UFO research guide, August 2011

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Further papers on ‘unorthodox aircraft’ designs, including flying saucers, from 1949-52
can be found in DEFE 41/117 and DEFE 41/118.
BJ 5/311 contains papers collected by the Meteorological Office relating to UFO reports
and policy 1968-1970. The Met Office have provided technical advice to the Air Staff
secretariat on UFO matters since 1950, but this is the only surviving file containing
evidence of their input to official policy.
Sequences of RAF Air Defence/Operations UFO files that have survived destruction
include DEFE 71/3 (UFO reports 1975-77) and DEFE 71/4 (UFO reports 1977). DEFE
71/33, dated 1977-78, contains a brief discussion between RAF, Air Traffic Control and
the Defence Intelligence Staff concerning UFOs as a potential hazard to civil aviation.
AIR 2/19119 and AIR 2/19117 contains papers relating to the MoD's involvement in two
BBC TV productions on UFOs. In 1972 the head of S4 (Air), Anthony Davis, appeared
on a UFO debate screened by BBC2's Man Alive series. Air Commodore Davis was also
interviewed by BBC Radio Oxford for a programme broadcast later that year. A second
copy of both files can be found in DEFE 24/2031/1, released in 2011. DEFE 24/1565
contains a transcript of the head of S4 (Air)’s contribution on a Yorkshire TV programme
on UFOs shown in 1979.
7. Ministry of Defence Archives
The Ministry of Defence hold a number of UFO-related files dating from 1992 to the
present day. Since 2005, under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) they have
continued to release information to requestors and added material to their FOI
publication scheme. In March 2011 seven files containing Freedom of Information Act
requests relating to UFO matters were opened at The National Archives. These files are
DEFE 24/2048/1-2050/1 and DEFE 24/2052/1-2055/1. More UFO related FOI requests
and responses can be found from DEFE 24/2056/1-DEFE 24/2076/1 and DEFE
24/2094/1, opened in August 2011.
In 2008 MoD announced their intention to transfer all their remaining records on UFOs to
The National Archives. This transfer began with 27 UFO files dating from 1979 to 1991
opened to the public via The National Archives UFO website during 2008. Further files
have been added in 2009, 2010 and 2011.
One of the first UFO files to be released by the Ministry of Defence under the Code of
Practice for Access to Government Information, the predecessor of the FOIA, in 2001
was that containing papers on the famous Rendlesham Forest incident, often called
'Britain's Roswell'. Papers relating to the release of the file can be found in DEFE
24/2030/1 and DEFE 24/2031/1 (UFOs: Persistent Correspondence, Dr David Clarke,
2000-2001).
The sightings took place over two nights late in December 1980 at RAF Woodbridge,
Suffolk, an airbase loaned to the USAF. Mysterious lights were seen to land in the forest
beyond the perimeter of the base and a group of airmen went to investigate. They
reported seeing lights they were unable to identify moving through the trees. The next
day marks were allegedly found on the ground and on trees in the forest where the men
claimed the UFO had landed. Two nights later UFOs were again sighted from the base