Pentagon Releases 162 Declassified UFO Files After Trump Orders Disclosure

The Pentagon began releasing declassified UFO-related records on Friday after President Donald Trump directed the agency to do so earlier this year, and the release was posted on a new Pentagon “UFO” website.

“Trump finally declassifies the Pentagon's secret files on UFO sightings”

ABC

CBS News said the initial release includes 162 files from the FBI, Department of Defense, NASA and State Department, and it described the documents as containing eyewitness testimony, photos and reports of sightings of unexplained objects dating back decades.

ABC

AP reported that Trump wrote on Truth Social on Friday, “Whereas previous Administrations have failed to be transparent on this subject, with these new Documents and Videos, the people can decide for themselves, ‘WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?’ Have Fun and Enjoy!”

AP also said the Pentagon described the files as new and “never-before-seen,” while noting that some had been made public years ago, and it said the files reflect cases the government deems unresolved.

CNN reported the Pentagon said it would be “releasing new materials on a rolling basis as they are discovered and declassified, with tranches posted every few weeks.”

The files released Friday included material tied to Apollo missions, with CBS News saying six of the photos show phenomena observed by NASA astronauts during the Apollo 12 and Apollo 17 missions.

CNN reported that during Apollo 12, astronaut Alan L. Bean told mission control about “flashes of light” that were “sailing off in space,” and it quoted him saying, “It looks like some of those things are escaping the Moon.”

Al Jazeera

BBC said the tranche includes descriptions of reported sightings by civilians and astronauts, and it quoted Buzz Aldrin from a 1969 interview saying, “I observed what appeared to be a fairly bright light source which we tentatively ascribed to a possible laser.”

AP reported that a State Department cable from the U.S. Embassy in Tajikistan in 1994 described a Tajik pilot and three Americans seeing a brightly lit UAP over Kazakhstan that was “making 90 degree turns, doing corkscrews and maneuvering in circles at great rates of speed.”

CNN said the Pentagon’s website includes a disclaimer that the “descriptive and estimative language” in military memos reflects “subjective interpretation” and “should not be interpreted as a conclusive indication” of what happened.

Several lawmakers and public figures reacted to the release, with PBS quoting Rep. Tim Burchett thanking Trump for “keeping his word” on transparency and disclosure and saying, “I would like to remind people that transparency won't all happen at once, it will take some time.”

“Bright lights and hot orbs: UFO files shed light on sightings but leave interpretation to the public Bright lights and hot orbs: UFO files shed light on sightings but leave interpretation to the public WASHINGTON (AP) — Buzz Aldrin observing a “fairly bright light source” while aboard the Apollo 11”

AP News

PBS also reported that Rep. Anna Paulina Luna demanded 46 UAP videos identified by whistleblowers in a March letter, and it said Luna told followers those videos are expected to be released in a later Pentagon release.

AP said experts urged caution around the release, warning that UAP videos are often misinterpreted and mischaracterized by those unfamiliar with military technology.

CNN reported that the Pentagon said some materials were previously released by the FBI but that the versions made public Friday had fewer redactions, including a large FBI file containing hundreds of pages describing “eyewitness testimonies and public reports” about UFOs between 1947 and 1968.

BBC said the Pentagon’s files include a disclaimer that there is “no consensus about the nature of the anomaly,” while also noting that a new preliminary analysis indicated it could be a “physical object.”