By Andrew Hay
Handout image shows unidentified aerial phenomenon (UAP) released by U.S. Defense Department
May 8 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday released dozens of previously classified files on alleged UFO sightings and alien and extraterrestrial life to provide what they called "unprecedented transparency" to the American people.
The disclosure of the long-sought documents and photos of "unidentified anomalous phenomena" will be followed by future releases as more materials are declassified, the U.S. Defense Department said in a statement.
The roughly 170 files include a 1947 report of "flying discs" as well as a photo of “unidentified phenomena” taken from the moon’s surface during the Apollo 12 lunar mission in 1969 and a transcript of the Apollo 17 crew describing unidentified objects seen from the moon in 1972.
'BRIGHT PARTICLES' DURING APOLLO 17
Apollo 17 mission pilot Ronald Evans reported "a few very bright particles or fragments or something that go drifting by as we maneuver," based on the transcript.
“Roger. Understand,” mission control replied.
"These files, hidden behind classifications, have long fueled justified speculation - and it's time the American people see it for themselves," Hegseth said in a statement.
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The records release is likely to fuel fresh debate over government secrecy and the possible existence of life in the cosmos.
"Whereas previous Administrations have failed to be transparent on this subject, with these new Documents and Videos, the people can decide for themselves, “WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?” Trump said in a statement. "Have fun and enjoy!"
The move was welcomed by U.S. Representatives Tim Burchett and Anna Paulina Luna, both proponents of declassifying UFO files. Luna said an additional tranche of material was expected in around 30 days.
"The files show that UAP are not simply a matter of speculation or public curiosity," Harvard University astrophysicist Avi Loeb said in an email to Reuters. "The government has collected records."
The images from Apollo 12 and 17 were fascinating but could be the result of asteroid impacts on the lunar surface, Loeb said. He added that more interesting material was likely still to come but would take longer to declassify.
Some critics cast the UFO disclosures as a distraction from Trump's political woes, including the unpopular U.S. military campaign against Iran and public pressure to release further files tied to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
“I really don’t care about the UFO files. I just don’t. I’m so sick of the ‘look at the shiny object’ propaganda,” former Republican U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene wrote on X.
(Reporting by Andrew Hay in New Mexico; Editing by Jesse Mesner-Hage and Rod Nickel)
