President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth released numerous previously classified files about alleged UFO sightings and extraterrestrial life, claiming it brings “unprecedented transparency” to the public. The U. S. Defense Department stated that this release of about 170 documents, including a 1947 report on “flying discs,” will be followed by more declassifications in the future.
The files include a photo of unidentified phenomena taken during the Apollo 12 mission in 1969 and a transcript from Apollo 17, where pilot Ronald Evans described seeing “bright particles” drifting by in space. Hegseth emphasized that these previously classified files have sparked much speculation, and it is time for the public to review the information for themselves. Trump expressed that prior administrations lacked transparency on this topic, allowing the public to draw their own conclusions about the evidence.
The release was positively received by U. S. Representatives Tim Burchett and Anna Paulina Luna, who support declassifying UFO files, with Luna mentioning that more documents would be released in about 30 days. Astrophysicist Avi Loeb noted that these files show that unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) are not just speculative and that the government has indeed collected significant records.
Critics, however, view the disclosures as a diversion from more pressing political issues, including military actions and calls for transparency on other matters related to figures like Jeffrey Epstein. Former Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene expressed her indifference to the UFO files.
With information from Reuters
