Pentagon Declassifies Hundreds of UFO Documents, Revealing Astronaut and Civilian Sightings
The US Department of Defence has declassified and published 161 files, with more expected, offering decades of records pertaining to unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), commonly known as UFOs. These documents include internal military memos, reports from the Apollo Moon missions, and detailed accounts from individuals claiming to have witnessed objects of suspected extraterrestrial origin.
Astronaut Sightings During Moon Missions
Among the released files are transcripts from the Apollo 11, Apollo 12, and Apollo 17 Moon landing missions from the 1960s and 1970s. Astronaut Buzz Aldrin, part of the Apollo 11 mission, described seeing an "inexplicable light source" during his 1969 journey. Similarly, Apollo 12 astronaut Alan Bean reported observing particles and flashing lights "sailing off in space" that appeared to be "escaping the Moon." In 1972, two Apollo 17 astronauts also noted flashing lights, with one comparing the sight to "the Fourth of July."
An audio recording from the 1965 Gemini 7 space flight features astronaut Frank Borman reporting an unidentified object, a "bogey," and "trillions of little particles" to NASA mission control.
Civilian Accounts and Military Footage
The newly available documents also contain numerous civilian reports of UAP sightings. One 1957 FBI interview details a man's account of a large, circular vehicle ascending, while recent interviews from September and October 2023 describe US citizens witnessing hovering metal objects materialising from bright light.
Furthermore, the release includes US military video footage from the Middle East, dating back to 2022. These clips, filmed in Iraq, Syria, and the United Arab Emirates, show what the Pentagon describes as "unresolved unidentified anomalous phenomenon." One particular 2022 clip, taken at an undisclosed Middle Eastern location, captures an oval-shaped object moving rapidly, with an accompanying report noting it as a "possible missile."
Political Reactions
Republican Congressman Tim Burchett of Tennessee, a vocal advocate for governmental transparency on UFO sightings, welcomed the release as a "great start." Florida Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna echoed this sentiment, calling it "a massive first step in the right direction." However, former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene criticised the disclosure, labelling it a distraction from more pressing domestic issues such as inflation and the conflict in Iran.
