MOD file DEFE 24/2032/1

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\l2 ~ ' ' 1313 Unidcr.ti/iPd [ 18 JANUARY 1979 J H;-'ing Objects 1314
.id e but the idea of a conspiracy of silence I repeat that I am grateful to the noble
;;.e by this and othe.r Governmer,ts beiongs, Earl, Lord Clancarty, for r:1i~inz the
.;e '\1 suggcc.t, to the world of .i:i.mcs Bond. subject of UFOs, and I am pa.rtic.u!ar!y
.1. ' Then the r:ob!e Earl, Lord Kimberkv• grateful to him for infcrming me in
:e implit:d that there was some kind of ::Jdvancc of the points WhiGh h.e I)rOposed
:l. cover-up. There is no cover-un and no to make to your Lordships. However
• security ban: It is true that wl1en peopie from ai} I haye said, I am sure that YO'J!:
d ask to see the Ministry of Defence UFO LordshJps will agree th<U there is no
files they are told that the papers must reason for my right honourable friend
,. remain confidential, but there is a very the Secretary of State for Defence t•1 make
111lli'd<::1~e rc;c~. 0 1 1 for tha\. The fllcs a broa?ca_:;t interview about UFOs, :ts
contain voluminous correspondence from the ~ob1e r:arl, Lord Cl~ncarty, suggested.
people, and we cannot divu!oe the As ror tellmg the pubhc the truth about
identity of ihe correspondents. It cfo!lows UFOs, the truth is simple. There really
that the files must remain closed under arc many strange phenomena in the sky
the rules laid do\Vn in the Public Record and these arc invariably reported b~
Acts, passed by Parliament, which at rational people. But· there is a wide
present preclu~e disclosure until 30 years range of natural explanations to account
have elapsed smce the date of the parti- for such phenomena. There is nothinrr
cular correspondence. The earliest reports to suggest to Her 1vfajesty's Government
the Ministry of Defence hold are dated that such phenomena are alien space
1962. craft.
The noble Earl, Lord Clancarty,
mentioned the possibility of an intra-
governmental study of UFOs. At the
United Nations recently, representatives
of Grenada made statements about UFOs
and propo£als for a. study. A compromise
decision was taken, wherein the General
Assembly invited " interested member
states " to co-ordinate research " on a
national level " and to inform the
Secretary-General of their findings. The
Secretary-General was requested to trans-
mit the Grenadan statements and other
rclev2.nt reports to the Committee on the
' Peaceful Uses of Outer Space. This is
; not an inter-governmental study, in the
sense that the noble Earl, Lord Clancarty
is seeki:Jg, but he may be content that
Grenad1, and perhaps some other
countries, may be reporting in an
international forum.
Lord KINGS. NORTON: My Lords,
the word was" mtra ", not "inter".
Lord STRABOLGI: My Lords, I take
note of what the noble Lord said. Then
it has been suggested, too, in this debate
that Her Majesty's Government should
set up a study group. I am glad to say that
the noble Lord, Lord Trefgarne, and the
noble Lord, Lord Gladwyn, both speaking
fro~ the .front Benches for the Opposition
Partt~s, d1d not support this proposal, and
~rtamly Her Majesty's Government do
ppt co11s.ider that there is. any justification j
for the expenditure of public money 'on
such a study. · ·
Viscount BARR~NGTON: My Lords.
!nay I ask a questwn? I did rise to ask
It when the noble Lord, Lord Strabolgi
rose. I was going to ask it of the nob!~
Earl, Lord Halsbury, but I think it would
be more courteous to ask it of the noble
Lord, Lord Strabolgi. The subiect of this
debate is :" otjects ", and in ~he expert
speech--w:th almost all of which I agreed
-of .the noble Ear_l, I:ord Halsbury, he
mcntwned that scientists, as scientists
are dealing oniy with materi<:l Gbjects:
l have to be careful here, as a non-:.;cientist
who minds his p's and q's, and who
har~ly knows a quasar ~rom a pulsar,
but 1s a black hole a matenal object?
Lord STRABOLGI: My I,ords, I
should not at all like to follow the noble
Viscount down that avenue. I do not
think that even scientists or astronomer~
know. what black holes are. I may say
that, m a \Vay, I think it is a pity that the
noble Viscount did not take part in the
debate. ·· ·
10.34 p.m.
The Earl ofCLANCARTY: My Lords,
I should like to thank the noble Lord
Lord Strabolgi, for his assurances and
for the information which he has· given
us. I am sorry that we are not to be able
to. listen to, or see, his right honourable
fnend the Secretary of State for Defence
giving a television interview about UFos:
Th.ere are just one or two.· very small
pomts, · before I end this debate. Wr,;
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