The long-anticipated Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) or Unidentified Flying Object (UFO) files have been released by the federal government, showing images and descriptions of unexplained objects.
The first batch of declassified files was released Friday morning at the direction of President Donald Trump, in the “interest of total transparency.”
The files include a mixture of video, audio, photos, transcripts and drawings of UAPs dating back to the 1940s, including sightings from Gemini and Apollo astronauts.
While the Department of War and the White House touted transparency in the release of the files, they refused to confirm whether the objects witnessed were evidence of alien life, instead allowing the American people to “ultimately make up their own minds about the information contained” in the files.
Among the files released were videos of UAPs filmed around the world, some over the ocean and on land, resembling spheres and flying at high speeds. However, some of these videos were made public prior to Friday’s release.
Included in the tranche of files were images and transcripts from the Gemini and Apollo space programs, beginning with Gemini 7.
The flight crew of Gemini 7, astronauts Frank Borman and James Lovell, reported to mission control in Houston during their December 1965 flight, spotting what they called “a bogey” and seeing “hundreds” and “trillions” of particles about “three or four miles” from the spacecraft as it orbited the Earth.
During the Apollo 12 mission, in November 1969, the second mission to land on the moon, astronauts observed what they described as particles and flashes of light “sailing off in space,” while “escaping the moon.”
During the Apollo 17 mission in December 1972, which marked the final Apollo mission to the moon, astronauts reported once again observing what they described as “particles” or “fragments” that appeared very bright. The astronauts claimed the particles or fragments were seen “tumbling” and “drifting by” as the spacecraft maneuvered.
“There’s a whole bunce of big ones on my window down there – just bright. It looks like the Fourth of July out of [Ronald Evans] window,” Lunar Module Pilot Harrison “Jack” Schmitt told mission control.
“Yes. Now you can see some of them in shape. They’re very jagged, angular fragments that are tumbling,” Evans, the command module pilot, told mission control.
In addition to the transcripts from the Apollo 17 astronauts, the files included photos taken from the lunar surface, capturing what appears to be three dots in a triangular shape over the orbit of the moon. The astronauts captured several other images containing oddly shaped figures over the moon.
Following the release of the files, posted on his Truth Social account, reiterating his administration’s commitment to “maximum transparency,” while taking a swipe at previous administrations for keeping the files secret.
“It was my honor to direct my administration to identify and provide government files related to alien and extraterrestrial life, unidentified aerial phenomena, and unidentified flying objects. Whereas previous administrations have failed to be transparent on this subject, with these new documents and videos, the people can decide for themselves, ‘What the hell is going on?’ Have fun and enjoy,” Trump wrote.
It’s unclear when the public can expect the next tranche of files to be released.
