THE STRANGEST SECRETS

Majic Eyes Only and the Alien Virus

2011-08-31T09:40:00.001-07:00

When it comes to accounts of crashed UFOs, there is one area of the subject that is seldom discussed - namely that relative to so-called alien viruses.

There is, perhaps, a tendency for us to assume that if an attack on the Earth by hostile extraterrestrials ever takes place, it will likely involve E.T. wiping us out via the awesome power of futuristic, planet-pummeling weaponry and technology.

But there's another possibility, and it's a highly disturbing one, too. Perhaps the end might be on top of us before we even realize it. And, maybe, the first indication will be when people start dropping like flies. That's right: extermination may very well be provoked by the spreading - deliberate or otherwise - of a lethal alien virus, against which the Human Race may not have any form of defense.

If you think such a scenario is way off target, or could never, ever come to pass, you might be wise to err on the side of caution.

A very good source for such alien virus-themed data as it relates to alien life and UFOs is Ryan Wood's book, MAJIC EYES ONLY: Earth's Encounters With Extraterrestrial Technology.

Wood's title includes a large body of fascinating data that strongly suggests a direct link between certain prominent cases of UFO crash/retrieval and alien viruses.

Not only that, Wood also cites the text of official, previously-secret files reflecting the distinct possibility of severe illness provoked by alien infection.

In the pages of MAJIC EYES ONLY, Wood highlights a number of significant and relevant cases, including: (A) the reported crash of a UFO in North Wales, United Kingdom in 1974, along with the transfer of alien bodies from the crash-site to an ultra-secret installation in the south of England called Porton Down - well-known for its official research into biological warfare and exotic viruses; (B) a second event from 1974 - in Chihuahua, Mexico - involving the apparent mysterious and sudden deaths of Mexican military personnel engaged in recovering the remains of a saucer-shaped vehicle, and who were exposed to a lethal virus of E.T. origins; and (C) an event that occurred in Somaliland in 1996, in which the crash of an object of unknown origins led to widespread and severe illness in the local human and animal population.

As Ryan Wood's MAJIC EYES ONLY clearly demonstrates, the UFO issue can, at times, truly be considered a deadly one...

Check out Ryan Wood's book, MAJIC EYES ONLY: Earth's Encounters with Extraterrestrial Technology, which is the definitive guide to UFO events of the crashed kind.

And here's the publisher's information on Ryan Wood's book, which, for crashed UFOs devotees, makes for essential reading:

MAJIC EYES ONLY is the most authoritative and comprehensive chronicle ever published on the subject of worldwide UFO crashes and subsequent military retrievals from 1897 to the present. The author guides the reader through 74 UFO crash incidents supported by compelling evidence in the form of official documents, eyewitnesses and in some cases physical evidence.

Since 1984, multiple sources have leaked, revealed or discovered some 3,500 pages of UFO documents, hundreds classified Top Secret and linked to Majestic-12. These MJ-12 documents, coupled with the Leonard Stringfield data and strong investigations by other case experts, provide a powerful core of UFO crash incidents.

The idea that major governments have covered up the true nature of the UFO phenomenon for more than half a century through unprecedented secrecy, deception and intimidation strikes many reasonable citizens as preposterous. Yet, this book provides a wealth of evidence, including declassified and leaked government documents and credible eyewitness testimony, that supports the uncomfortable truth of this "preposterous" notion.

Majic Eyes Only is the Top Secret security classification for overwhelming proof of the most deeply held secret on the planet: we are not alone in the universe. Furthermore, several major governments have captured and exploited both extraterrestrial spacecraft and living aliens, for purposes that may sometimes defy understanding but which undoubtedly include the relentless quest for military supremacy and the preservation of society's established power structures.

On March 5, 1942 Chief of Staff General George C. Marshall created an inflection point in history by issuing a Top Secret memorandum to President Roosevelt that inaugurated one of the most secret enterprises the world has ever seen: the Interplanetary Phenomenon Unit (IPU). The existence of the IPU is not speculation; it has been acknowledged in several Freedom of Information Act requests. It was within the IPU that re-investigation of the 1897 Aurora, Texas UFO crash retrieval began, along with investigation of two UFO crashes that occurred in February 1942, one in the mountains of San Bernardino, California, and the other just off the Southern California coast - all of this years before Roswell.

MAJIC EYES ONLY is a landmark synthesis and review of every credible UFO crash retrieval event uncovered worldwide to date. Assembling data from his own research and numerous other investigators, including crash retrieval pioneer Leonard Stringfield, the author presents 74 UFO crashes from 1897 to the present, supported by compelling evidence in the form of official documents, eyewitnesses and in some cases physical evidence. Incidents do vary in quality, evidence, and therefore authenticity. However, any reader who starts from a neutral position will find, by the end of this book, that there is sufficient evidence to conclude that: 1) UFOs have crashed on earth, 2) governments have recovered and exploited these alien technology gifts and 3) most disturbing to a democratic free society, the "alien secret" is more important than constitutional or individual rights.

Weird Archives

2011-02-19T09:26:00.000-08:00

I recently started writing for the Mysterious Universe site, and here's my first-post for them, which - very appropriately considering the nature of this particular blog - is on government files on weird phenomena...

The Flatwoods File

2011-02-19T09:24:00.001-08:00

Did elements of the U.S. military fake the infamous Flatwoods Monster sighting of 1952 as part of a weird psychological-warfare test? And did they get the idea from an equally weird previously-secret file on a similar operation that occurred during the Second World War? Read on...

The Earliest Strange Secret?

2010-08-31T12:27:00.000-07:00

Dave Clarke tells a fascinating story of what may very well be the earliest official X-Files-type investigation.

As Dave says: "The September issue of Fortean Times reveals my discovery of what may be the very first British Government inquiry into 'UFO' sightings - in 1865. 'The False Lights' were mysterious revolving lights seen above a rocky headland at Whitburn, county Durham, by mariners negotiating a hazardous stretch of the northeast coast. During a ten year period from 1860 more than 150 ships were wrecked on the rocks near Whitburn after following a light or lights in the sky which they wrongly believed were from a lighthouse at the mouth of the Tyne."

Check it out!

Secret Serpent Files?

2010-05-17T08:40:00.001-07:00

Just recently, one of my Lair of the Beasts columns over at Mania.com was devoted to the British Government's files on the Loch Ness Monster (here's the link).

It seems, however, that as interested as the Government has certainly been in Nessie at times, that interest is not reflected by Britain's Royal Navy, who confirm that while sailors may, theoretically, wish to report a sighting of a sea-serpent while sailing the oceans, there is no official "Sea Serpent File," or official mandate to collect reports...

MoD Files & UFOs

2010-03-01T05:32:00.001-08:00

Dave Clarke has an excellent new post over at his blog, which provides all the required info on the British Ministry of Defence's decision to close its "UFO Desk."

As Dave says: "Britain's Ministry of Defence is destroying all UFO reports it receives so it can avoid answering Freedom of Information requests. This decision means that any future sightings - even those made by reliable sources such as aircrew, radar and police - will in future be shredded after 30 days, according to a formerly secret MoD document I have obtained using the FOIA."

And here's the link to Dave's complete post, which explains how and why the MoD took the steps that have created so much controversy recently.

New UFO Files Surface

2010-02-18T05:29:00.001-08:00

Newly-released UFO files from the archives of the British Ministry of Defense are getting a lot of coverage in Britain's media right now - and they do contain some interesting and weird reports.

Here's links to just a few items that demonstrate the nature of the media coverage:

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/158874/UFOs-Close-encounters-of-the-weird-kind

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1251850/MOD-records-UFO-sightings-include-Michael-Howard-encounter.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8520717.stm

But for definitive coverage - and explanation - of the files, check out Dave Clarke's latest post, which can be found right here.

UFO Files in Britain

2009-09-21T14:23:00.001-07:00

From today’s Anomalist:

Britain’s X Files: RAF Suspected Aliens of Telegraph. Britain’s Ministry of Defense has had a keen interest in UFOs for decades, and since releasing numerous UFO documents to the public, documents have emerged that indicate copies were sent to other higher clearance agencies as well. The public files reveal a subversive interest in the extraterrestrial presence which was monitored by “Defence Intelligence” branches. High ranking officers apparently believe that the phenomenon does indeed exist but they ultimately conclude that there’s “no threat to defense” and have been categorized as mostly ET reconnaissance missions, scientific study, or alien “tourism.” Seems from the number of reports of unexplained sightings that we are a popular destination indeed!

More on the UK-UFO Files

2009-08-20T11:10:00.001-07:00

Dave Clarke (who has been instrumental in pushing for the release of UFO material) gives a good overview on the newly-released British MoD-UFO files.

UK-UFO Files

2009-08-19T13:06:00.000-07:00

Fellow Fortean Kithra alerts us to the latest news on the most recent release of UFO files from the British Ministry of Defence.

As she says:

"The UK has just released some more UFO files, this time for the years 1981 to 1996. Amongst the reports are some pertaining to Rendlesham Forest and, of course, the archive downloads are all in pdf which, personally, I really dislike.

"If you’d like to check them out then click here for the National Archives.

"As to be expected, Dr David Clarke, a UFO expert and journalism lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University, has his own theories about sightings being co-incidental with the release of some film and TV programmes in which the main themes were Aliens and/or UFOs.

"You can read more about that here in an article that also relates what Lord Hill-Norton thought when he wrote to Michael Heseltine, the UK Defence Secretary in 1985, about the Rendlesham event.

"But what I find particularly interesting is the case of a UFO seen across my own county of Cornwall, and other counties, at the very end of March 1993. The Ministry of Defence concluded that this was, in fact, either an American spy plane, or the re-entry of a Russian rocket.What all of this tells us about UFOs is, of course, open to question.

"Some of it relates to what are now old cases where further investigation would probably be very difficult given the passage of time. But that's not to say that investigating old cases has no merit, and I'm also a firm believer that those who are new to the UFO subject should make themselves aware of what went before. Without that basic grounding we fail to see how the subject has evolved, and is still evolving with each new generation."

Sewing Machines of Death

2009-06-26T08:52:00.000-07:00

This is one of the strangest official secrets I've come across in a long-time: a previously-classified project that Britain was contemplating using on the enemy during the Second World War.

Strange UFO Secrets From Brazil

2009-06-05T14:11:00.000-07:00

This just in from Brazilian UFO researcher A.J. Gavaerd concerning the nation's official UFO files:

Dear colleagues of the World UFO Community:

As of May 04th, Brazilian Government has disclosed over 600 new pages of previously classified documents, covering UFO reports and military investigations from 1970 to 1979, including photos and films, for the first time.

The content of this material has now been examined and proved to be very interesting and revelatory of Brazilian official strategy to cover UFO cases, often openly regarded as "from external sources" in these new documents, meaning from outside Earth. The cases covered and the methods used to investigate them by the military are also very significant.

On my oppinion, the most important material contained in this new declasification are 195 new pages of documents resulted from the Operation Saucer, conducted in the Amazon by the Brazilian Air Force from September to December 1977, that is certainly the biggest *known* official innitiative to military investigate UFOs in the world.

As I also reported, so far, over 1,400 pages of Brazilian previously classified UFO documents have been released thanks to the efforts of the Brazilian UFO Researchers Committee (CBU), through the campaign UFOs: Freedom of Information Now, started in 2004 and articulated by the Brazilian UFO Magazine. This last one has been the biggest disclosure ever in Brazil.

The PDF files of 12 envelopes or folders now released can be can be downloaded at: www.ufo.com.br/public/abertura_2.

Please read below a summary of the contents of each envelope or folder and pay special attention to this one: Folder 10 - 1978, downloadable at www.ufo.com.br/public/abertura_2/CENDOC_ENVELOPE_10_1978.pdf, with 195 pages of Operation Saucer material.

Brazilian UFO researchers are very excited about these new disclosures, that inquestionably prove that our efforts have been profitable for the entire Brazilian UFO Community.

Download more official disclosed documents at the Brazilian UFO Magazine FTP areas:
www.ufo.com.br/public/abertura_1 www.ufo.com.br/public/brasil www.ufo.com.br/public/documents

FEEL FREE TO USE AND REPUBLISH THIS MATERIAL IN YOUR WEBSITE, BUT PLEASE MENTION ITS ORIGIN AS CREDITS.

A. J. Gevaerd,Editor, Brazilian UFO MagazineCoordinator, Brazilian UFO Researchers Committeehttp://www.ufo.com.br/gevaerd@ufo.com.br aj@gevaerd.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
UFO DISCLOSURE IN BRAZIL CONTINUES

Contents of 12 folders disclosed by the Brazilian Ministry of Defense confirm activities of unidentified flying objects in Brazilian territory. Moreover, it shows that Brazilian military authorities have always monitored such activities of other species in the country's environment.

Folder 01 - 1970

http://www.ufo.com.br/public/abertura_2/CENDOC_ENVELOPE_01_1970.pdf - 13 pages

This folder contains statements delivered at a police station in the city of Bauru (SP). The office was linked to the extinct DOPS, an acronym to name the feared Brazilian Department of Political and Social Order during military dictatorship. There are also reports of numerous UFO sightings occurred in many cities of the state of Sao Paulo. Such reports highlight the good reputation with which police officers regard the witnesses. There are also occurrences from the state of Rio Grande do Sul involving an unsuccessful attempt of an official car to chase a UFO - the object exploded in the air without leaving a trace.

Folder 02 1971

http://www.ufo.com.br/public/abertura_2/CENDOC_ENVELOPE_02_1971.pdf - 22 pages

Military reports addressed to Brig. Gervasio Duncan and Gen. Moacyr Uchoa describing UFOs flight and landing in the states of Rio Grande do Sul and Rio de Janeiro, including a UFO chasing aircraft and sightings of 2-meter tall beings beside their spacecraft in the city of Belo Horizonte (MG). Report from the Division of Security Information of the 2nd Air Zone Command on the spotting of UFOs by radars in the region of Varginha (MG). It also contains an official report sent to the Air Force Command on the sighting of a large flying saucer with several windows over Presidente Dutra highway.

Folder 03 - 1972

http://www.ufo.com.br/public/abertura_2/CENDOC_ENVELOPE_03_1972.pdf - 15 pages

Newspaper clippings reporting UFO sightings followed up by military and police forces at the time. One case describes how two UFOs chased a bus carrying 34 students onboard. Military telegrams including one from the Air Base in Rio de Janeiro informing a UFO sighting at Morro da Onsa - the landing site was spotted by a FAB aircraft. A document from the Division for Flight Protection on the 3rd Air Zone describing UFO sightings in June 1972 as a "swarm of fish". Letters and instructions.

Folder 04 - 1973

http://www.ufo.com.br/public/abertura_2/CENDOC_ENVELOPE_04_1973.pdf - 26 pages

DOPS report containing statements delivered by Sao Paulo city teachers on UFO sightings occurred between municipalities of Ubirajara and Galia in August-October 1972. UFOs there seen had the ability to split and rejoin their pieces which illustrates their intelligent behavior towards the witnesses. Bulletins from the Sociedade Pelotense de Investigação e Pesquisa de Discos Voadores, from April to October 1973 containing articles on the Brazilian cases emphasizing several occurrences registered in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. The fact suggests that Brazilian researchers had been monitored by the Air Force.

Folder 05 - 1974

http://www.ufo.com.br/public/abertura_2/CENDOC_ENVELOPE_05_1974.pdf - 19 pages

This folder contains memos from the Office of Public Security of the State of Sao Paulo addressed to the commander of the 4th Air Zone - investigations carried out by Sorocaba and Votorantin police stations on UFO sightings in those municipalities were altogether forwarded. There are also materials from civil ufologists. Letter from the Canadian UFO Research to the 4th Air Zone requesting information on the ufological occurrence in the city of Arasariguama (SP) which resulted in a certified death of witness. Copies of the report from Centro de Investigação Civil de Objetos Aéreos Não Identificados on the UFO spotted and registered in Belo Horizonte plus details of the case.

Folder 06 -1975

http://www.ufo.com.br/public/abertura_2/CENDOC_ENVELOPE_05_1975.pdf - 68 pages

This one contains documents generated by several civil associations throughout the country which clearly indicates the government surveillance on researchers' activities. Among those pages are bulletins from Sociedade Pelotense containing researches on animal mutilations, correspondence exchanged by the Air Force and Gen. Moacyr Uchoa, and also a summary of David Jacobs' book, The UFO Controversy in America. Strangely enough, it also contains an Italian citizen's statement reporting a UFO occurrence caught by movie camera in 1975 - the movie would have been sent to the USA.

Folder 07 - 1976

http://www.ufo.com.br/public/abertura_2/CENDOC_ENVELOPE_07_1976.pdf - 30 pages

Memo from the minister of aeronautics' chief of staff to the head of the Air Force regarding the release of reports on Caso Ilha da Trindade, occurred in 1958. Both response and letter from requestor are attached including a brief on the Center For UFO Studies which was directed by ufologist J. Allen Hynek. There are also correspondence exchanged among Brazilian ufologists and the military concerning a cooperation for sharing of materials such as UFO case studies and bulletins. Also a letter dated 25 May 1976 from Brazilian Air Force representative in Washington requesting the Air Force Command for information to the US researcher.

Folder 08 - 1977

http://www.ufo.com.br/public/abertura_2/CENDOC_ENVELOPE_08_1977.pdf - 24 pages

Includes a protocol by Salvador Air Base undersigned by several brigadiers reporting occurrences in which military reported sightings of large UFOs followed by smaller ones. Air traffic controller and other seven witnesses claim to have seen a large UFO that would be the "mother ship". Also letters exchanged by Brazilian and foreign civil ufologists with Air Force military. Among these, there is one request from researcher Bob Pratt concerning UFO incidents in USA territory. There are also reports on sightings that triggered Operacao Prato.

Folder 09 - 1978

http://www.ufo.com.br/public/abertura_2/CENDOC_ENVELOPE_09_1978.pdf - 85 pages

Assorted materials including issues of research bulletins and the case of abduction of Australian pilot Frederich Valentich. This folder contains a protocol by the Ministry of Aeronautics describing UFO sightings at the country's capital including reports of witnesses being chased by flying saucers. Also a letter from the 5th Regional Air Command, in Canoas (RS), containing illegible registers on a UFO case, and the investigation of the 4th Regional Air Command on the UFO that hovered over a plot of land at low altitude beside a family's residence in Sao Paulo.

Folder 10 - 1978

http://www.ufo.com.br/public/abertura_2/CENDOC_ENVELOPE_10_1978.pdf - 195 pages

This is the folder which contains more information including reports on several sightings all over the country. Reports from Operacao Prato account for most of the material in the folder amounting to 170 report pages and 126 mission pictures. The most important cases are there and include maps, diagrams and other sketches of varied UFOs and mother ships. Materials describe UFO trajectories, geographical coordinates, view angles, time, and physical effects caused by UFOs on soil and people when there were direct contacts.

Folder 11 - 1978

http://www.ufo.com.br/public/abertura_2/CENDOC_ENVELOPE_11_1978.pdf - 66 pages

Reports from a serious occurrence registered by the I Integrate Center for Air Defense and Air Traffic Control (Cindacta) on the night of June 20th, 1978. A multicolored UFO performed maneuvers at high speed causing panic. The object showed intelligent behavior and ability to vanish from one spot to reappear in another. The chief of police and 20 of his men were witnesses to that. There is also a transcription of talks between radar operators and three civilian aircraft over a UFO sighting among Campinas, Marilia, Pirasununga and Brasilia cities.

Folder 12 - 1979

http://www.ufo.com.br/public/abertura_2/CENDOC_ENVELOPE_12_1979.pdf - 68 pages

This folder contains interesting material on civil UFO investigation both in Brazil and abroad. The 2nd Regional Air Command (COMAR) forwards tens of articles published by US magazine International UFO Reporter and also newspapers. There is also a letter from an attorney of Banco do Brazil on his experience with a UFO on 26 February 1979 and an enquiry from Comitê Nacional de Investigacoa de Fenômenos Aéreos to the governments of Brazil and US. These contains parameters for the scientific research of UFOs and other enquiries.

Report by A. J. Gevaerd, editor, Brazilian UFO MagazineTranslated by Eduardo Rado, volunteer, Brazilian UFO Magazinehttp://www.ufo.com.br/

Secret UFO Files: In Print

2009-04-14T12:18:00.000-07:00

It’s not often that I follow one blog-post with another one on broadly the same subject - unless there is good reason to, of course.

And, right now, there is.

Hot on the heels of yesterday’s post about Dave Clarke’s attempts to secure the name of the author of the British Ministry of Defense’s “Condign Report” on UFOs, comes the news that Dave has a new book looming on the horizon that deals with the specific issue of the British MoD’s UFO files.

And here’s Dave himself with all the details:

Copies of my new book based upon the Ministry of Defense’s UFO files can now be pre-ordered via Amazon.

The UFO Files: the Inside Story of Real-life Sightings will be published in paperback during July 2009 by The National Archives. The recommended cover price is £12.99 but those who order early can obtain a discount.

The book has been specially produced to accompany the ongoing releases of MoD files via the TNA website UFO page.

The UFO Files showcases accounts of UFO experiences extracted from the entire TNA collection from the 19th century to the present day.

The first two chapters include official accounts of sightings and investigations of phantom airships, foo-fighters and flying saucers from the first half of the 20th century.

Later chapters cover classic UFO incidents featured in the Air Ministry and Ministry of Defence files, ending with the most recent material released under the Freedom of Information Act. The book concentrates upon primary documents and interviews conducted with key witnesses, much of which will be new even to seasoned UFOlogists.

Working with The National Archives has meant that some key historical documents have been made available for publication for the first time. The book will include over 70 original images from the files, including accounts collected by an Air Ministry investigation of strange phenomena sighted over London in 1921!

A summary of the contents, taken from the TNA new books page, follows:

Original records reveal how British Intelligence and the CIA investigated many Cold War sightings, from the Roswell incident of 1947 to ghost aircraft, Radar Angels to the RAF’s confidential files. The book sheds new light on many famous cases, such as RAF Topcliffe, 1952; the Flying Cross in Devon, 1967; RAF West Freugh, Scotland, 1957; the Berwyn Mountains UFO crash and the Phantom Helicopter Mystery, as well as the notorious ‘Welsh triangle’ and the Rendlesham Forest incident. Dramatic witness statements and personal interviews - many undertaken by the author himself - combine with rarely seen photographs, drawings and newly available documents to bring these extraordinary experiences vividly to life. From aerial phenonema of the First World War to crop circles and a secret UFO study of more recent times, The UFO Files offers a unique guide to our most intriguing mysteries.

UFO Files: The Secret Author

2009-04-13T09:52:00.000-07:00

Over in England, Dave Clarke has an interesting new article on the identity of the man who wrote the British Ministry of Defense “Condign” report on UFOs.

As Dave says:

The identity of an MoD intelligence expert who wrote a controversial report on UFOs must remain a secret, the Information Commissioner has decided.

Three years ago the Ministry released - under the Freedom of Information Act - a copy of a four volume report, code-named ‘Project Condign’, that was completed in 2000 and classified Secret - UK Eyes Only.

Condign was the brainchild of a mysterious intelligence officer, working as a contractor for the MoD, who was given access to secret documents covering DI55’s investigations of UFO incidents over three decades.

He was asked to produce the report because of his long experience as an advisor to the Defence Intelligence Staff onthe subject of UFOs.

His study concluded that UFOs - or UAPs (Unidentified Aerial Phenomena) - did exist but were mostly likely to be natural, but poorly understood, atmospheric phenomena such as ball lightning and dusty plasmas.

But what of the identity of the man who wrote the report? On this matter, Dave has been digging deep to try and resolve things, as the following from his new post demonstrates:

One of the questions asked “who the author was, what the author’s qualifications in this subject were; to whom the report was circulated [and] what actions were taken on the recommendations of the report.”

In response Baker was told the report cost the public around £50,000 but they would not name the author or say anything more about his background. “The author of the report was a contractor and was employed by the Defence Intelligence Staff (DIS) on a long-term contract,” Ingram responded in Hansard, 19 March 2007. “Further details of the author, including the name, are being with-held under the Data Protection Act 1998 [Section 40 of the Freedom of Information Act].”

And what happened when Dave - obviously not satisfied with that response - took further steps to try and identify the elusive author?

Click right here to find out!

New UK-UFO Government Files

2009-03-22T17:51:00.000-07:00

The following just in from Dave Clarke in the UK:

"From Sunday 22 March 2009 a third collection of UK MoD UFO files can be downloaded from The National Archives website: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ufos

"Visitors to the website can download a highlights guide, a podcast and an updated background briefing I have prepared as consultant to The National Archives on the ongoing UFO files release programme.

"'This tranche consists of seven files containing more than 2000 pagesof material. Six of the files include UFO reports received by the MoD's Defence Intelligence branch DI55 between 1987 and 1993.

"During this period MoD received 1200 individual UFO sighting reports.

"One incident that remained unexplained involves a set of colour photographs taken in Scotland during 1990. These show a diamond-shaped UFO apparently shadowed by Harrier jets.

"A detailed list of highlights from the files and discussion of the key stories contained therein can be found on my blogger page:
http://www.drdavidclarke.blogspot.com/

"Media coverage of the story will follow the lifting of the TNA press embargo at 0001 hrs GMT on Sunday, 22 March 2009."

David Clarke http://www.drdavidclarke.co.uk/

Canada: Opening The X-Files

2009-02-16T13:02:00.000-08:00

Although I haven't checked out the site thoroughly yet, the Canadian Government is declassifying its very own, previously-classified X-Files. Here's the link, in case you want to check them out!

Online Psychic Spying

2008-12-01T06:04:00.001-08:00

I recently wrote an article for issue 29 of Britain's Paranormal Magazine on the subject of so-called Remote-Viewing and the secret files on the subject that have been generated over the years by the governments, military, and intelligence communities of the former Soviet Union, Britain, and the United States. Extracts from the article have just been posted online at the magazine's website, and can be found right here.

007 & 666

2008-11-18T10:50:00.000-08:00

As many of you who take an interest in the controversial world of official secrecy will know, the National Archive, London, is home to a not inconsiderable amount of wartime files on the activities of the infamous Rudolf Hess. In addition, a number of documents held at the Archive also focus upon official interest in the occult, witchcraft, and other matters of a similar nature.

And, with that in mind, I figured this was an ideal time to bring to your attention an article, titled 007 and 666: A True Tale of Spies and Sorcery, written by a good friend of mine, Micah Hanks.

As Micah says:

"A while back, I had begun working on an article that dealt with some of the more extraordinary (and in some cases, even paranormal) aspects of James Bond creator Ian Fleming’s career with British Intelligence Services during World War II. As most who have read the novels or studied James Bond’s history otherwise may know, many of Fleming’s experiences in real life later inspired the adventures of the world’s most famous secret agent. The article, however, was never published; therefore, I felt it was perhaps a good time, along with the release of Quantum of Solace in theaters, to present for the first time my original tribute to the 007’s classy creator. As the name implies, the following article, 007 and 666: A True Tale of Spies and Sorcery, is indeed based on real events that lead to the capture of the infamous Nazi Rudolph Hess. With a cast of characters that includes Maxwell Knight (then Fleming’s superior officer in MI5), the notorious Aleister Crowley, and Fleming himself, it is by far one of the oddest tales ever to stem from the annals of history."

And to read the rest of Micah's first-class piece, click right here.

Lightning Secrets

2008-10-21T11:40:00.000-07:00

The new issue of Fortean Times magazine includes an article from me on secret files and research undertaken by the U.S. military since the 1940s to try and control - and utilize as a weapon - ball-lightning. As I point out in the article, there is little doubt that at least some UFO incidents can be traced back to these clandestine operations.

Secret UFO Files

2008-10-21T11:38:00.001-07:00

UK UFO Files: More

2008-10-20T11:07:00.000-07:00

On the issue of the British Ministry of Defense's newly-surfaced UFO files, my good friend Micah Hanks has the following to say:

"With news breaking today of a 4500 page document being released by Ministry of Defense officials in the UK regarding UFOs, my inbox was swarmed with emails this morning regarding how this might further affect Ufology.

"After looking at the news all morning, as well as considering that this year appears to be a landmark in the number of recorded UFO sightings not only in England but perhaps worldwide, such information may do just what folks are hoping, by leading to new avenues in the future of disclosure.

"Among those who were issuing reports this morning were Dakota Waddell of the 1917 Revolution blog, who sent me a link to the CNN Europe page describing a variety of curious public encounters described within the body of the MOD document in question. Shortly afterward, I also got a link from UFO and Fortean researcher Nick Redfern disclosing a complete list of news stories involving the release of this information at his Strange Secrets Blog.

"What I found to be one of the most striking stories disclosed in the MOD document involves an incident that occurred in 1957 where Milton Torres, a RAF Pilot stationed in Europe near Norwich, was instructed to shoot down a gigantic UFO the size of an airliner. Torres was ordered to shoot a full salvo of24 rockets at the object—an action which he recognized as 'the sort of thing that happened before a war'—and approaching the bogey at nearly 700 mph, he was shocked to see the large object depart at speeds clocked at nearly 10,000 mph. 'I think it was an alien spacecraft. It had a propulsion system that was beyond us - either magnetism or anti-gravity,' Torres said of the object."

Click here for the rest of Micah's post.

UK-UFO Secrets

2008-10-20T07:54:00.000-07:00

As the British Ministry of Defense declassifies its latest batch of UFO files, the media goes into overdrive:

Pilot's 'UFO encounter' - Mirror.co.uk
US pilot told to shoot down UFO - The Age
Declassified UFO Files Reveal Military Engagement, Near-Collision - Gizmodo.com
Passenger jet's near-miss with UFO above Kent - Independent
Pilot's close encounter with UFO over Kent - Mirror.co.uk
MoD reveals real life UFO files - Glasgow Daily Record
US pilot was ordered to shoot down UFO - Reuters South Africa
MoD bans crop circle photos over UFO fears
County UFO sighting comes to light - Shropshire Star
UFO files reveal A272 sighting
New reports: Jet had near miss with UFO - East Anglian Daily Times
UFO sightings online: British archives released - International Herald Tribune

ESP Files

2008-09-29T08:50:00.000-07:00

The new issue of Britain's Paranormal Magazine includes a feature from me on the subject of official interest in the fields of ESP, psychic phenomena and Remote-Viewing. The article uses declassified files from the archives of the FBI, CIA and British Ministry of Defense to tell the whole strange saga.

CIA Secret Files at Dallas Conference

2008-08-04T19:24:00.000-07:00

On September 6, I'll be speaking at the Ancient Earth Mysteries conference at the Hilton Dallas Lincoln Center in Dallas, Texas. The subject of my lecture: the CIA's secret files on its search for the remains of Noah's Ark. Truly a real-life conspiratorial mystery of Indiana Jones-style proportions! If you want to know what it's all about, here's the details.

The MoD & Remote-Viewing

2008-07-10T16:44:00.001-07:00

Check out the Cosmic Spoon for the latest news on the British Ministry of Defense's Remote-Viewing files. This looks to be a very interesting development in the whole RV/secret-file saga.

UFOs and High-Strangeness...

2008-06-23T16:26:00.000-07:00

Over at my Culture of Contact blog, I have a new post on a once-secret - and certainly strange - UFO file from the British Ministry of Defense of the 1960s.

The FBI & MJ12: The 1991 Documents

2008-06-04T14:34:00.000-07:00

Although it has been reported in a number of books (including my own Body Snatchers in the Desert) that the FBI conducted an investigation - in 1988 - of the infamous Majestic 12 documents, much less well known is the fact that the FBI was tasked with looking into MJ12 again in 1991.

The 1991 files reveal that, somewhat oddly, on the morning of 18 October 1991 a man (whose name is deleted from the relevant FBI documents that have been declassified via the terms of the Freedom of Information Act) who lived and worked in Salt Lake City, Utah had been walking "through the lobby of his place of employment" when he found copies of the MJ12 documents "lying on the lobby floor." His response: he contacted the FBI.

As was the case in 1988, the FBI began asking questions - in this case, with the Department of Defense - as it sought to get the answers. As was the case in 1988, the FBI was informed that the documents were utterly bogus.

Rather tellingly, a comment on one of the internal FBI documents (that is now declassified) states: "The fact that this Airtel is dated on Halloween day is purely coincidental; it could have been worse and dated on the first of April."

UK UFO Files: In the Public Domain

2008-05-14T08:28:00.000-07:00

Along with colleagues Joe McGonagle and Gary Anthony, British UFO researcher Dave Clarke has been at the forefront of a campaign to get the British Ministry of Defense to open up its UFO files. And now the MoD is doing so - thanks directly to the persistent actions of the trio.

Here's what Dave has to say about this important development:

http://www.drdavidclarke.co.uk/news2.htm

BRITISH X-FILES OPEN AT NATIONAL ARCHIVES
BY DR. DAVID CLARKE:

The UK Ministry of Defence has taken the first step in its long-awaited decision to release its complete back catalogue of UFO reports at The National Archives (TNA).

International media interest is expected to coincide with the public opening of the first eight files on May 14. Staff are preparing for up to 1 million hits on a special website they are using for the public launch. The newly-released files are now available to download free of charge for the first month. Further files will be added as the collection grows over the next three to four years.

The decision to release all the remaining MoD UFO files in chronological order was taken last year in response to a long-running campaign by myself and colleagues Joe McGonagle and Gary Anthony using the Freedom of Information Act.

Since the decision was made I have been acting as the TNA's consultant 'expert' on the historical significance of the files. For the duration of the press launch I will be helping TNA staff respond to Press inquiries both from the UK and across the world.

During the last month I have produced a detailed, updated Background Briefing to the entire collection of UFO records held at the TNA for those who wish to explore the papers further. Some 200 files, some of which date back to the First World War, have already been released and are available for research purposes. Plans are in hand to make scans of some of these early UFO papers available via the TNA website in future.

For the launch I have also recorded a podcast that summarises the content of the new files and the background to the releases. Both the Background Briefing and podcast can be downloaded from the TNA's new 'UFO' website that can be reached via the link on this page.

The first release covers UFO reports, policy and public correspondence between 1978 and 1987. Four of the eight files originate with the MoD Air Staff secretariats DS8 and Sec(AS). These have become well known to UFO researchers and the media as the MoD's 'UFO desk'.

The remaining four files originate with the Defence Intelligence Staff branch DI55, who provided behind-the-scenes technical and scientific assistance to the UFO desk. DI55 were also the MoD department responsible for the Condign report on UFOs, which drew upon these newly-released files for its database of UFO/UAP reports.

The UFO reports series in this first tranche begins in November 1981 and ends in November 1987. Readers will note that the files have been 'redacted', whereby personal details such as the names and addresses of witnesses and MoD staff are removed under Section 40 of the FOIA (which relates to the Data Protection Act).

Nevertheless, it is relatively easy to discern the identities of some of the MoD's regular correspondents, which include some well-known UFOlogists. Indeed, I was amazed to discover one file (DEFE 31/175) contains a copy of the first letter I wrote to the MoD's UFO desk in September 1987!

The first batch of files provides a snapshot of British UFOlogy from the late 1970s through the mid-1980s, when the Rendlesham forest mystery first hit the headlines and crop circles were becoming the new UFOlogical obsession.

The papers contain several hundred individual reports, a number of them originating from civil aircrew and a few from military sources. Here are just two highlights chosen at random from the current release:

Rendlesham Forest incident

One file (DEFE 24/1925) contains a briefing on the famous Rendlesham incident (often described as 'Britain's Roswell') prepared by Sec(AS) for Lord Trefgarne, Tory Defence Minister, in September 1985. Trefgarne had agreed to meet with a retired Chief of Defence Staff, Lord Peter Hill-Norton, who was pressing the MoD to reopen their investigation of the incident.

The briefing is of interest because it provides a clear explanation for why MOD did not share Hill-Norton's concern about the possible defence implications of the report made by Lt Col Charles Halt, the USAF deputy base commander at RAF Woodbridge. It says on receipt of Halt's report on 15 January 1981 – two weeks after the events - checks were carried out by air defence staff but these "failed to reveal any radar trace of anything unusual in the area at the time".

As a result, they decided no follow-up was necessary because Lt Col Halt "does not ask for further investigation" in his memo that was forwarded to the Ministry by the RAF base commander, Don Moreland.

Lord Hill-Norton was told: "I think you will agree that it is highly unlikely that any violation of UK airspace would be heralded by such a display of lights. I think it equally unlikely that any reconnaissance or spying activity would be announced in this way...we believe that the fact Col Halt did not report these occurrences to MOD for almost 2 weeks after the event, together with the low key manner in which he handled the matter are indicative of the degree of importance in defence terms which should be attached to the incident."

British Army interest in the Crop Circles

Another item from the same file is a copy of a report compiled by the Army Air Corps of their investigations into crop circle formations that appeared in fields near Andover, Hampshire, in August 1985.

A team led by Lt Col Edgecombe photographed the central 40ft diameter circle from the ground and the air. They were alerted to the presence of the circles by the farmer who owned the fields in which they had appeared. He called the army helicopter base to demand "what on earth we [the AAC] were up to now".

In their report to Whitehall the Army team express their bafflement at the lack of traces and note how the wheat was "laid flat in a clockwise twist - as if a plank had been put with one end at the centre and then swept round in a complete circle."

The Army's interest in crop circles led to intense speculation by UFOlogists and 'cerealogists' about official cover-ups. These papers prove the military had no secret knowledge of alien forces at work in England's fields. Even DI55, who were consulted by Sec(AS) on the possible defence significance of the crop circles in 1985, were left grasping at straws.

In December 1985 a DI55 desk officer wrote that "something unusual has happened but just what remains a mystery".

He added: "From a purely defence viewpoint I don't think there is anything in the report to worry us - there does not appear to be a landing as such since the wheat is only depressed (not completely flattened), there are no tracks in the wheat and there does not appear to be burn or scorch marks - I lean to some kind of natural phenomena such as mini-tornadoes bouncing off the ground."

In hindsight we can see how easily the Army, the MoD and the intelligence services were fooled by the intricate handiwork of circle-makers just as easily as anyone else who visited the formations with an open mind.

It was another five years before hoaxers Doug and Dave came forward to confess they had created the first crop circles and unwittingly created a new UFO-related mystery which continues to grow in spite of its disconfirmation.

This is just a brief summary of two interesting highlights from the first collection of files released in May 2008. Many more releases will follow during the next three to four years, bringing the developing story of the MoD's involvement in the UFO mystery slowly up to date.

Eventually all 160 files covering UFO reports, correspondence and official policy from the mid-1980s up to the present day will form part of a unique new resource for UFOlogy.

Keep watching this space for updates.

The files can be downloaded as pdfs from:

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ufos

Also see Joe McGonagle's page on the file releases at:-

http://www.uk-ufo.org/condign/di55docs.html

The Monster Archives

2008-05-12T14:49:00.001-07:00

The new issue of Taps Paramagazine includes an article from me on British official (military, government and police) files relating to sightings of unknown animals. Titled The Creature Files, the article focuses on real X-Files on lake monsters, big cats and more. Maybe it's time for us to start sending out Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to the FBI, CIA, etc. to see what they have? The results might be surprising...

As I note in the article:

"Replying in 2006 to a FOIA request from a member of the public with an interest in big cat sightings seen in the county of Hampshire, England between 1995 and 2005, the county’s Police Force released secret files that stated: 'Hampshire’s Constabulary’s Air Support Unit has been deployed to assist with the following reports: January 1995 – Black Panther like animal seen in Eastleigh. Two likely heat sources found by the aircraft, but nothing found by ground troops. March 1995 – Black Puma like animal seen in Winchester. One heat source found that could not be classified by the aircraft crew, kept running off from searching officers, search eventually abandoned.'"

And this just the tip of the iceberg...

Wartime Puzzles, Strange Formations, Official Files

2008-05-12T14:29:00.000-07:00

This story - of unusual formations found in rural areas in the U.S. during the Second World War - eerily parallels one which had ties to Britain's MI5 (also during the Second World War), and which appears within the pages of Strange Secrets.

It seems that allied forces on both sides of the Atlantic were seeing weird field-formations and attributing them to sinister forces.

I've heard unsubstantiated stories (but which could well be true, given the above-stories) that similar speculation surfaced among certain elements of British Intelligence when a crop circle was found in the 1990s on land relatively near the perimeter of Britain's Porton Down installation.

True? Based on the above stories, I give the Porton rumors a careful "maybe."

Animal Mutilations: The British Files

2008-05-06T14:30:00.000-07:00

For those who may be interested in learning about the strange story of how British cryptozoologist Jonathan Downes came to acquire a batch of 1970s British Police Force files on British-based "animal mutilation" events, check out his book The Owlman and Others. Aside from Jon, very few people have delved into the issue of what may be known - at an official level - about animal mutilations in the UK. Definitely some "strange secrets" in the pages of this book!

Going Offline

2008-04-23T05:25:00.000-07:00

I'll be offline from now until next Tuesday.

Astronauts and Alcohol!

2008-04-21T15:13:00.000-07:00

Here's a weird one: a NASA file discussing whether or not astronauts should be able to knock back a few drinks while in space. It would appear the answer is no!

Hearing Voices - Courtesy of the Military

2008-04-04T13:53:00.001-07:00

Hearing voices in your head? Feeling hot and feverish? As this recently declassified official file demonstrates, you may be on the receiving end of some dastardly tricks of the military.

Nessie and the Government

2008-03-25T19:11:00.000-07:00

What's the connection between Thatcher and Nessie? Read on...

PDFs of Hard-to-Find Files

2008-03-18T15:34:00.000-07:00

Click here for some interesting official, and formerly secret, files from the early years of US military UFO research and investigations.

The Rendlesham UFO File: Abducted!

2008-03-13T16:58:00.001-07:00

The latest news on the British Ministry of Defense's decision to remove its "Rendlesham Forest UFO File" from its website.

Secret Files: Hitler, Astrology and the British Government

2008-03-04T04:38:00.001-08:00

Britain's spymasters became convinced that astrology could hold the key to the defeat of Adolf Hitler during the Second World War, it has emerged. Secret files released by the National Archives show how intelligence chiefs were hoodwinked into recruiting a bogus Hungarian nobleman to study the Nazi leader's horoscope in the hope of penetrating his military plans.

Here's the story - in all its bizarre glory!

And here's a second one that adds more details.

And a third.

Witchcraft in Warfare

2008-03-01T08:25:00.000-08:00

The strange saga of Second World War witch Helen Duncan and the world of officialdom is a highly intriguing one. It's also a saga that is the subject of a number of formerly classified files held at England's National Archive. For those unaware of the facts, the rumors and the still on-going controversy, Duncan is back in the news....

A Great Resource Tool

2008-02-28T05:19:00.000-08:00

Check out Paperless Archives - they're a great source for all manner of declassified files - including some that fall into the "strange" category, such as files on UFOs, paranormal phenomena, and Jack the Ripper.

A Mystery Blast

2008-02-21T06:42:00.000-08:00

A weird file on an equally weird event that, to the best of my knowledge, was never really resolved to everyone's satisfaction. Unless someone out there reading this can fill in the blanks...

The Battle of Los Angeles

2008-02-19T14:41:00.000-08:00

If you're interested in the so-called "Battle of Los Angeles" - a strange event of the Second World War that a number of researchers are convinced has a genuine link to the UFO puzzle, check out this PDF that contains official files on the matter.

The New JFK Files

2008-02-19T10:00:00.001-08:00

The newly-surfaced batch of files on that most mystifying of murders - the JFK assassination of 22 November 1963 - are the subject of comment at American Chronicle.

Remote Viewing at the Black Vault

2008-02-14T18:41:00.001-08:00

For an interesting selection of files on psychic-spying - better known as Remote Viewing - check out the Black Vault.

Animal ESP Files In "TAPS Paramagazine"

2008-01-31T18:45:00.000-08:00

The new issue of TAPS Paramagazine includes an article from me on previously-classified files that reveal how, in the 1950s, the U.S. Army undertook secret research to determine if animals could locate landmines via the use of ESP.

Project Twinkle and the Green Fireballs

2008-01-29T10:17:00.000-08:00

The so-called Green Fireball phenomenon of the late 194os and early 1950s was one of the most intriguing - yet largely forgotten - facets of the early years of Ufology. On countless occasions these brightly-lit "things" would soar across the skies of New Mexico, apparently taking more than a passing interest in the nation's atomic energy installations.

The Air Force even set up a study program to investigate the puzzle that was named Project Twinkle. Many of the official records on Twinkle are now in the public domain. And for those who want to learn more about this odd facet of official interest in the UFO controversy, check out this great resource tool, and this new posting from mega-blogger Lesley.

Zombies: Coming Soon....Everywhere!

2008-01-21T16:42:00.000-08:00

It's not exactly a secret now that the story is in the public domain, but it's definitely strange and it does concern the official world, so I'm going to mention it: namely, a project to understand "human fear" chemicals. Why? Why else: to use them in some fashion on the battlefield, of course! Did you really need to ask?

In view of this somewhat unsettling development, it can surely only be a matter of time before military boffins of a definitive Dr. Strangelove-style seek to understand the nature of "human rage" chemicals too. Then you just know what will happen: the creation of a rage-virus, as per 28 Days Later, that catastrophically breaks out of the confines of the lab and begins to spread wildly among the masses.

As a committed zombie fanatic, I heartily look forward to the day when I may actually get to do battle with cannibal zombies in the remains of some ruined city where the undead roam the streets and the struggling survivors...well, struggle to survive!

There is one good thing in all this, however: given that a high percentage of the population is now fat and diabetic, the real-life rage-people will be easy to outrun - unlike their marauding on-screen equivalents in the 28 Days films and the glorious 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead.

Roll on the Zombie Holocaust! Dead Cities! Armageddon! The World Collapses! Only Britain Soldiers On! Etc.

Remember this blog-post with fondness and nostalgia when you are barricaded in your home and the flesh-eating dead are tearing down the walls to eat your brain.

Atomic Sci-Fi Secrets

2008-01-21T07:38:00.000-08:00

This a great, and highly intriguing, story that encompasses Second World War secrecy, super-weapons, once-classified government files and the world of Sci-Fi. A classic case of truth being stranger than fiction? Definitely!

Marilyn, The FBI & UFOs

2008-01-17T17:10:00.000-08:00

In my book Celebrity Secrets, I included a chapter on the FBI’s secret surveillance files of dead Hollywood babe Marilyn Monroe.

In that chapter I devoted a brief section to a discussion of a controversial document that - if genuine, of course - suggests that Monroe had secretly been told aspects of the Roswell, New Mexico "crashed UFO" story by the Kennedy brothers, John and Robert - as well as other official secrets, too, such as plans to assassinate Cuba's Fidel Castro.

More disturbingly, the alleged CIA document refers to a threat by Monroe to spill the beans on what she knew; something that never happened, of course, as a result of her still-controversial death.

And while I only included a chapter on this affair in Celebrity Secrets, researcher Don Burleson wrote a whole book about it; and he has been interviewed about his research into the Monroe-UFO story.

The document falls into the gray area that most UFO data inhabits. Namely that it’s certainly intriguing, but actually proving anything is near impossible.

The Cosford UFO Files

2008-01-11T12:29:00.000-08:00

The so-called Cosford UFO-"Flying Triangle" incident of March 1993 is one of the more controversial ones within the annals of British Ufology. And the fact that it became the subject of a lengthy official Ministry of Defense file makes it all the more intriguing. Needless to say, fifteen years after it occurred, the event still provokes deep controversy - with some people (such as Nick Pope, formerly of the MoD) suggesting the event may have had extraterrestrial origins; while others (such as Dr. David Clarke) argue that the case had far more down to earth origins. To learn all about the controversy, the official files, the theories and more, click here.

More on the British Ministry of Defense's UFO Files...

2008-01-08T19:48:00.000-08:00

More on the new development concerning the declassification of the British Ministry of Defense's UFO files (info supplied, with thanks, by Dave Clarke).

Nessie & JARIC

2008-01-04T12:36:00.001-08:00

My Strange Secrets book includes a chapter on official files pertaining to the involvement of the Joint Air Reconnaissance Intelligence Center in analyzing alleged film-footage of the Loch Ness Monster.
As the 1960s-era documentation presented in the book shows, JARIC came to some intriguing conclusions...
For more information on the work of JARIC, here's where to go...

The Weird Files, Part 12; The FBI and ESP

2008-01-03T10:42:00.000-08:00

Most people reading this blog will, I'm sure, be aware of the Remote-Viewing research undertaken by various elements of the American Intelligence community and military in the 1970s.

But who knew that the FBI was engaged in such studies back in the mid-to-late 1950s?

The FBI has declassified its files on this particular topic and placed them online (here's where to get them in PDF format).

The FBI came away less than impressed by those who claimed to possess ESP; nevertheless the story is a fascinating one, full of skullduggery and Cold War spy-antics.

You can also read about my own analysis of the files in the anthology The Universe Wants To Play.

The Weird Files, Part 11: UFOs And The Condign Report

2008-01-02T11:12:00.000-08:00

During a policy review in 1996 into the handling of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena sighting reports received by the British Ministry of Defence, a study was undertaken to determine the potential value, if any, of such reports to Defence Intelligence.
Consistent with Ministry of Defence policy, the available data was studied principally to ascertain whether there is any evidence of a threat to the UK, and secondly, should the opportunity arise, to identify any potential military technologies of interest.
The Ministry of Defence has released this report in response to a Freedom of Information request and has made it available to a wider audience via the MOD Freedom of Information Publication Scheme.
Where indicated information is withheld in accordance with Section 26 (Defence), Section 27 (International Relations) and Section 40 (Personal Information) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
Here's the link.

The Weird Files, Part 10: The Kinross Affair

2007-12-27T10:13:00.000-08:00

The Kinross UFO incident of 1953 is one of the more unusual and intriguing cases on record. For details, see this summary.

The available official records on the incident are newly-posted online, thanks to the work of researcher John Tenney. The files tell a fascinating story of an old case that still provokes controversy to this day and that refuses to roll over and die.

British Ministry of Defense to Declassify its UFO Files

2007-12-22T10:00:00.001-08:00

News just in: the British Ministry of Defense is due to declassify all of its UFO files over the next couple of years. This action is due to the work of British UFO researchers Gary Anthony, Dave Clarke and Joe McGonagle of UK-UFO.org.

Here's the details from their website

Following sustained pressure by a small number of UFO researchers during the last 8 years, the British Ministry of Defence have decided to release all of their UFO files.
Gary Anthony, Dave Clarke, and Joe McGonagle have been making full use of the Freedom of Information Act and it's precursor, the Code of Practice on access to Government information. At considerable personal expense, effort, and investment of time the three of us have submitted a steady stream of requests. As well as making requests ourselves, we actively encouraged and assisted other ufologists to make their own requests.
Dave Clarke obtained a listing of files held by the MoD on the topic of Unidentified Flying Objects during 2003. In the course of requesting the contents of some of those files, we discovered that 24 files created by DI55 (the Defence Intelligence Branch charged with the investigation of UFO reports) were contaminated by asbestos, and their destruction was being considered. Not only were the UFO records contaminated, but a total of 63,000 files estimated at between 6 to 12 million pages, most of them classified above Secret were facing the same fate. The files covered a wide range of topics from a key period of military and political history.

For the rest of the story, click here.

The Weird Files, Part 9: UFOs and the National Security Agency

2007-12-21T09:17:00.000-08:00

The NSA is without doubt one of the most secretive agencies on the planet. The NSA has, however, declassified some of its UFO files into the public domain, and which can be found here.

The Weird Files, Part 8: The FBI's Archives of the Unusual

2007-12-19T08:22:00.000-08:00

Over the years, the FBI has collated considerable files on various cases and people connected to the world of Forteana and the unexplained. Some of them can be found here.

The Weird Files, Part 7: Parapsychology

2007-12-18T10:58:00.000-08:00

If you're interested in what elements of the Defense Intelligence Agency thought about psychic phenomena in the 1970s, as well as its potential as a tool for espionage (both on the part of the United States and the former Soviet Union), click here.

The Weird Files, Part 6: Broomsticks in the Pentagon

2007-12-14T11:02:00.000-08:00

If you're interested in finding out what the U.S. military deduced back in the 1960s about sorcery, witchcraft and a host of other related topics, click here.

The Weird Files, Part 5: The Ararat Anomaly

2007-12-12T10:43:00.001-08:00

The Ararat Anomaly is the name given to a controversial structure (or object, or rock formation, depending on your perspective and opinion) that can be found on Mt. Ararat, Turkey. For some, it's the remains of the legendary Ark of Noah. For others, it's nothing at all.
But for the Intelligence community of the United States, it's been a mystery that has attracted their keen attention over the course of the last few decades.
The CIA declassified to me a couple of years ago several batches of documentation on the Ararat Anomaly, and I'm continuing to dig for more.
Meanwhile, you may wish to take a look at these photographs, which are posted at the official website of the Defense Intelligence Agency. Taken by a photographer aboard a US Air Force plane in 1949, they show Mt. Ararat and what some believe may be the remains of the Ark.
Whatever the Anomaly is, it has certainly provoked both interest and debate at an official level. And may still do so...

The Weird Files, Part 4: The British Ministry of Defense and Remote Viewing

2007-12-10T16:13:00.000-08:00

For those who want to learn the facts pertaining to at least some of the British Ministry of Defense's files on Remote-Viewing and psychic spying, click here. There are reportedly more files on the way, and perhaps in excess of 1,000 pages. Stay tuned...

The Mystery of the Missing Files...

2007-12-10T08:54:00.001-08:00

As I noted in my post here yesterday, the FBI has quietly removed from its website a PDF collection of documentation on alleged cases of spontaneous human combustion. Instead, all you get now is a summary of the files in question.
Interestingly, the FBI has also begun to remove other Fortean files, and UFO-related data, from its site too.
For example, up until very recently - but no longer, sadly - you could also download in PDF format the FBI's 135-page file on Silas Newton, who was a key player in the legend of the alleged UFO crash at Aztec, New Mexico in March 1948.
Also: the FBI's 42-page file on Philip Corso, of The Day After Roswell, has been completely deleted from the FBI's site. All you get now is a name check listed in the "C" section of the Bureau's online research page.
The 179-page FBI file on maverick scientist and Aleister Crowley disciple Jack Parsons is no longer available; the 287-page file on scientific genius Nikola Tesla is completely gone; as has the 789-page collection on Wilhelm "cloud-buster" Reich.
Some of the FBI's files on weird phenomena - such as its UFO papers, its animal mutilation files, its MJ12 reports, and its Project Blue Book records - are still available.
But this recent deletion of what amounts to thousands of pages of "strange secrets" that the FBI had previously posted online in a handy, downloadable format is very curious indeed.
Of course, you can still get the files by filing a written request with the FBI; but that can take time, and for some of the larger files, it can cost significant amounts of money too.
Luckily, I downloaded all the now-missing files onto a CD some time ago...

The Weird Files, Part 3: The FBI and Spontaneous Human Combustion

2007-12-09T20:12:00.000-08:00

Click on this link to learn all about the FBI's files on an unusual death that was linked with theories pertaining to spontaneous human combustion.
The link provides background on the case file in question.
Until recently, you could download the entire FBI case-file in PDF format. However, for reasons that are not clear, the FBI has removed the extensive file on the affair that it had previously posted to its website.
I'm glad I downloaded it before the FBI decided to remove it...

The Weird Files, Part 2: The US Army and ESP

2007-12-07T07:06:00.000-08:00

Nope: we're not talking about the Army trying to train its troops in the field of ESP. Rather, this is a fascinating look (with the accompanying official files available too) at a 1950s project to determine if animals possessed extra-sensory-perception. And if so, if that same skill could be employed to (among other things) locate landmines.

The Weird Files, Part 1: Cattle Mutilations...

2007-12-05T14:08:00.000-08:00

Every day (until I run out of the damned things!) I'll be posting links to where you can find some of the strangest secret files that government, military and intelligence agencies have opened over the course of the last century or so.
To kick things off, here's a link to where you can download the FBI's 128-page file on so-called "Cattle Mutilations."
Read the file carefully: they contain some seriously weird reports...

Strange Secrets: "A Trove Of Entertaining Stories For X-Files Fans..."

2007-11-30T15:53:00.000-08:00

Publishers Weekly says about Strange Secrets:

Redfern and Roberts, both experienced writers on UFOs and the paranormal, preface their study of real-life X-files by admitting that "the nature of intelligence work requires agencies to obtain information on just about anything and everything that might conceivably have a bearing on national security."
So it's no surprise that "documentation on the 'unknown' has been created and studied at an official level." The authors have uncovered such files from the U.S., British and former Soviet governments touching on alien visitations, the use of psychic spies and other strange subjects.
A local vampire legend was used by the U.S. in the Philippines as part of a psy-ops program. The authors discuss reports that the British government convened a secret ministerial briefing to discuss the mysterious crop circles that had started appearing in the 1980s.
And they explore the possibility that some supposed UFO sightings were actually of highly advanced, secret technology being tested by the U.S. government.
This is a trove of entertaining stories for X-files fans and government skeptics.

Magonia and Strange Secrets: A Review...

2007-11-30T15:37:00.000-08:00

Magonia reviews Strange Secrets...

Unknown Country on Strange Secrets

2007-11-30T15:24:00.000-08:00

Strange Secrets would be a "great book to take to the beach or curl up with on a dark winter's night," says Unknown Country.

Steamshovel Press on Strange Secrets

2007-11-30T15:20:00.000-08:00

Steamshovel Press' Kenn Thomas interviews me about Strange Secrets: Real Government Files on the Unknown.