Ministry of Defence File: 'UFO' Correspondence - Persistent Correspondence

This document file, maintained by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) Secretariat (Air Staff) 2, chronicles the administrative handling of persistent correspondence and Freedom of Information requests regarding Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP/UFOs) between 1998 and 2001. The file centers on a complaint lodged by a 'committed ufologist' (referred to as Mr. N or Section 40) through his Member of Parliament, Ieuan Wyn Jones, to the Parliamentary Ombudsman. The complainant sought information regarding historical MOD policy on UFOs from the 1950s and 1960s, as well as specific abstracts of UFO reports from commercial and military pilots and radar personnel between July 1998 and July 1999. The MOD initially resisted these requests, citing the 'Code of Practice on Access to Government Information' and Exemption 9, which allows for the refusal of requests that would require an 'unreasonable diversion of resources' due to the volume of material. The file contains extensive internal minutes, drafts of responses to the Ombudsman, and correspondence with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) regarding the search for relevant reports. The Parliamentary Ombudsman eventually investigated the MOD's refusal to provide the requested information. The Ombudsman's report concluded that the MOD had acted reasonably in its handling of the case, though it noted a failure to answer one specific letter within the required 20 working days. As a 'gesture of goodwill,' the MOD agreed to provide the requested abstracts, initially estimating a cost of £150, which was later abated to a maximum of £75. The file highlights the MOD's consistent stance that it holds no expertise in extraterrestrial life and that its interest in UFO reports is strictly limited to identifying potential breaches of UK airspace by hostile or unauthorized foreign military activity. The documents also reveal the internal administrative burden of managing such requests, noting that UFO-related issues were handled by a small team with limited resources. The file concludes with the finalization of the Ombudsman's report and the subsequent release of information to the complainant.