Pentagon releases previously classified documents on UFOs and extraterrestrials

The American Department of Defense announced on Friday May 8 that it had made public a first batch of documents, previously kept secret, on unidentified flying objects, more commonly called UFOs. This subject fascinates Donald Trump, who is at the origin of this publication. “These documents, hidden behind defense secrecy, have long justifiably fueled speculation, and it is time that the American people can have direct access to them”declared the Minister of Defense, Pete Hegseth, in a press release.

More than 160 documents were published on a dedicated page on the Pentagon website. Among them are in particular a series of reports from December 1947 on “flying discs”. Another filing documents an incident in 2023, in which three teams of federal police officers separately claimed “having seen orange orbs in the sky emitting or throwing smaller red orbs”. Donald Trump announced in February that he intended to order federal agencies “to identify and publish” files on extraterrestrials and UFOs. The very day of this announcement, the American president attacked Barack Obama, guilty according to him of having delivered “classified information” about extraterrestrials.

At the end of a podcast broadcast a few days earlier, the former Democratic president answered a question about the existence of the latter: “They’re real, but I haven’t seen them.” He added during this casual interview that to his knowledge there was no “underground installation” aimed at hiding the existence of extraterrestrials, as some conspiracy theories suggest. Faced with reactions on social networks, Barack Obama clarified his position, claiming not to have seen “no evidence, during [sa] presidency, that extraterrestrials have made contact with us”.

Interest in UFOs has been revived in recent years, as the US government investigated numerous reports of aircraft with apparently supernatural characteristics, amid fears that opposing powers were testing highly progress. In March 2024, however, the Pentagon published a report claiming to have no evidence that the “phénomènes aériens non identifiés” (PAN) are linked to extraterrestrial technology. Many suspicious sightings have turned out to be simple weather balloons, spy planes, satellites or other ordinary activities.