Registered File D/DAS/64/4: Parliamentary Questions and Enquiries regarding UFOs

This file, D/DAS/64/4, is a collection of correspondence and parliamentary records from the Ministry of Defence (MOD) spanning the year 2001. The primary focus of the file is the ongoing correspondence between the MOD and Admiral of the Fleet Lord Hill-Norton, who maintained a long-standing interest in Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP), specifically the Rendlesham Forest incident of December 1980. The file documents numerous Parliamentary Questions (PQs) tabled by Lord Hill-Norton, seeking information on the MOD's handling of the Rendlesham incident, the existence of radar records, and the potential involvement of US personnel. The MOD's consistent position, as articulated in various draft replies and background notes, is that the Rendlesham Forest incident was investigated in 1981, found to have no defence significance, and that no further investigation was warranted. The file also contains correspondence regarding other UAP sightings, including reports from Southampton Water and alleged sonic booms in the north-east of England. The MOD consistently reiterates that its interest in such reports is limited to identifying potential threats to UK airspace and that it has no expertise or role in investigating extraterrestrial lifeforms. The file includes internal administrative documents, such as Registered File Disposal Forms and fax cover sheets, reflecting the bureaucratic process of managing these inquiries. It also contains references to the 'Disclosure Project' and the activities of various researchers and witnesses who have sought to bring UAP-related information into the public domain. The file highlights the tension between the persistent inquiries of individuals like Lord Hill-Norton and the MOD's policy of maintaining that no evidence exists to substantiate the existence of extraterrestrial phenomena.