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This Ministry of Defence file, released through The National Archives and published by The Black Vault, holds the MOD's 2002 handling of Dr David Clarke's requests for UFO documents under the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information. It includes the MOD's 9 December 2002 reply, which covered reports from 1976, 1980, 1993 and 1996 and charged £260. It also contains internal emails and file requisitions, plus Foreign Office and United Nations papers from 1978 on Grenada's proposal for UFO research.
“Boston”31 pages
.;~c~r/ ...· ' / ··- '. .. ·~ l • j:w ·,iY' \l2 ~ ' ' 1313 Unidcr.ti/iPd [ 18 JANUARY 1979 J H;-'ing Objects 1314 .id e but the idea of a conspiracy of silence I repeat that I am grateful to the noble ;;.e by this and othe.r Governmer,ts beiongs, Earl, Lord Clancarty, for r:1i~inz the .;e '\1 suggcc.t, to the world of .i:i.mcs Bond. subject of UFOs, and I am pa.rtic.u!ar!y .1. ' Then the r:ob!e Earl, Lord Kimberkv• grateful to him for infcrming me in :e implit:d that there was some kind of ::Jdvancc of the points WhiGh h.e I)rOposed :l. cover-up. There is no cover-un and no to make to your Lordships. However • security ban: It is true that wl1en peopie from ai} I haye said, I am sure that YO'J!: d ask to see the Ministry of Defence UFO LordshJps will agree th<U there is no files they are told that the papers must reason for my right honourable friend ,. remain confidential, but there is a very the Secretary of State for Defence t•1 make 111lli'd<::1~e rc;c~. 0 1 1 for tha\. The fllcs a broa?ca_:;t interview about UFOs, :ts contain voluminous correspondence from the ~ob1e r:arl, Lord Cl~ncarty, suggested. people, and we cannot divu!oe the As ror tellmg the pubhc the truth about identity of ihe correspondents. It cfo!lows UFOs, the truth is simple. There really that the files must remain closed under arc many strange phenomena in the sky the rules laid do\Vn in the Public Record and these arc invariably reported b~ Acts, passed by Parliament, which at rational people. But· there is a wide present preclu~e disclosure until 30 years range of natural explanations to account have elapsed smce the date of the parti- for such phenomena. There is nothinrr cular correspondence. The earliest reports to suggest to Her 1vfajesty's Government the Ministry of Defence hold are dated that such phenomena are alien space 1962. craft. The noble Earl, Lord Clancarty, mentioned the possibility of an intra- governmental study of UFOs. At the United Nations recently, representatives of Grenada made statements about UFOs and propo£als for a. study. A compromise decision was taken, wherein the General Assembly invited " interested member states " to co-ordinate research " on a national level " and to inform the Secretary-General of their findings. The Secretary-General was requested to trans- mit the Grenadan statements and other rclev2.nt reports to the Committee on the ' Peaceful Uses of Outer Space. This is ; not an inter-governmental study, in the sense that the noble Earl, Lord Clancarty is seeki:Jg, but he may be content that Grenad1, and perhaps some other countries, may be reporting in an international forum. Lord KINGS. NORTON: My Lords, the word was" mtra ", not "inter". Lord STRABOLGI: My Lords, I take note of what the noble Lord said. Then it has been suggested, too, in this debate that Her Majesty's Government should set up a study group. I am glad to say that the noble Lord, Lord Trefgarne, and the noble Lord, Lord Gladwyn, both speaking fro~ the .front Benches for the Opposition Partt~s, d1d not support this proposal, and ~rtamly Her Majesty's Government do ppt co11s.ider that there is. any justification j for the expenditure of public money 'on such a study. · · Viscount BARR~NGTON: My Lords. !nay I ask a questwn? I did rise to ask It when the noble Lord, Lord Strabolgi rose. I was going to ask it of the nob!~ Earl, Lord Halsbury, but I think it would be more courteous to ask it of the noble Lord, Lord Strabolgi. The subiect of this debate is :" otjects ", and in ~he expert speech--w:th almost all of which I agreed -of .the noble Ear_l, I:ord Halsbury, he mcntwned that scientists, as scientists are dealing oniy with materi<:l Gbjects: l have to be careful here, as a non-:.;cientist who minds his p's and q's, and who har~ly knows a quasar ~rom a pulsar, but 1s a black hole a matenal object? Lord STRABOLGI: My I,ords, I should not at all like to follow the noble Viscount down that avenue. I do not think that even scientists or astronomer~ know. what black holes are. I may say that, m a \Vay, I think it is a pity that the noble Viscount did not take part in the debate. ·· · 10.34 p.m. The Earl ofCLANCARTY: My Lords, I should like to thank the noble Lord Lord Strabolgi, for his assurances and for the information which he has· given us. I am sorry that we are not to be able to. listen to, or see, his right honourable fnend the Secretary of State for Defence giving a television interview about UFos: Th.ere are just one or two.· very small pomts, · before I end this debate. Wr,; ~-· '\ ·~ '
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