‘Make up their minds’: Pentagon releases first batch of UFO files | Space News

The United States Department of Defense has released its first batch of classified files on UFOs, following system from US President Donald Trump in February.

Released on Friday were 162 files spanning several decades, including records from the FBI, the State Department, and the US space agency, NASA. It was accompanied by the launch of a new, highly-designed website to house the documents, using white typefaces on a black background.

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In a statement, the Pentagon did not elaborate on the content of the released images and files, saying that most were only reviewed for security reasons and “have not yet been reviewed to resolve any issues”.

“Whereas previous administrations sought to humiliate or offend the American people, President Trump is focused on providing transparency to the public, who can make up their own minds about the contents of these files,” he said.

Several government agencies, including the Department of Energy, NASA, the FBI, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, were involved in the release.

Trump planned the process as part of an attempt to create transparency, in line with his previous orders to release documents related to the assassination of President John F Kennedy, his brother, Senator Robert F Kennedy and civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. Those files provided less information than what was previously known.

His order in February to release files on UFOs and unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) came under the spotlight after former US President Barack Obama said during a podcast interview that aliens were “real”, although he had never seen them and none were kept in government offices.

Obama later explained that he had “not seen evidence during my administration that aliens have contacted us”.

Critics have accused Trump of using the release of high-profile files to undermine his political interests, particularly the Justice Department’s handling of investigative files related to financier Jeffrey Epstein.

In January, the Justice Department said it had completed releasing files related to Epstein, whose high-profile team included Trump. Lawmakers have repeatedly said the disclosures do not appear to be complete.

In February, US Representative Thomas Massie, the main Republican opponent of Trump, denounced the release of UFOs as “the last tool to confuse the masses”.

Visual anomalies

It remains to be seen how useful these new documents will be. He had no clear revelations that had just happened.

For example, one file refers to an FBI interview with a person identified as a pilot who, in September 2023, reported seeing a “similar object” with enough light to “see groups within the light” in the sky.

“The object was visible for five to 10 seconds and then the light went out and the object disappeared,” according to the FBI interview.

Another file is a NASA image from the Apollo 17 mission in 1972, showing three dots in a triangular shape.

In a follow-up statement, the Pentagon said there was “no consensus on the nature of the anomaly” but that a new, preliminary analysis showed it could be “a physical phenomenon”.

Interest in UFOs and UAPs has existed for many years and has been happening during the presidential administration. In 2022, Congress created an office at the Pentagon to investigate and remove related materials. That year, the House of Commons group held its first meeting on the issue in more than 50 years.

The office’s first report, released in 2024, revealed hundreds of new cases of UAP.

However, it found no evidence that the US government had ever confirmed the existence of alien technology. It also denied claims that the US government had discovered alien technology or evidence of extraterrestrial life.