Copy /4^of36 NEW ZEALAND DEFENCE FORCE UNIDENTIFIED File Number: AIR 39/3/3 Volume 4 File Title: Reports of UFOs File Timespan: Opened: 1981 - Closed 1984 File Declassified: September 2010 Location of Original File: Held at Archives New Zealand Access to Original File: Restricted until 2054 File Contains: Various UFO sightings from members of the public and reports on sightings at Christchurch International Airport and Temuka in 1982. Correspondence from the Office of the Ombudsman relating to public access to UFO information. Correspondence from / to UFO research groups in NZ and requests for UFO information from overseas researchers. Various Press clippings throughout. NEW ZEALAND DEFENCE FORCE PUBLIC RELEASE OF UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECTS (UFO) FILES These copied and redacted files of correspondence on Unidentified Flying Objects dating from 1952 to 2009 have been Declassified and released to the public by the New Zealand Defence Force under the Official Information Act. Access to the original files held by Archives New Zealand is restricted up until the year 2080 for Personal Privacy reasons. These copied files have had the personal details of members of the public making UFO reports removed to preserve their privacy. Personal details of service personnel and civilians employed by the New Zealand Defence Force and other Government Departments and Agencies have not been removed. No other information has been removed or omitted from these files. GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF FILES Correspondence on Flying Saucers began in New Zealand Defence Force files in 1952 and continued under different names, Unidentified Flying Objects (UFO) and Unidentified Aerial Sightings (UAS) until the present. The files contain reports of sightings by private individuals and military personnel, investigations by Defence and other Government Departments and agencies into these reports, newspaper clippings on UFOs and letters from individuals who claim to be in touch with alien beings and craft. While the files are in general date order from 1952 until the present some file periods overlap with one another and the documents within each file are not necessarily in strict date order. There can be duplicate documents within each file and copies of the same documents (particularly media releases and reports) can appear in different files. ACCESS TO UFO FILES These redacted files are available in hard copy from the Defence Library do Headquarters New Zealand Defence Force Aitken St Wellington. They are not available in electronic format. poifitme&it Folio Date jnrtials ^ate Actioned by Date Folio Initials Date HQ-NZDF/.'VRMYTTAVY/ FORCE/JSO- appropriate PART NO ij- Sub-Series_ Appropriate Documents on File (File or Non File Material) Classified Date of last document No Foreign Source Documents on File Some Foreign or Special-Source Documents placed on restricted Parallel File (Non-NZDF) Restricted Parallel File Some I All Foreign Somue Documents or Cleared for Access TJaiiuat TiTtlie again before the Year ^oiii^enced Te Rua Mahara o te Kavvanatanga NEW ZEALAND GOVERNMET^T LOANS SERVICE' PLEASE DO NOT REMOVE THIS SHEET Production: 2010*^3 Series: V 2. g t Accession: Shelf No: IZ2 4 PLEASE TREAT THIS ITEM WITH CARE: " Do not write on or erase anything from this file Do not flag, label, or otherwise damage this file This loan is valid for three months from' Government Loans Service Archives New Zealand Head Office Ground Floor Reception, 10 Mulgraye Street WELLINGTON OR ASK FOR AN EXTENSION Email;
[email protected] Unless returned within 3 months, or extended, overdue charges will apply File Number. . " r?.| FILE RELEASE STATEMENT VETTING COMPLETED AND: No classified documents on file, NZDF documents have been declassified Qtbei;jb>lZ-Govt Dept documents have been cleared -foi^cess Eofeign-Scrufcc documents have been-eleared-for- access Some foreign fjource documents have been placed on a lesliicled paialfel flip bprp^mtb rprnrrlinj^ tr-^ritifrr) Other comments: For Headquarters New Zealand Defence Force NB: Classified documents of other New Zealand Departments where there is some concern about declassifying them should be referred to the relevant department. for^transit action.:; ; ;v ;' TRAfSISrt FORM Please note that: fife' passed by ha:nd'tp..vw::V.p.Lu (D.^signa^^^^ (Branch)*, (Recipients signature classified material fDelete asi, applicable. t xiftv first that. I r<5<gr.*t oar ami's* ion its feiliag t dt'sw Knjfpxvsatt a- a-tfciat ion to ftis riijhtfi an'd^* Act, this was sins-piy AVi ov?6sihtf 'iue in part tt* initial iiact ty with th^ i^.ct \1ur Ing t.ne firot eek& alter it came- s..i\t forcff?, and in part b$eaai^e Hr Enapman j one or a iraatbsir of ^oXa friends whoce position, on iu favourite efcjeet la tfacjcog1|ly veil kaown to us. In tt;us caiss, f.gmiiia.rity pe.r>:ips- 1-ad to .an tended breach oi the ne>- leoifylatiofu \ Copied of acme previous cor r eeponSeoce twi th J4r ^pnapaan are |V^encl&sd. Of the i'our requests for infciyfsation Vsovr at issue, tne first t=o cannot be satisfied. ]kM Hr Knap^aa Ija^ already been fold, ve do not hold any fftovie fllas -taken by civilians in 1954 not do w ha'jc ai-jy record of ever bavins retceived isucli f lisas, 'ih secords of tbis l!inistry *d tbe Air Bt^tt have &@ibr, oea.rchsd tiior<rofb,lv, I ast not -faailisr ti* work?, of 15i'bheol aerveiy, and hi-ive no vay of etitabl isfeing hlB
[email protected] nor Ifbe b&^iis '.or the patsaa^ Br Knapisan -quotes fros h.i.s bock. And th^e- is nc r acorns of s report .by a sissLor ^CQ on OFG s-ightinciss i-i'honuauEi in Turnin-g to t.hs tbers. Mr-s HoreXatKi'i^ aceoxuit or her sllsced encQ-unt?^!t a i)i/^0 and its occupants in I"? 5?, Hr Knapsan .again has b-een advl'usd U;at the undertaking given .her not to release this rsar.eriai ?3ijioot nor co-neont in still in force. Copies of correapondence bet-i'een this lady (xsow Mrz McCall ast) aod the s4in.lstry In 1,979 are enclosed, at'!0 these speax. for theKSe 1 vt? a . In reapect ol i4 Rnapma.!', ' ? claims that the .assurance -os. ma-de 23 year ago ana i. ua t it nov- acffisho-v ,lac:<;i vaiiclity, t.he cordfritsnsBut -*'as r&nHr. ityf.oci St het bijhe-sst onlv yi&ar.s age in decii3ing that that undertaking should ba hoTiioar&d , the provisions of tb Official Ififcrmation Act isections 9 {,2) (a) ar?d (b) v/ere seen to apply. r&aaestaa, copies or statements sia<5-s by Mrs Moreland in 1959 and records oi intervievs h:r are aleo eaciosea for year in for Hsa Lion, It ie easy to xradorstano her wish to a void further pubiicity. nt Knapiaan ciairsK to require the information tor research purposes only> foot the Ministry has no oorifidence that resurrection of the laatfcer eould not res a It is what Mrs McCall urn would consider to foe barraaament , Xt was this .possibility that was borne in jtiind rafche.t than the confidentiaiity of her nake for its o'Wfi i^ak@. all/ if we ga-v/a Mr Kiiauasan the irstotmation h-a could well consider his undertaking to us to be no more binding than ours to her had been - and he says he knows Mr-3 -Moreland* e new najrte and aeidrsus. Mr Knapman aaa firtally asked variously for a copy of the RHf-'iF report into the alleged OFO sightings at Kaikoara in late 1978 &ne for a report on a spe.al.fic r-ecorirfaissanee flight conducted on 2 uahuary 1979, The raain report was sujsitiarissd in a press release at the time,, containing all of the salient findings of the enquiry. The reconaa issane^s flight c-f 2 January yieidod no furtner positive iafomafcion . It was tfosrfor belleveel that in passing a co-pY bf the pres relsaase to Hr fitiaiMaari the Hinisitry had satisfied the requiroKsente under the Official luforjaation iict Section 16(e). Copies of the naii^ raport and o.f the press release are enclosed for your intorisatlorv. X slsoald add that until .now, the raain i-eport has not been .released to any agency or person oxitslde the Ministry of Katuraily, the RiK'l-M*' hae an underlying iresponeibility for the security of Ecaland airspacs. Its attitude to UFOs however is not, dissimilar froE* that of the United 'States Air Force which since about 1S7S, 1 am told, hsc& worked to the policy that reports of XHiidentif xed objects erjtexring United States airspace are of interest to the adlitary as a rsgular part of de.feuse surveillance. Beyovid that, the CS Air Forc-e no longer investigates reports o UFO si.ghtiagc , 'It ssay foe, pertirje-nt to note too that in 1977 in a istatement attrifoated to K'ASA it v?a concluded i what exists evidence for l'he.re is no ihe RMEAF is not and has never been required as a isjatter of course either to investigate UFO sightings, nor to collate reports forwax'ded to it. Xhis of course is a question of policy for the Qov^,i:nsxent to decide, but the Ministrys advice would be that propoSsRlR such as efos one laade by Snapmsn should not foe entertainiid . &o ar as I am aware, only in one can - that of the Kaikours Incid-ant" of .1976-79 - has the Government directed that cofisU'sct; inv^sti-gatioji lioaevheless diacharging resposisibilities continu-ss rfi*oeive reports frena tfee public (as I believe do the Police aad ttoe Miaietrv of Traasport)# and these are soaietimes investigated to the exten t of deteruuning ^aether the repot ted, phenomenon cculcl rsasoal>3.f be collated with a known physical eveiit,. t-hsse could iaeteorologlcal reflecting froKj high altitude as it moves out of the Earth * s shadow after dusk on the surface# or an anusually bright planet or star near the hoxLzoiis or anosiioloKS propagations of bright light:? on the surrace, Seneraliy, results and not the details of the investigations have beeji saa.de about soiiRething they have seen# and are made in good faith, others are taken up by those for whos& 0FO* it seems will explain all tha ajystris of the titiiverse. Their diligehce on the subject irs nor aiatched by any sense Of bala,r5ce or of the need for dispaiss-ionatf? enquiry. The Ministry should not in my view willingly* get drawn into tha pursuit of chlsaera asrd should avoid providing fuel for r eve red issa o i na t i on s . Bven with tlie iore balanced otesi&rver, great difficulties arise, /?.n investigation almost always reaches a point where it has at least to fe ipl.ied that th observer had been fooled by rsoine natural vent, Cballeagi.ng th reliability of his physical senses, which objective diso^ission into a subjective one. The rnsia ia.sue of especially debate urrou.ding the repertod experiences of others obsessions tend to fee given free rein. I?naginative theories saai to blossofiv, incXmjirig accusations conspiracy facfe.s, information illustrates pofeonttal retrospect 25~yar~Cfld .'fiatters investigators sc;etimes irtaintain deCachiaant, int^estiqating streagthen Moreland's covlct.toaa mitigation saccessful of the >>pisode, any xacra than does .l^rs McCallns^.. individuals to pubiic rifiiculs, larid a stat^At??ry pc'?'sr to protect thsis e^^ists under Sectioa $(2)(a) of the lict, I sihould not tliiuk it roadonable to ,'.rs {i>3oreland) McCailuia to the attentions of organisations g-coh &s Mr Kusspaiaa* s (and it i& her 4-;i.sh that; this not happen J. This %ould l suggoet bs the conaequersce if we estaoiisbed autcjaaticaliy asaking HiO reports and perhaps their sourGes the propter ty of third parties through the workings of the Officiai Informtian Act. h {Second poist -alho terns on the pr-sdiiectioris of the eccentric: hofobyist and, the more extrsiae believers in visitations ixom outer apace. It ems more tfean likely that aay ita of inforaiatioa# poisitive or negative, will be pored ov^er with groat anthasiasia, tf they were given wnrsstrictes access to De.f*ncs files - and I su.spect that the effects on tba Police and. the Ministry cf Transport would be isimliar - I can envisaga a flood of demaisds tor info.rraaticn that we do not hs.v&t and for explasiatic-ns that we cannot give. This could also iihpjtiage ?.i:pon staff and other re. sources, where aiiocations have to be .made in the light of the reasonable and realistic security needs of the country. The 19S3 Defence Review no provision for defence against e. straterresti'ial stretched. {x>intlc?3K departaient provisions i euHssary , the first two of Mr Knapman s raquests cannot he met and the third request was dec?tinsd In the light of Sections 9(2) (a> and (b) cf the Official Information Act. As to the further request, 1 trust you will agree that for good reasons the J^ini-stry has not seen fit to satisfy it in all respects r that the Defence files on the subject should not be opened, up; and that the administ.ta.tioa or the provisions ot the Official Information Act as they a.fect this, particular subject should be applied witn a large measFjre of coa^imon sense a well as in the spirit of the law. I present practice of makiag freely available ausmaries of the f. ia<?J.ngs investigated. Should you feci it to be .rjecassary, I v-?culd be only too happy to have a member of your staff examine oar files hern in order to obt-ain 8ore detailed background to the question o.t TJRO reports