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The Pentagon has begun releasing files on UFOs, short for unidentified flying objects, also referred to as ‘Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP), tapping into public curiosity.
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The initial tranche contains 162 declassified files spanning 1948 to 2026, including 120 PDFs, 28 videos, and 14 images from agencies such as the Department of Defence, the FBI, NASA, and the State Department. It consists of old State Department cables, FBI documents, and NASA transcripts of crewed space flights.
The newly unveiled website, which houses these documents, has a decidedly retro feel, featuring prominently displayed black-and-white military imagery of flying objects on the page, with statements in a typewriter-like font.
Although some intriguing sightings, such as a bright object making 90-degree turns over Kazakhstan and Buzz Aldrin observing a light source during Apollo 11, are showcased, there is no concrete evidence for any extraterrestrial life or technology.
Some members of the US Congress are pushing for further disclosure.
Also, many of the documents remain partially redacted to protect identities and locations, and much of the material is largely considered unresolved and unremarkable or has been discussed publicly in the past
The release aims to promote transparency, though experts warn these videos can be misinterpreted.
President Donald Trump says in a Friday Truth Social post that the release of the files allows people to decide for themselves.
Possible linear objects, dots that could be physical objects
The recent ‘revelations’ are vague at best.
One document details an FBI interview with someone identified as a drone pilot who, in September 2023, reported seeing a “linear object” with a light bright enough to “see bands within the light” in the sky.
“The object was visible for five to ten seconds, and then the light went out, and the object vanished,” according to the FBI interview.
Another file is a NASA photograph from the Apollo 17 mission in 1972, showing three dots in a triangular formation.
The Pentagon says in an accompanying caption that “there is no consensus about the nature of the anomaly”, but that a new, preliminary analysis indicated that it could be a “physical object.”