The UK Ministry of Defence plans to open its “X-Files” on UFO sightings to the public for the first time. Officials have not yet decided on a date for the release of the reports, which date back to 1967, but it is hoped to be within weeks.
The move follows the decision by the French national space agency to release its UFO files in March, the first official body in the world to do so. The move will also open up to public scrutiny one of the most famous cases, dubbed ‘
Under the Freedom of Information Act, now growing worldwide, officials will be forced to expose information and answer questions individually. The move to release the files over the internet will therefore save a lot of taxpayer’s money by providing the information upfront.
The documents due for release are witness reports of apparent UFO sightings, many by civil pilots and military personnel. Most were simply collected and filed by a small, secret unit within defence intelligence called DI55. A few are thought to have been investigated further by the military, but the details have never been made public. There are 24 files due for release, each containing 200-300 reports of sightings, plus internal MoD briefings and correspondence.