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Unidentified Flying Objects research guide

The National Archives · 15 pages · text from the file's own layer

This National Archives research guide on Unidentified Flying Objects was written by Dr David Clarke of Sheffield Hallam University in March 2008 and revised in 2010 and 2011. It traces British official interest in UFOs from the phantom airships of 1909 and 1913, through the 1950 Flying Saucer Working Party, to Air Ministry and MoD investigations. It also points readers to key record series, including Freedom of Information releases and the Rendlesham Forest files. The guide notes that most reports had ordinary explanations.

Open the PDF at page 15 Original source ↗

“Sightings”14 pages

  • p. 1 …What is a UFO? The first reports of 'flying saucers' being sighted were on 24 June…
  • p. 2 …In 1909 and 1913 phantom airships - dark cigar-shaped flying objects carrying searchlights - were sighted at…
  • p. 3 …Reports of ghost rockets preceded by six months the first sightings of ‘flying saucers’ over the…
  • p. 4 …This team reviewed what was known about the subject and investigated a number of sightings reported…
  • p. 5 …According to Capt Edward Ruppelt, of Project Blue Book, it was the Topcliffe sighting that ‘caused…
  • p. 6 …Following a new wave of sightings in 1967 the Government faced a series of Parliamentary questions…
  • p. 7 …From 1973 members of the public who reported sightings received only a polite acknowledgement. Unlike the…
  • p. 8 3) Public correspondence; 4) UFO sighting reports There are several files documenting the UK Government’s…
  • p. 9 …The most frequent method of reporting a UFO sighting was via a standard proforma, originally based…
  • p. 10 …DEFE 24/1938/1, opened in March 2009, contains details of sightings reported between August and…
  • p. 11 …Four files opened in August 2011 include UFO sightings 2001 at DEFE 24/2020/1, sightings…
  • p. 12 …AIR 20/11889 and AIR 20/11890 contain papers and reports on a 'flying cross' sighted…
  • p. 13 …The sightings took place over two nights late in December 1980 at RAF Woodbridge, Suffolk, an…
  • p. 14 …A tabulated list of UFO sightings reported to MoD's Directorate of Air Staff (DAS), between…
• Ruppelt, Edward J. The Report on Unidentified Flying Objects. London: Gollancz,
1957
• Twigge, Steven with Hampshire, Edward and Macklin, Graham. British
Intelligence: Secrets, Spies and Sources. Kew: The National Archives, 2008
• Letter ‘Opinion on Flying Discs’ sent by Twining to the Brigadier General
Schulgen, Commanding General of the Army Air Forces, 23 September 1947,
originally classified ‘Secret and declassified in 1969 now at US National Archives,
College Park, Maryland, see: http://www.project1947.com/fig/twinng47.htm
Articles
• Clarke, David and Roberts, Andy. ‘Britain’s X-Files’, Fortean Times 164
(November 2002), 38-44.
• Clarke, David. ‘The Rendlesham Forest Incident: Britain’s Roswell?’ The Sceptic
12/2-3 (2004), 17-21.
• Clarke, David. ‘Opening the UFO files’ BBC History Magazine vol 6/8 (August
2005), 43-46.
• Haines, Gerald K. ‘A die-hard issue: CIA's role in the study of UFOs, 1947-90',
Studies in Intelligence: Semiannual Unclassified Edition 1 (1997), 67-84
• Jones, R.V. ‘The natural philosophy of flying saucers,' Physics Bulletin 19 (July
1968), 225-30
• Morgan, Roger J. ‘British Government UFO files in the Public Record Office,'
Magonia 30 (August 1988), 12-15
Dr David Clarke of the Department of Journalism and Communication, Sheffield Hallam
University created this briefing document for The National Archives, in March 2008.
Revisions were made in February 2010, January and August 2011. The National
Archives is not responsible for content created by external parties.
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