The White House has directed several agencies to disclose files that relate to so-called unidentified flying objects (UFOs) and other unexplained phenomena. The Pentagon worked in this direction by releasing a set of documents on Friday.
The directors of national intelligence, the Department of Energy, NASA, and the FBI were also tasked with publicly sharing the information, which the White House compiled into a newly unveiled website.
The UFO release may fuel speculation among those who believe in the existence of intelligent life beyond Earth. This release follows previous releases on controversial issues in the US that have long involved conspiracy theorists, such as the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Senator Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr.
“These files, hidden behind classification, have long fueled justified speculation – and now it’s time for the American people to see it for themselves,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a statement.
About 162 files have been released, including old State Department cables, FBI documents and NASA transcripts of crewed flights in space.
Trump described his administration’s move as “complete and maximum transparency.”
“While previous administrations have failed to be transparent on this topic, with these new documents and videos, people can decide for themselves, “What’s going on?” Trump said in a statement. “Have fun and enjoy!” he said.
To date, no evidence of intelligent life beyond Earth has been presented.
Critics have described the UFO revelations as a distraction from Trump’s unpopular US military campaign against Iran and other domestic issues.
Former Republican U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene wrote on
What’s in the files?
The documents contain more than 20 videos showing unidentified objects captured by military sensors in locations ranging from Syria and Japan to North America. The documents and videos span several decades, the latest of which dates back to January 1 of this year.
The official account of the sighting includes testimony by astronaut Buzz Aldrin of seeing a “fairly bright light source” while aboard Apollo 11.
Another NASA-related file is a photo from the Apollo 17 mission in 1972, showing three points in a triangular formation, with a Pentagon caption stating that “There is no consensus regarding the nature of the anomaly” but that a new, preliminary analysis indicates it may be a “physical object.”
In another interview with a US intelligence officer, a “super-hot” orb was seen hovering over the ground, rapidly traveling about 20 miles (32 kilometers), while the officer was in a helicopter. Then the officer saw four or five more shells flashing up and down.
Someone identified as the drone pilot told the FBI in 2023 that they had seen a “linear object” in the sky with light bright enough to “see bands of light within.” According to the FBI interview, “the object was visible for five to ten seconds and then the lights went out and the object disappeared.”
Edited by: Dmytro Lyubenko