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Official reports, hearing transcripts, case files and releases: the paper behind the cases. 2,872 documents, 2,610 mirrored with their text, 53,529 pages indexed, so a search reads inside them and lands on the page.
New in the library The PURSUE files The Department of War's UAP release, mirrored in full: the videos, recordings and images, each beside its case file.Documents12 records
The National Archives issued this highlights guide in August 2009 to help readers navigate newly released Ministry of Defence UFO files. It explains how to use the PDF bookmarks and lists key stories highlighted by Dr David Clarke. These include the Rendlesham Forest incident, the 1989 to 1990 Belgian wave, the 1993 Cosford sightings (attributed to a re-entering Cosmos 2238 rocket), a Virgin airship over London, aircraft encounters and Bonnybridge. It also gives a regional index of file references to reports.
This is the script of an August 2009 podcast from The National Archives in which consultant David Clarke introduces the fourth release of Ministry of Defence UFO files. The release has 14 files, just over 4,000 pages, covering 1981 to 1996. The files include MoD correspondence on the Rendlesham Forest incident, the Belgian wave, the 1993 Cosford flap and London sightings of an advertising airship. The MoD judged Rendlesham of no defence significance and found most Cosford sightings were caused by a Russian rocket re-entry.
The National Archives issued this UFO research briefing guide, written by Dr David Clarke of Sheffield Hallam University in March 2008 and revised in August 2011. It traces British government interest in UFOs from the 1909 phantom airships and wartime foo fighters through the 1951 Flying Saucer Working Party, Air Ministry and MoD investigations, and the 1979 House of Lords debate. It lists key files held at Kew, including Rendlesham Forest papers, plus suggestions for further reading.
This press release from The National Archives, dated 21 June 2013, announces the final tranche of Ministry of Defence UFO files: 25 files and 4,400 pages covering the UFO desk's last two years, from late 2007 until it closed in November 2009. The files show that sighting reports trebled to over 600 in 2009. Officials said no report in more than 50 years had revealed an extra-terrestrial presence or a military threat. Chinese lanterns are cited as a likely cause of the surge.
The National Archives published this edited extract from Chapter 2 of David Clarke's 2009 book The UFO Files, which draws on Ministry of Defence UFO records. It covers Stan Hubbard's 1950 Farnborough sightings, which the Flying Saucer Working Party attributed to optical illusion or normal aircraft. It also covers Churchill's 1952 memo asking about flying saucers, the Topcliffe sighting during Operation Mainbrace, a Meteor crew's sighting from Little Rissington, and RAF research concluding that most radar 'angels' were birds.
This briefing guide, written by Dr David Clarke of Sheffield Hallam University for The National Archives in March 2008 and revised through June 2012, explains the British government's involvement with UFOs from 1909 onward. It covers phantom airships, foo fighters, ghost rockets, the 1950 Flying Saucer Working Party, Air Ministry and MoD investigations, and the 1979 House of Lords debate. It also lists key National Archives file references, including the Rendlesham Forest papers, and notes that MoD found no evidence of extraterrestrial origin.
This National Archives press release announces the release of 25 Ministry of Defence UFO files containing over 6,700 pages that document the work of the MoD's UFO Desk, which closed in November 2009. The files include a job description for the Desk Officer, a 1995 intelligence briefing on possible alien motives, a 1979 briefing questioning alien visits, and a briefing on UFO policy for Tony Blair's office. They also include individual reports such as a Spalding 'men in black' visit and a sighting at Chelsea Football Club.
This highlights guide from The National Archives describes the tenth and final release of Ministry of Defence UFO files: 25 files with 4,400 pages covering the MoD UFO desk from late 2007 to its closure in November 2009. It explains how to use the PDF bookmarks and summarises key stories. These include the briefing that recommended closing the desk, a public disclosure campaign, a sharp rise in sightings linked to Chinese lanterns, and reports sorted by location.
This research guide from The National Archives was written by Dr David Clarke in March 2008 and revised in August 2008. It traces British government interest in UFOs from the phantom airships of 1909 through the 1951 Flying Saucer Working Party, Air Ministry and MoD investigations, and the 1979 House of Lords debate. It notes that official bodies found most sightings had ordinary explanations. It also lists key National Archives file references, including papers on the Rendlesham Forest incident.
This National Archives research guide on Unidentified Flying Objects was written by Dr David Clarke of Sheffield Hallam University in March 2008 and revised in 2010 and 2011. It traces British official interest in UFOs from the phantom airships of 1909 and 1913, through the 1950 Flying Saucer Working Party, to Air Ministry and MoD investigations. It also points readers to key record series, including Freedom of Information releases and the Rendlesham Forest files. The guide notes that most reports had ordinary explanations.
This is a transcript of a June 2013 video from The National Archives in which Dr David Clarke presents the 10th and final release of Ministry of Defence UFO files. The release has 25 files, about 4,300 pages, mostly from 2008 and 2009. It explains that the MoD closed its UFO desk and hotline in November 2009 after a record 643 sightings that year, most of them apparently Chinese lanterns. Other highlights include a 2008 sighting by soldiers at Turnhill Barracks in Shropshire and a probable ball lightning report from Dorset.
This National Archives videocast transcript from July 2012 features Dr David Clarke discussing the ninth release of UFO files, 25 files of about 7000 pages. He describes a 1993 policy paper by an intelligence officer arguing that DI55 and the MoD should study UFOs because of national security implications. He also covers the 1977 to 1978 'Welsh Triangle' sightings in Pembrokeshire, a 2005 Brighton report attributed to Chinese lanterns, and a 1978 intelligence brief arguing against extraterrestrial visits.