flyi11g Objects 1300
[Lord Hewlett.] j trying to prove the existence of nothing
phenomenon whicJ1 requircs--I have or that something docs not exist. I am
given way a good number of times and I saying that in the scientific evidence so
should be grateful if the noble Lord would far-and I can deal only in detail with
let ·me finish my sentence. I am saying the United Kinc-dom-therc is no evider;ce
that Jodrcll Bank, which covers the whole \Vhatever from the greatest radio telescope
of the United Kingdom, has been on watch of a single UFO. l think that the
for 30 years. It is probably the most attitudes of defence establishments world-
powerful radio teiescope in the world. 1 wide, even including the Soviet Union,
With great respect, if it has found nothing j are probably wise; they must display the
whatsoever to report in a positive way antithesis of over-confidence and com-
then, for the noble Lord, Lord Davies of placmcy. lest there should perchance be
Leek, to throw at me, " some scientists some new arm of warfare that they have
think that ... " is not good enough. not adequately explored or even entered.
Particularly did this attitude apply in
Lord DAVIES of LEEK: My Lords. 1 the first decade after the Second World
we must not take more time. I' War when, frankly, the start of the
" cold war" and the intense fear of the
Lord HEWLETT: No my Lords, we Soviet Union's possible aggression against
must not, so f fear that the noble Lordi' the West when we were the sole possessors
must give way to the argument. I shall 1 of atomic V't:apons, must have provoked
give way to the noble Earl Lord Kimberley. l such a degree of intense interest in the
I knew that I slJould have a rough time! Ipossibility of a new arm of \Varfare.
I am sorry that the right reverendThe Earl of KIMBERLEY: My Lords, Prelate the Bishop of Norwich is not
does the noble Lord not think it con- here, but I am glad that the noble Lord,
ceivable that Jodrell Bank says that there Lord Trefgarne, is on the Opposition
are no UFOs because that is what it has Front Bench. I quote from Sir Bernard:been told to say?
"Whether we are the only people in the
Iuniverse is entirely a11other matter. That is a
Lord HEWLEIT: I certainly think it subject of Yery serious importance and i~ being
inconct:ivable-absolutcly and completely 1 investigated ".
in~on~eivable. [ have known t~is 1 But there is no direct connection between
sctenttst personally for more than ...iOI· the possibility of other persons occupying
years. J would not drcatn of gain~ other bodies, either within or outside
along for a briefing, so to speak, on the , our own solar system. However, one
estimation that he was to con me or that thing is quite clear: there is an infinitesimal
I was some tool of the CIA to kid vour 1 chance that there e'\ists other people who
Lordships. Please do not let . m; carry I could be within our time-frame--and I
this fantasy too far. I shall deai with j refer of course to the statements made by
one or two other aspects of the noble/' the noble Lord, Lord Gladwyn, and the
Earl's speech and then he shall see somt: noble Earl, Lord Halsburv-who would
correlation to the whole of my argument. be able to spend perhaps ten or hundreds
I of light years getting here and who wouldLet us turn to the defence interests of ! •
1 have surv1ved that length of time in those
the P7ntagon and ,other Western defence ! atrocious conditions and entered our earth
estahl1shme~~s. ''hen they have been I atmosphere assuming that they are some
challenged t •. ey l.1ave r~ft~sed ,to say th~t / so~t of humanity and have some form of
UFOs do not ex1~t. N?t ~a' e they sa1d I flymg . sat~'~!• or whatever our friends
th:at UFO; do .cx1st. Tncy are no~ com- 1 proc!alln 1t ts. How could they possibly
mttted. We a1e all men of t~Je WOfl.d and j meet us in those circumstances? Let us
frankly ~here are :-dv<~nt.ages Ill makmg_ an , take the million-to-one possibility that
mtern~t1onal ovc1 -csttmate of_ the posst~le 1 they could. Do your Lordships mean to
potent1al str~ngth.. of one s potenti~tl , tell me that they could get so clos':! to us
enemy ~nd h1~ ab1hty to combat one 1!1 I as to be sighted, but be incapable of any
, sectors 111
'~htch one .cannot adequately ' form of communication or identification
I rep!~. r thmk that 1t woul~ be most ! whatever? No, I am sorry.
unwtse of any defence establtshment to j
; make a categorical denial of UFOs, and , l have listened most carefully to every-
\ equally foolish of me to do so. I am not I thing that has been said. The noble
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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.