Documents / FOIA release
This 2024 Office of the Secretary of Defense FOIA release (24-F-1134) contains Defense Office of Prepublication and Security Review records for a submission by Chris Mellon, a former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Intelligence. In January 2024 Mellon submitted for release an unmarked message from a former DoD official alleging a program exploiting recovered off-world technology. The file includes emails chasing reviews from OUSD(I&S) and AARO. Both reviewers raised no objection, and on March 1, 2024 the case was cleared for open publication.
“The Pentagon”13 pages
WHS Pentagon ESD Mailbox SECREV From: CHRIS MELLON (b)(6) Sent: Friday, January 19, 2024 2:23 PM To: WHS Pentagon ESD Mailbox SECREV Subject: DOPSR Submission/Attn (b)(6) Attachments: Message to CKM.pdf Categories: Purple Category Dear Sir/Madam: This is my second effort to submit the attached message to DOPSR for review to confirm it is not classified. Apparently the registered 3 page letter I sent Jan 3 is being returned because some employee deemed it a security threat! I knew my handwriting was bad but I didn't know it was scary bad! Anyway, enclosed please find a copy of a message I received from a former DoD employee some years ago. I was so stunned I took a screenshot before the message thread was deleted. I am hereby submitting it for declassification review (attached below). Given the fact that (b)(5) and other (b)(5) have categorically denied the validity of such claims, and indeed even permitted former USG official (b)(6) to make public claims along these lines, I assume there would be no objection to me releasing this information to Congress or the public. These claims came in the form you see, with no classification markings of any kind. As you might expect, the author of the message does not wish to be identified. I have also redacted the name of the alleged (b)(5) "gatekeeper." I would not publicly release that information out of respect for his privacy. I understand the oversight committees already have that name anyway. My potential goal, if I were to release this information, is to help make clear to skeptics why I have taken such extraordinary claims seriously over the years and supported Congressional inquiries on this issue. My bottom line remains unchanged: I hear credible claims, but also credible denials; therefore I do not
Not linked to a story yet.
FOIA release, from the osd collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. 17 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.