Ministry of Defence Freedom of Information Correspondence File D/DAS/10/2/8/13 Part B

This document is a compilation of administrative records, correspondence, and internal Ministry of Defence (MOD) files regarding Freedom of Information (FOI) requests submitted between January and March 2005. The file, designated D/DAS/10/2/8/13 Part B, documents the MOD's response to various public and media inquiries concerning Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) and UFO sightings. The correspondence reveals the MOD's standard operating procedure for handling such requests, which involved directing inquirers to records already released to The National Archives or the MOD's own Freedom of Information Publication Scheme. The MOD consistently maintained that it held no expertise in extraterrestrial matters and that its interest in UFO reports was limited strictly to determining if there was any threat to UK national security or unauthorized air activity. The file includes numerous exchanges with journalists from outlets such as The Independent and the Mail on Sunday, as well as private individuals. These exchanges often involved requests for specific incident reports, such as the Rendlesham Forest incident of 1980, the Berwyn Mountains incident of 1974, and various sightings from the 1990s. The MOD staff frequently cited the Data Protection Act 1998 as a reason for withholding personal details of witnesses. The document also contains internal administrative notes regarding the retrieval of archived files from TNT storage, the tracking of FOI request deadlines, and the compilation of a database of UFO reports for public release. Several pages are dedicated to lists of UFO sightings reported to the MOD in 2003 and 2004, detailing dates, locations, and brief descriptions of the phenomena observed. The file also includes internal memoranda regarding the 'Flying Saucer Working Party' (1950-1951) and the MOD's policy on the retention and destruction of UFO-related records. The overall narrative of the file is one of bureaucratic management of public interest in UFOs, emphasizing the transition from a closed system to the transparency requirements of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.