Correspondence regarding UFO sightings and Ministry of Defence policy (1984)

This collection of documents comprises correspondence between the British Ministry of Defence (MOD) and various members of the public and research organizations, such as OSEAP and BUFORA, during the year 1984. The primary focus of the correspondence is the MOD's policy regarding Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) and the specific handling of the 'Woodbridge Incident' (also known as the Rendlesham Forest incident) of December 1980. Throughout the letters, the MOD consistently maintains that its interest in UFO reports is strictly limited to determining whether such sightings pose a threat to the air defence of the United Kingdom. The MOD clarifies that it does not employ staff specifically to investigate UFOs, nor does it conduct scientific studies into the phenomena, citing the 1969 University of Colorado study which suggested that 90% of reports are attributable to ordinary phenomena.

Much of the correspondence addresses requests for information regarding the Woodbridge incident. The MOD acknowledges the existence of a report by Lt. Col. Charles I. Halt of the USAF, which describes a metallic, triangular object with lights and physical traces found in the forest. However, the MOD asserts that this report contains nothing of defence interest. A significant portion of the file is dedicated to the MOD's rejection of a document circulating among researchers that purports to be an official report on 'entities' found near RAF Bentwaters. The MOD labels this document a 'forgery' and a 'harmless joke,' expressing concern that it might be mistaken for an official government record. The file also includes parliamentary questions and answers from Hansard, which provide statistical data on the number of UFO reports received by the MOD between 1978 and 1983. The MOD repeatedly declines requests to release extensive files, citing resource constraints and the policy that files remain closed for 30 years under the Public Records Act.