Ministry of Defence Correspondence Regarding UFO Inquiries and Policy

This document is a collection of Ministry of Defence (MOD) correspondence and internal administrative records from 2008 regarding public inquiries into Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP/UFOs). The file contains multiple responses from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence, Derek Twigg, to various Members of Parliament, including John Healey and Lynne Featherstone, who were acting on behalf of their constituents. The core of the MOD's position, as articulated repeatedly throughout the correspondence, is that the Ministry maintains no expertise or formal role regarding the existence of extraterrestrial life. The MOD's stated interest in UFO reports is strictly limited to determining whether any reported sightings indicate a potential threat to the United Kingdom's national security or airspace integrity from hostile or unauthorized foreign military activity. The documents detail the MOD's policy on the preservation and release of UFO records. It is noted that prior to 1967, files were routinely destroyed after five years due to a lack of public interest. Since 1967, files have been preserved and are currently being transferred to The National Archives. The MOD also outlines a three-year programme initiated in 2008 to digitize and release approximately 160 files to the public via the MOD website. The correspondence also addresses specific public requests, including inquiries about employment within the 'UFO branch'—which the MOD clarifies is not a dedicated department but rather a small function within the Directorate of Air Staff—and requests for the government to disclose 'real facts' regarding alleged extraterrestrial contact. The MOD consistently maintains that it has no evidence of extraterrestrial life and that it does not conduct field investigations into UFO sightings, though it may occasionally liaise with radar specialists or the Meteorological Office if a report warrants further clarification regarding weather or radar data. The file serves as a record of the administrative burden and the standard operating procedures for handling ministerial correspondence regarding UFOs during this period.