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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.

  • p. 3 …the establishment and the scientific community to treat the subject seriously for the first time. The…
  • p. 6 …the expenditure, time and money involved' (DEFE 31/119). Following the conclusions reached by the Flying…
  • p. 7 …The last time the Government made a full public statement on its policy was in January…
  • p. 8 …involved at different times handling policy and investigations. Policy files created by the former Air Ministry…
  • p. 9 …The proforma contains 16 questions, a-q: • (a) Date, time and duration of sighting • (b) Description…
  • p. 10 …These are duplicates of the main reports series, prepared at a time when the MoD first…
  • p. 15 …Times 164 (November 2002), 38-44. • Clarke, David. ‘The Rendlesham Forest Incident: Britain’s Roswell?’ The…
• 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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