The Trump administration released the first batch of long-promised files related to UFO sightings on Friday. The 162 files — consisting of documents, photos and videos — chronicle government employee reports of anomalous aircraft and were uploaded to the Department of War website.
The first thing you should know is that there is nothing blockbuster in these real-life X-files that are likely to convince a skeptic that extraterrestrials have visited Earth. But there are several reports that will interest UFO buffs. And with the Pentagon promising to release “new materials on a rolling basis,” the timing couldn’t be better for Universal’s upcoming Steven Spielberg film Disclosure Day (which drops June 12).
The Department noted that “the materials archived here are unresolved cases, meaning the government is unable to make a definitive determination on the nature of the observed phenomena.”
Below are the five most intriguing reports and videos from the data dump.
1. Reports from NASA and Apollo 17 moon mission.
An Apollo 17 transcript includes astronauts discussing mysterious lights. Newly released quotes from the crew include: “There’s a whole bunch of big ones on my window down there — just bright. It looks like the Fourth of July out of Ron’s window” and “We had light flashes just about continuously during the whole flight when we were dark adapted.” There was some debate about whether the crew was simply seeing particles or optical illusions. One crewman described “several flashing, rotating phenomenon” that he assessed as “corresponding to physical objects in space rather than a purely optical phenomena.”
2. A 2023 sighting reported by seven federal officers who separately reported seeing UAPs (unidentified anomalous phenomena) across several western states over the course of two days.
The witnesses said they saw “orbs launching orbs” — orange orbs releasing smaller red orbs. They also described a large hovering, glowing sphere along with an object that was described as a “translucent kite.” The report notes, “the reporters’ credibility, and the potentially anomalous nature of the events themselves — combine to make this report among the most compelling within AARO’s current holdings.”
3. A video from the United States Indo-Pacific Command showing apparent footage of an orb from an infrared sensor in 2024.
The video is frustrating, however, it’s yet another example of grainy, black-and-white footage of an unclear object at a distance rather than clear and high-resolution footage that’s been repeatedly teased by members of congress pushing for disclosure and government whistleblowers.
4. The Pentagon released an FBI composite sketch tied to a UFO sighting.
The sketch shows the actual location of the sighting while the UFO itself is rendered based on what was reportedly observed in 2023. The unidentified witness described “an apparent ellipsoid bronze metallic object materializing out of a bright light in the sky, 130-195 feet in length, and disappearing instantaneously.”
An FBI composite color image of a UFO sighting released by the Department of War
5. Of all the actual photos of UAP, the following image of this object spotted over Japan is the most clear of the bunch:
An object sighted over Japan in photo released by the Pentagon
Trump released the following statement regarding the files: “As for my promise to you, the Department of War has released the first tranche of the UFO/UAP files to the Public for their review and study. In an effort for Complete and Maximum Transparency, 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!”
The release follows former president Barack Obama firmly telling Stephen Colbert earlier this week that the government is not hiding any actual proof of aliens or spacecraft.
“Here’s the thing: For those of you who still think that we’ve gotten little green men underground somewhere, one of the things you learn as president is the government is terrible at keeping secrets,” Obama said. “This idea of conspiracy theories — if there were aliens or alien spaceships or anything under the control of the United States government that we knew about, seen, photographs, what have you … I promise you some guy guarding the installation would have taken a selfie with one of the aliens and sent it to his girlfriend to impress her. There would be leaks.”
