UFO flyby? Or Plane. Photo Credit: Adam Baker http://www.flickr.com/photos/atbaker/1314488707/
Another batch of ‘X-files’ was released Thursday by the National Archive: Covering the period 1985-2007, the eighth batch of Ministry of Defence UFO files contains almost 9,000 pages of UFO related documents.
The files include sightings of unexplained lights above the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury in 2003, as well as a photo taken of a “flying saucer” above Retford Town Hall. The most bizarre claim was a mother and daughter who alleged they had seen a worm shaped UFO flying above East Dulwich. When they reported it to the MoD, they claim that the police visited accompanied by two men in space suits and dark glasses. The men identified themselves as Mork and Mindy, after the classic sitcom starring Robin Williams as the alien Mork. Police claim they sent two normal police officers but the woman later complained of being made to look foolish by the MoD.
The release of the files was prompted by a internal MoD report, concluded in 2000, that found UFO’s were not a threat to the public. This ultimately led to the closure of the UFO desk at the MoD in 2009. But were they right? What does the information in these files actually reveal?
- Are we really alone? “The fascinating thing about these files is that they show that just as in society there’s this huge debate about UFOs – is it really interesting, are we being visited by aliens – or is it all just nonsense?” asked Nick Pope, when interviewed by the BBC. Pope worked at the Ministry of Defence between 1991 and 1994, and described the mood there: “Some people thought it was a waste of time and money, others thought it was of extreme defence significance.”
- No conspiracy. Reuters reported, “[T]he files may prove a blow to conspiracy theorists who believe the government is withholding information about extra-terrestrial visitors.” Of course, that’s only if the conspiracy theorists actually choose to believe that these are indeed all the files the government holds on UFOs and alien encounters. The news agency spoke with Dr David Clark, National Archives consultant who worked with the release and Senior Lecturer in Journalism at Sheffield Hallam University, who noted, ”Lots of people continue to believe that the release of these files is just a whitewash and the government is concealing the fact that we are not alone in the universe. There is nothing you can do to disprove this — no matter how many files are released, if people don’t see what they want in the files, they don’t believe it’s the truth.”
- No conspiracy – just a lack of interest. BBC’s Today also interviewed Clarke, who told them that “the important revelation so far” was not to do with UFO sightings and conspiracy theories, but government policy. Clark highlighted a 1995 memo included in the files where “an intelligence officer reveals that, ‘lack of funds and higher priorities’ had prevented any detailed study of the thousands of reports they had received since the end of World War II.” The Daily Express noted that, “in 2000, MoD officials admitted they had ‘no remit to defend the Earth against asteroids (or little green men)’.”
The files are free to download for a month.
