The Pentagon released a sixth batch of UFO files on Friday. The documents include a 2008 expense report detailing a nearly $22 million federal inquiry into unexplained aerial phenomena, along with film of UFOs appearing to swarm over Utah in 1952.
“Today, the Department of War is publishing the sixth release of declassified and historical Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) files as part of the Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters (PURSUE). The collection continues to be housed on WAR.GOV/UFO, and the Department will release additional files on a rolling basis,” Assistant to the Secretary of War for Public Affairs and Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell, said in a statement.
Never-before-seen details about an infamous 1952 UFO sighting in Utah
The latest document release includes a 1952 video shot near Tremonton, Utah, by Navy Chief Warrant Officer Delbert C. Newhouse, who claimed to have seen a cluster of brilliant flying objects. The Air Force’s Project Blue Book later examined the film, but experts said its limited detail and lack of established reference points made it impossible to reach a firm conclusion.
Ten to fourteen objects were visible in a clear sky in the recently released footage. They resembled two disks stacked on top of one another, forming a “flying saucer” shape, according to Newhouse, who was on vacation with his family at the time.
In incident reports, he stated that the UFOs moved in a loose circle, usually heading west, and had a shiny metallic or gunmetal hue.
“In late December 1952, Project Blue Book personnel, balloon specialists, and representatives from General Mills reviewed the Tremonton footage,” the Department of War states. “The group’s consensus was that the objects closely resembled pillow balloons in flight and behaved consistently with that explanation. One General Mills representative was less convinced, noting that the objects appeared somewhat too bright and seemed to maneuver too rapidly.”
What else did the sixth batch of declassified UFO files include?
Also included in the newly declassified Pentagon files are numerous witness testimonies, videos of UFO sightings, and documents detailing how the Pentagon hired a private business owned by billionaire Robert Bigelow to investigate UFO sightings and futuristic technologies.
The files included expense reports from the Defense Intelligence Agency, the Pentagon’s military intelligence agency that examines foreign military technologies and potential threats. The records describe how the Advanced Aerospace Weapon System Applications Program, or AAWSAP, which operated from 2008 to 2012, received tens of millions of dollars in funding.
In one declassified recording, an Air Force briefing discusses hundreds of alleged UFO sightings that date back to 1947. Officials talk about accounts from scientists, civilians, military personnel, and airline pilots. They also discuss photos, the Lubbock Lights, unusual radar returns, and unexplained objects seen near key military locations.
In the audio, they admit that a large percentage of the reports remained unaccounted for and repeatedly acknowledge that some credible reports simply had no explanation.
Additional files include a 1952 presentation by Capt. Edward J. Ruppelt, the former head of Project Blue Book, who stated that after examination, about 20% of the 800 incidents the Air Force evaluated remained unexplained.
This latest release of declassified UFO files by the Pentagon comes just a few days after the Department of War announced it will grant a legal waiver allowing civilian workers, contractors, and current and former military personnel to provide information about Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena, better known by the public as UFOs.