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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.
“RAF”60+ pages
-·~-- --·~ -....:..- ___ _,_ 1311 .. . Unidentified [LORDS] Flying Objects l312. [Lord Strabolgi. J. · also suggested that Tulli, ~n amateur Egyptologist, had been taken m by a fake. Earl suggested that M. Galley had said that UFOs were real but that he, the Minister, did not know where they came lfrom. I have read the transcript of M.·There is a category of UFO cases which are difficult to explain because the description is too vague or the evidence too remote, coupled perhaps. with a coincidence of different phenomena and with exceptional conditions. If one accepts that there are natual explanations that could account for most sightings, it is. an enormous and irrational jump to claim that the residue of difficult cases constitute alien· space craft when there is ~o posit~ve evidence that they do constitute ahen space craft. I· should mention the famous UFO reported over the United Kingdom ~n December 1978, on New Year's Eve m fact. This was the one probably seen by the noble Lord, Lord Gainford, to which he referred. The phenomenon was prob- ably the re-entry of a launcher associated with the Russian space satellite COSMOS 1068 launched on 26th December. Of over' 100 reports reaching the Ministry of Defence nearly all were factual and consiste~t with the re-entry of satellite debris. The recent sightings in New Zealand referred to by the noble Lord, Lord Kin2s Norton, attracted· · worldwide publicity, and we understand that lhe New Zealand Government may make an announcement when the facts have been assembled and appraised. Preliminary advice from our High Commission .in New Zealand shO\VS confident expectation that the sightings wiil prove to be due to natural phenomena, as I think the noble Lord, Lord Trefgarne, and the noble Earl, Lord Halsbury, implied. Mv Lords . the noble Earl who initiated this ~debate 'referred to the attitude of Galley's broadcast and I also took the trouble to check it in the original French. The essence of what the :tvlinister said was that the phenomena were genuine and were reported by responsible people, but that there \Vere aspects that were difficult to explain. Nov.here did the Minister say that UFOs were real in the sense that they represent alien spacecraft, as suggested by the noble Lord, Lord Rankeillour. · The noble Earl, Lord Kimberley, also said that these had been seen by astronauts. These reports by astronauts were examined in the Colorado Study. The atron.auts were required, of course, to report any- thing unusual perceived on their missions; and indeed many strange phenomena were noted. All the phenomena except three were explained. There was nothing at all to suggest that the unexplained sig:hti.ags were alien spacecraft, and the limited visibility from the small and smeared windows of a spacecraft did not make visual observation easy. It has been suggested in this debate that our Government are involved in au alleged conspiracy of silence. I can assure your Lordships that the Govern- ment are not engaged in any such con- spiracy. In view of what the noble Lord, Lord Gainford, said, I must emphasise that the Ministry of Defence examines any UFO reports received to establish whether they reveal anything of defence interest but nothing in the reports examin~d has ever given cause to believe that they represent alien spacecraft. There is nothing to have a conspiracy of silence about. What is more, a visitor from outer space would be one of the great events in history. It wot:Id certainly be an event of stupendous Importance, but I hesitate to say the greatest event of all in· the presence of my old friend the right · reverend prel.ate the Bish.op of Norwich, whose movmg speech we listened to with much interest. · other Governments to UFOs. It is not for me to speak in this House for other Governments. I have however already made mention of the United States study in 1968 and I understand that nothing has happened since. that. ~ime to cause t~e United States authonlles to change the1r vie\vs or to warrant further official investigations of UFOs. ' . . The noble Earl also referred to an intervie•_v which the then French Minister of Defence, M. Robert Galley gave in 1974 on the subject of UFOs. The noble As the noble Earl, Lord Halsbury, said scientists are rightly inquisitive people. If there was anything in the stories of UFOs, we would expect the scientific community ns a v,;hole to be devoting much offort to studying or to making contact with the: supposed aliens; 1313 but the id,:a by this and I suggest, tcJ Then the implied tl.c. cover-up. .a security ban. ask to see tl files they ar rcmnin conf mundane r' contain volt. people, an1 identity of ~ that th6 file the rules lai Acts, passe present pre< have dapse1 cular corres! the Mini:.tr 1962. The no1 mentioned government l.Jnited Na of Grenada and propos; decision w~ Assembiy states " to national 1 S<:cretary-C Secretary-( mit the G relcva:1t rcJ reaceful l not an int sense tl:at I is seekillg, Grenada, countries, internati()n Lord K the word\' Lord Sl note of wt it has bce1 that Her set up a st~ the noble noble Lon ftom the f Parties, di, certainly not consic i'Or tl:e C) such a stu
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