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Pentagon publishes trove of declassified UFO records
The U.S. Department of Defense made public 161 previously classified files on Friday, revealing reports of unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) spanning over 60 years. The release includes accounts from astronauts, military personnel, and civilians, fulfilling a directive issued by former President Donald Trump earlier this year.
Trump's directive and public interest
Trump ordered the Pentagon to disclose records related to extraterrestrial life, UAP, and UFOs in response to growing public and congressional demand for transparency. The move follows a 2022 congressional hearing-the first on UFOs in half a century-and renewed speculation after former President Barack Obama acknowledged in a February interview that while alien life likely exists, he saw no evidence of it during his presidency.
Astronauts report unexplained phenomena
The documents include transcripts from NASA's Apollo missions, where astronauts described unusual sightings. Buzz Aldrin, part of the Apollo 11 crew, recounted seeing a bright light during his 1969 lunar mission, which he speculated could have been a laser. Alan Bean, an Apollo 12 astronaut, reported observing particles and flashes of light that appeared to be moving away from the Moon.
Apollo 17 astronauts Jack Schmitt and Eugene Cernan also documented flashing lights in 1972, comparing the spectacle to fireworks. They suggested the lights might have been reflections from ice particles.
Additionally, a 1965 audio recording from the Gemini 7 mission captures astronaut Frank Borman reporting an unidentified object and "trillions of little particles" near the spacecraft.
Military and civilian sightings documented
The files contain numerous accounts from civilians and military personnel. A 1957 FBI interview details a man's claim of witnessing a large, circular craft ascending from the ground. More recent reports from 2023 describe metallic objects emerging from bright lights, as recounted by U.S. citizens.
Military footage from the Middle East, dated 2022, shows unresolved UAP, including an oval-shaped object captured in an undisclosed location. An accompanying Pentagon report labeled one such object as a "possible missile."
Political reactions to the disclosure
Lawmakers have responded with mixed reactions. Republican Congressman Tim Burchett of Tennessee praised the release as a "great start" toward transparency, while Florida Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna called it a "massive first step in the right direction."
"I'm so sick of the 'look at the shiny object' propaganda."
Former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene
Former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, however, criticized the disclosure as a distraction from issues like inflation and the conflict in Iran.
What's next
The Pentagon has indicated that more files will be released in the coming months. The documents are available on the Department of Defense's website for public review.
