UFOs in Parliament (UK)
(1) Searching the limited relatively recent copies of Hansard available electronically for relevant keywords (e,.g. “UFOs” and “Unidentified Flying Objects”).
(2) Examining the indexes in hard copies of older volumes of Hansard. Most of the questions found during the preparation of this working document relating to UFOs are entitled “Unidentified Flying Objects”, although there are a considerable number of other relevant titles (e.g. “Unidentified Craft”, “Mr. Nicholas Pope”, “Civilian Pilots”). Obviously, if the title to the question does not clearly relate to UFOs, it is very difficult to locate such questions by searching the index.
(3) Reading UFO documents available at the Public Records Office (PRO) include numerous files relating to UFOs. Many of those files included material prepared for the purpose of answering questions in the Houses of Parliament on this subject. That material often identified the relevant Parliament Question and/or its title, date and the person asking the question.
(4) Finding references in UFO books to questions on UFOs in the Houses of Parliament. Particularly useful were various books by David Clarke, Andy Roberts, Jenny Randles, John Spencer, Timothy Good, Nick Redfern and Georgina Bruni.
I have typed up the Hansard material found as a result of the above searches. Even excluding the lengthy debate in the House of Lords in 1979, the text of the relevant questions and answers exceeds 80 A4 pages.
Parliamentary copyright material from Hansard is made available online in a value added context pursuant to the grant to Isaac Koi of the permission of the Controller of Her Majesty's Stationery Office on behalf of Parliament.
1950s
24 November 1953
House of Commons Vol 521, oral answers column 169-170
[Cross Refer : “Beyond Top Secret” by Timothy Good, page 10 of hardback edition] [Cross Refer: “Out of the Shadows” by David Clarke and Andy Roberts, page 119 of hardback edition]
[Cross refer : “A Covert Agenda” by Nick Redfern, page 39 of hardback edition]
[Cross refer: “Flying Saucers and Common Sense” by Waveney Girvan, pages 106-107, 110, 113, 114 and 126 of hardback edition]
[Cross refer: “UFO” by Robert Chapman, page 53 of Mayflower paperback edition]
“Meteorological Balloons (Radar Reports)
9. Lieut.-Colonel Schofield asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Defence what reports his Department has received of the flying object observed by two airmen over London or other parts of the United Kingdom and report to him ; and if he will make a statement.
13. Mr Bellenger asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Defence whether he has been able to identify the flying saucer object reported by one of the members of Anti-Aircraft Command.
Mr Birch: On 3rd November two experimental meteorological balloons were observed at different times, one by two officers in a Royal Air Force aircraft and the other by a member of Anti-Aircraft Command. There was nothing peculiar about either of these occurrences.
Lieut.-Colonel Schofield: Would my hon. Friend tell me whether a meteorological balloon will give a stronger echo on a radar echo-sounder than a large aircraft or some other solid object in the air, and, arising out of the reports which have been made to his Department, can he tell me what reports have been received from the Norwich Astronomical Society, which keeps a night watch on the sky and several of whose members on 6th October claimed to have seen a dome shaped object emitting light from the dome at the top of the object?
Mr Birch: Meteorological balloons are fitted with a special device in order that they produce a large echo on a radar screen. I am afraid that I am not very closely in touch with the Norwich Astronomical Society.
Mr Bellenger: Although the House will, no doubt, accept the explanation which the Parliamentary Secretary has given, which is not different to many other explanations regarding similar phenomena here and elsewhere, will he now take steps to warn the Royal Air Force and Anti-Aircraft Command when these balloons are in the sky so that these Services know what is happening and to prevent unnecessary alarm in other quarters?
Mr Birch: The trouble arose because the two balloons were allowed to escape or were let off at an unusual time, but I hope we shall not have any more trouble like this.
Mr Isaacs: Would the Parliamentary Secretary agree that this story about flying saucers is all ‘ballooney’?
Mr Birch: I think that the right hon. Gentleman’s appreciation is very nearly correct.”
4 May 1955
House of Commons Vol 540 Oral answers 1681-2
[Cross Refer: “Out of the Shadows” by David Clarke and Andy Roberts, page 121 of hardback edition]
[Cross Refer : “Out of the Shadows” by David Clarke and Andy Roberts, page 145 of hardback edition]
“ ‘Flying Saucers’
39. Major Wall asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air whether the Air Ministry inquiry into the existence of ‘flying saucers’ has been completed ; and whether he proposes to publish a report.
The Under-Secretary of State for Air (Mr George Ward): Reports of ‘flying saucers,’ as well as any other abnormal objects in the sky, are investigated as they come in, but there has been no formal inquiry. About 90 per cent. of the reports have been found to relate to meteors, balloons, flares, and many other objects. The fact that the other 10 per cent. are unexplained need be attributed to nothing more sinister than lack of data.
Major Wall: I thank my hon. Friend for that reply, which I am sure will be of interest to a great many members of the general public”.
20 March 1957
House of Commons Volume 567, oral answers column 374
[Cross Refer : “Above Top Secret” by Timothy Good, page 46 of hardback edition]
[Cross refer : “A Covert Agenda” by Nick Redfern, page 61 of hardback edition]
“Airborne Object, Wardle
26. Mr Leavey asked the Secretary of State for Air whether he is aware that an abnormal, brightly illuminated airborne object was seen near Wardle in Lancashire at about 10 p.m. on Friday, 15th February, 1957 ; and what reports he has received from the radar warning system about this.
Mr C. I. Orr-Ewing: Yes, Sir. This object, which was described in the Press as a flying saucer, did not emanate from outer space, but from a laundry in Rochdale. It consisted of two small hydrogen-filled balloons illuminated by a flash-light bulb, and devised by a mechanic employed at the laundry. I understand that he planned to construct from these experiments a small radio-controlled airship. There would be no reason for the radar system to report the appearance of a small, slow-moving object of this type.
Mr Leavey : While noting my hon. Friend’s explanation, may I ask him whether he is aware that it is most unlikely that that explanation will be accepted by those who saw this object? Is he aware that, in spite of the light-hearted tone of his reply, there is some general disquiet about these objects? Will he, therefore, take an early opportunity, preferably now, to make a general declaration that his Ministry is not at the moment involved, and has not been involved in the immediate past, in releasing objects which are normally described as flying saucers?
Mr Orr-Ewing: I can certainly give that assurance. We have not been launching any flying saucers.
Mr Shinwell: Is it possible to produce a few abnormal, brightly illuminated objects on the Government Front Bench?
Mr de Freitas: Is there no truth at all in reports that radio amateurs have, at this very hour, picked up words spoken in English with a very strong Martian accent?
Mr Orr-Ewing: I think that that question should be addressed to the Postmaster-General.”
17 April 1957
House of Commons Vol 568, Written Answers column 206
[Cross refer : Public Records Office File AIR 20/9320]
[Cross refer : “A Covert Agenda” by Nick Redfern, page 66 of hardback edition]
[Cross Refer : “Out of the Shadows” by David Clarke and Andy Roberts, page 145 of hardback edition]
“ROYAL AIR FORCE
Unidentified Flying Objects
Mr Awbery asked the Secretary of State for Air what recent investigations have been made into unidentified flying objects; what photographs have been taken; and what reports have been made on the subject.
Mr Ward: Reports are continually being received, and we investigate them wherever the details are sufficient. Most of the objects turn out to be balloons or meteors. One photograph received some publicity, but was faked.”
15 May 1957
House of Commons Vol 570, Oral Answers column 391-392
[Cross refer : Public Records Office Files AIR 20/9321 and AIR 20/9322]
[Cross Refer : “Out of the Shadows” by David Clarke and Andy Roberts, page 145 of hardback edition]
[Cross refer : “A Covert Agenda” by Nick Redfern, pages 42, 43 and 67 of hardback edition]
“ROYAL AIR FORCE
Unidentified Flying Objects”
37. Major Wall asked the Secretary of State for Air how many unidentified flying objects have been detected over Great Britain this year as compared with previous years; and whether the object picked up by radar over the Dover Straits on 29th April has yet been identified.
39. Mr Beswick asked the Secretary of State for Air what was the nature of the aircraft or other object sighted on the radar air defence screens on Monday night and which occasioned the dispatch of aircraft of Fighter Command.
The Secretary of State for Air (Mr George Ward): Five flying objects reported this year are as yet unidentified compared with six last year, none in 1955, and six in 1954.
The object sighted in the Channel on the 29th April turned out to be two of a large number of Hunters of Fighter Command engaged on a training exercise. Their movements as observed on radar were somewhat unusual and aroused the suspicions of the radar defences.
Major Wall : I thank my right hon. Friend for that reply. May I ask whether the report that the planes were travelling at 1,000 an hour is true? Is my right hon. Friend aware that unofficial reports of sightings have increased greatly this year, and that there is a feeling that the Air Ministry is sometimes rather reticent in making statements on these matters?
Mr Ward : In reply to the first point, I can say that the speeds of the objects as tracked on the radar screen were nothing like as fast as reported in the Press. In reply to the second point, hon. Members will bear in mind that reports relating to this year are still under investigation, and some of the objects may well be identified later.
Mr Beswick: Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that there is a certain amount of apprehension about these false alarms? Has he speculated upon what may happen in the days when nuclear deterrents are in use and when we shall not have a few months to find out whether missiles are actually coming our way or not? Can the right hon. Gentleman give an assurance to the public that there is some method of identifying objects other than the radar screens on the South Coast?
Mr Ward: It was precisely because the radar control and reporting system was not absolutely certain whether these objects were friendly that it directed them to be investigated.”
1958
10 June 1958
House of Commons volume 589, written answers column 10
[Cross Refer : “Beyond Top Secret” by Timothy Good, page 28 of hardback edition]
[Cross Refer : “Above Top Secret” by Timothy Good, page 50 of hardback edition]
“ROYAL AIR FORCE : Unidentified Flying Objects (Reports)
Mr Chetwynd asked the Secretary of State for Air how many instances of unidentified flying objects have been reported on by the defence services of the United Kingdom during the past twelve months; what steps are taken to co-ordinate such observations; and if he will make a statement.
Mr C I Orr-Ewing : Reports of fifty-four unidentified flying objects have been received in the last twelve months. Such co-ordination as is necessary is undertaken by the Air Ministry. Most of the objects turn out to be meteors, balloons or aircraft. Satellites have also accounted for a number of recent reports.”
30 July 1958
House of Commons volume 592 oral answers column 1335-6
[Cross Refer : “Beyond Top Secret” by Timothy Good, pages 28-29 of hardback edition]
[Cross Refer : “Above Top Secret” by Timothy Good, pages 50-51 of hardback edition]
“Unidentified Flying Objects
Mr Chetwynd asked the Secretary of State for Air what action is being taken to ascertain the identity of unidentified flying objects which have not been recognised as meteors, balloons, aircraft or satellites.
Mr Ward : We investigate all reports of unidentified flying objects as fully as the details allow, but I am afraid there will always be some which remain unexplained because the reports are not sufficiently precise.
Mr Chetwynd : Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that a number of scientific societies are conducting research to try to establish the existence of flying saucers? Can the right hon. Gentleman
[column 1336]
say whether his Department has any information which would back up this claim and, if so, whether he would be prepared to give it to these societies?
Mr Ward : As the hon. Member knows, the bulk of these reports are explained. Only a very small proportion are not explained, and we think that the reason why these are not explained, too, is that the data we have about them is not sufficient.
Mr Chetwynd : Is there any evidence to back up the claims that there are flying saucers?”
5 November 1958
House of Commons volume 594 written answers column 47
[Cross Refer: “Beyond Top Secret” by Timothy Good, page 29 of hardback edition]
[Cross Refer : “Above Top Secret” by Timothy Good, page 51 of hardback edition]
“Unidentified Flying Objects
Mr Mason asked the Secretary of State for Air to what extent official records are kept of sightings of unidentified flying objects ; what Departments within the Air Ministry exist solely to collate information on this question ; and to what extent this information suggests that some of the unidentified phenomena may not originate from this planet.
Mr Ward : If a report of an unidentified flying object has a bearing on the air defence of this country it is investigated and the results recorded. No staff are employed whole-time on the task. Although some of the objects have not been identified for lack of data, nothing suggests that they are other than mundane.”
21 January 1959
House of Commons volume 598 written answers column 37
[Cross Refer : “Beyond Top Secret” by Timothy Good, page 29]
[Cross Refer : “Above Top Secret” by Timothy Good, page 51 of hardback edition]
“ROYAL AIR FORCE : Unidentified Flying Objects
“Mr Mason asked the Secretary of State for Air what specific instructions have been sent to the commanders of Royal Air Force stations to collect reports from air crews having allegedly sighted unidentified flying objects ; what inquiries have been held following such sightings ; and to what extent there is collaboration between his Department and the respective departments in Canada and the United States of America on this problem.
Mr Ward : R.A.F. units have standing instructions to report unusual flying objects when they cannot readily be explained. Reports which may have a bearing on air defence are investigated. No special collaboration with Canada or the United States is required.”
11 March 1959
House of Commons volume 601, written answers column 113
[Cross Refer : “Beyond Top Secret” by Timothy Good, pages 29-30]
[Cross Refer : “Above Top Secret” by Timothy Good, page 52 of hardback edition]
[Cross Refer : “Out of the Shadows” by David Clarke and Andy Roberts, page 165 of hardback edition]
“London Airport (Unidentified Object)
Mr Hunter asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what reports were made to him by the Air Traffic Control officers about the pale yellow disc which hovered over London Airport recently for an estimated period of 20 minutes.
Mr Hay : None”
11 March 1959
House of Commons volume 601, Oral answers column 1247
[Cross Refer : “Out of the Shadows” by David Clarke and Andy Roberts, page 165 of hardback edition]
[Cross Refer : “Beyond Top Secret” by Timothy Good, page 29 of hardback edition]
[Cross Refer : “Above Top Secret” by Timothy Good, page 52 of hardback edition]
“London Airport (Unidentified Light)
Mr de Freitas asked the Secretary of State for Air whether he will make a statement on the official reports received at the Air Ministry about the pale yellow disc which recently hovered in the sky over London Airport for 20 minutes ; and what observations were made of on the radar screens.
Mr Ward : A pale yellow light was seen by officials at London Airport above one of the runways from 7.25 to 7.45 on the evening of 25th February. There was no corresponding response on the airport radars or on air defence radars. The light was not identified.
Mr de Freitas: Should not the Secretary of State’s Department have pointed out that there were natural conditions which could easily have led to this apparition, and not have given, by implication, the idea that there was some Martian saucer hovering and waiting for permission to land?
Mr F M Bennett : The hon. Member for Wednesbury (Mr Stonehouse).
Mr Ward : There was insufficient evidence to determine what the cause of this light could have been.”
1960s
[insert] 1962
House of Commons Volume [insert] [?written] answers column [insert]
[Cross refer: “Out of the Shadows” by David Clarke and Andy Roberts, page 121 of hardback edition]
[Julian Ridsdale reply to Wall]
1963
01 August 1963
House of Commons Volume 682 written answers column 168
“Crater, Charlton
Mr Wall asked the Secretary of State for Air what were the findings of the two Royal Air Force officials who investigated the crater at Charlton, Wiltshire; and whether investigations by his Department are continuing.
Mr H. Fraser: From my inquiries, I have no reason to think that anything happened in the area which would justify further investigation by the Air Ministry.”
01 August 1963
House of Commons Volume 682 written answers column 174
[Cross Refer: “UFO Retrievals” by Jenny Randles, page 90 of softback edition]
[Cross Refer: “The Truth behind the Men in Black” by Jenny Randles, page 72 of softback edition]
[Cross refer: “UFO” by Robert Chapman, page 106 of Mayflower paperback edition]
“Crater, Charlton (Investigation)
Mr Wall asked the Secretary of State for War whether investigations by his Department into the cause of the crater at Charlton, Wiltshire, are continuing.
Mr Godber: The Army was concerned only to discover whether the crater could contain an unexploded bomb. Nothing of this nature was found and the Bomb Disposal Unit left the site on Friday, 26th July.”
15 July 1964
House of Commons Volume 698 written answers column 227
[Cross Refer : “Beyond Top Secret” by Timothy Good pages 34-35 of hardback edition]
[Cross Refer : “Above Top Secret” by Timothy Good, page 58 of hardback edition]
“Unidentified Flying Objects
Mr A. Henderson asked the Secretary for State for Defence to what extent there is co-operation between the Royal Air Force and the United States Air Force with a view to ascertaining the facts relating to flying saucers or other unidentified flying objects ; and what information is now available to his department on this matter”/
Mr H Fraser: We are generally aware of the experience of the United States Air Force. Some 90 per cent. of the sightings investigated by my Department have had a perfectly rational explanation. In the remaining 10 per cent. of cases, the information available was insufficient to support an adequate inquiry. We have discovered no evidence of the existence of so-called ‘flying saucers’”.
27 May 1966
House of Commons Volume 729 written answers column 171
[Cross Refer: Public Record Office File Reference DEFE 31/110]
“Outer Space (Man-Made Objects)
Mr Brooks asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many separate pieces of man-made equipment now circling the earth outside the atmosphere have been detected by tracking stations under his control.
Mr Merlyn Rees: Over 400 were observed during May.
Mr Brooks asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many reports of unidentified flying objects were received by his Department throughout Great Britain during 1964 and 1965; and out of these how many have since not been satisfactorily explained.
Mr Merlyn Rees: The following are the figures:
[Table with three columns, one for the year and the others being entitled “Total Number of Reports” and “Number not explained”. The contents of the two rows are, from left to right, as follows:
“1964”, “74”, “5”
“1965”, “56”, “14”]
In the cases that have not been satisfactorily explained the information given has generally been too imprecise or inadequate to support any further investigation.”
22 June 1966
House of Commons Volume 730 written answers column 70
[Cross Refer: Public Record Office File Reference DEFE 31/110]
“Unidentified Flying Objects (Reports)
73. Sir J Langford-Holt asked the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangements are made for the reporting and receipt of reports of sightings of unidentified flying objects; and how many of these reports have been received in the last 10 years from civilian and Service sources.
Mr Merlyn Rees: Reports of unidentified flying objects are received from both Service and civilian sources and are investigated. Between 1959 and 1965 351 reports were received. I regret that earlier figures are not available.
Sir J Langford-Holt asked the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made as to the value, courses and origins of reports of sightings of unidentified flying objects as well as of the objects themselves.
Mr Merlyn Rees: Reports are examined at their face value in the light of their possible air defence implications, and we do not carry out study beyond this point. No defence implications have been found.”
19 July 1966
House of Commons Volume 732 oral answers column 379
[Cross Refer : “Beyond Top Secret” by Timothy Good, page 35 of hardback edition]
[Cross Refer : “Above Top Secret” by Timothy Good, page 59 of hardback edition]
“Unidentified Flying Objects
Q7. Sir J Langford-Holt asked the Prime Minister whether, in view of the fact that the Secretary of State for Defence is responsible only for the air defence implications of the reports of unidentified flying objects, he will allocate to a Department the duty of assessing the wider implications of these reports.
The Prime Minister : No, Sir.
Sir J Langford-Holt: Is the Prime Minister aware that enormous numbers of these reports are coming in to the Government from people, no all of whom are cranks? Would it not be appropriate, without myself knowing much about the origins or significance of these items, that somebody in the Government at least should take a serious interest in them?
The Prime Minister: These matters are taken seriously when the reports which are received are sufficiently detailed to enable a check to be made. In very many cases there are natural phenomena, or less natural phenomena such as balloons, aircraft, and so on. Where it has not been possible to get a satisfactory explanation, it is usually because the information has been too inadequate or imprecise for investigation.
Mr Hogg: Is it not well known that these unidentified flying objects are the chickens coming home to roost in the ruins of the right hon. Gentleman’s reputation?
The Prime Minister: I seem to remember thinking that question rather funny when it was put by the right hon. Member for Flint, West (Mr Birch) six years ago.
Mr Shinwell: In view of the fact that the Opposition are not always looking for mares’ nests, could not my right hon. Friend undertake this task of looking for unidentified objects?”
24 July 1967
House of Commons Volume 751 written answers column 47
[Cross Refer: Public Record Office File Reference DEFE 31/110]
“Unidentified Flying Objects
Mr Edward M Taylor asked the Secretary of State for Defence what information he has regarding reports of unidentified flying objects in recent months, and if he will make a statement.
Mr Merlyn Rees: Such reports are investigated, but nothing of defence interest has been found.”
25 October 1967
House of Commons Volume 751 written answers column 484
[Cross Refer: Public Record Office File Reference DEFE 31/110]
“Unidentified Flying Objects
Sir E Bullus asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many reports he has received in the last six months of the sightings of unidentified flying objects ; what were the results of his investigations ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Merlyn Rees : 153 reports have been received in the Ministry of Defence in the last six months. Some of these are still being investigated, but commonplace explanations have been found for the rest.”
7 November 1967
House of Commons Volume 753 written answers column 85-6
[Cross Refer: Public Record Office File Reference DEFE 31/110]
“Unidentified Flying Objects
Dr Bennett asked the Secretary of State for Defence what organisation Her Majesty’s Government has for the analysis and valuation of reports of flying objects not identified as aircraft.
Mr Merlyn Rees : The Ministry of Defence examines these reports in the light of their possible air defence implications ; and it obtains advice, as necessary, from Governmental and other scientific and technical organisations. The adequacy of our arrangements can be judged from the fact that between 1st January, 1959 and 30th September, 1967, 625 reports were examined and 555 were found to have mundane explanations. The remaining 70 reports contained insufficient data for evaluation but there was nothing to suggest that they related to incidents materially different in kind from those which were explained.”
8 November 1967
House of Commons Volume 753 oral answers column 1012-1014
[Cross Refer: Public Record Office File Reference DEFE 31/110]
[Cross Refer: “Beyond Top Secret” by Timothy Good,pages 42-43 of hardback edition]
[Cross Refer : “Above Top Secret” by Timothy Good, page 64 of hardback edition]
[Cross refer : “A Covert Agenda” by Nick Redfern, page 98 of hardback edition]
[Cross refer: “UFO” by Robert Chapman, page 22 of Mayflower paperback edition]
“Unidentified Flying Objects (North Devon)
15 and 16. Mr Peter Mills asked the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will make a statement on the circumstances in which an unidentified flying object has been seen in the Okehampton area of Devon ; and what are his plans to deal with a recurrence of this flying object ;
(2) whether the flying object in the Okehampton area of Devon, which has been described as a star-shaped cross larger than a conventional aircraft, is a British aircraft or an unidentified flying object.
The Under-Secretary of State for the Royal Air Force (Mr Merlyn Rees): We received a number of reports of objects seen in the sky over North Devon in October. After investigation, some proved to be aircraft and some were lights. Of the lights, the majority were the planet Venus ; but the source of a few lights has not been positively identified. I can say, however, that none of these unidentified lights was an alien object.
There are standing instructions for R.A.F. stations to report unusual objects seen in the sky, and standing arrangements for investigating these reports and similar reports from other sources. I do not consider additional action necessary.
Mr Mills : Will the hon. Gentleman bear in mind that this matter is not only of considerable interest to the South-West, particularly the Okehampton area, but also of some concern? How does this statement square with the statement of two police officers and of engineers at Hessay Tor that low-flying objects were moving for over an hour in the area?
Mr Rees: In answer to a Question yesterday and another today, I have published details of all the investigations which have been made over recent years, and none of these would give any reason to believe that there are unidentified objects in the sense which has been implied. Further, we have complete radar coverage to a very great height over all these islands and have access to that over Europe, and none of this leads us to believe in any sense that this is anything else than something which we know nothing about.
Mr Alan Lee Williams: Can my hon. Friend assure us that he has received scientific advice?
Mr Rees: I can give that assurance. This is not just an air defence matter. We have access to scientists of high repute – they have been consulted on all these matters – and also to psychologists.
Sir J Langford-Holt: The hon Gentleman said that we have complete radar coverage. In these circumstances, can he explain how a letter was sent by his Department when a report was sent about one of these objects to the effect that it “might or might not” have been an aircraft but his Department was unable to say?
Mr Rees: The problem is that, if one is notified of this right away, it is possible to give a more definite reply, but when one gets a letter weeks later asking what it might have been on such and such an occasion, it is difficult to be definitive on it. But nothing leads us to believe that this is men from Mars or anything of that kind.
Mr Shinwell: Would it not be desirable for the Government to encourage this idea that there are unidentified flying objects and that there is a danger of invasion from another planet? Would this not create the necessary diversion so that people in this country, and the electors in particular, would not worry about their economic problems?
Mr Rees: Judging from the public’s response to some newspaper reports, I can only hope that they will take my right hon. Friend’s remark seriously.”
9 November 1967
House of Commons Volume 753 written answers column 160
“Unidentified Flying Objects
Mr Wall asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on unidentified flying objects sighted over Great Britain during the past two years.
Mr Merlyn Rees: From 1st January 1966 to 30th September, 1967, 274 reports were received. 242 reports were found to have mundane explanations. The remaining 37 reports remain unexplained because the information provided was so inadequate that no conclusive investigation was possible. The detailed analysis of these reports against the background of reports since the beginning of 1959 is set out below.
[Table with columns entitled, from left to right, “year”, “satellites and debris”, “balloons”, “celestial objects”, “Meteorological and natural phenomena”, “aircraft”, “miscellaneous”, “unexplained (insufficient information)”, “total”.
The contents of each row, from left to right are as follows:
1959, 1, 3, 1, 7, 4, 2, 4, 22
1960, -, 8, 2, 7, 10, 1, 3, 31
1961, 16, 11, 8, 20, 9, 5, 2, 71
1962, 11, 6, 5, 8, 9, 4, 3, 46
1963, 18, 6, 4, 4, 10, 7, 2, 51
1964, 43, 3, 6, -, 10, 7, 5, 74
1965, 27, 3, 3, 2, 7, -, 14, 56
1966, 38, 10, 5, 5, 17, 15, 5, 95
Total, 154, 50, 34, 53, 76, 41, 38, 446
1967 (TO 30.9.67), 30, 33, 7, 18, 58, 1, 32, 179
Total, 184, 83, 41, 71, 134, 42, 70, 625]
“Note : Miscellaneous reports include, for example, hoaxes and the reflection of light on clouds”
22 November 1967
House of Commons Volume 754 written answers column 367
[Cross Refer: Public Record Office File Reference DEFE 31/110]
[Cross Refer: Beyond Top Secret, page 43 of hardback edition]
[Cross Refer : “Above Top Secret” by Timothy Good, page 65 of hardback edition]
“Unidentified Flying Objects
Mr Wall asked the Secretary of State for Defence what exchange of information or other co-operation is taking place between his Department and the official United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics investigations into the problem of unidentified flying objects.
Mr Merlyn Rees : We are in touch with the Americans on this subject but not with the Russians. I understand the conclusions which the Americans have reached coincide with ours.”
29 November 1967
House of Commons Volume 755 written answers column 128
“Unidentified Flying Objects
Sir J Langford-Holt asked the President of the Board of Trade by what authority he requires reports of unidentified flying objects from the police ; and what action he takes on them.
Mr J P W Mallalie : No such reports are called for.”
19 December 1967
House of Commons Vol 756, Written Answers column 379
“Unidentified Flying Objects
Q14. Sir J. Langford-Holt asked the Prime Minister whether he is satisfied that all sightings of unidentified flying objects which are reported from service sources are explainable, what inquiries he has authorized into these objects outside the defence aspect, and whether he will now appoint one Minister to look into all aspects of reports.
The Prime Minister: The Answers are ‘Yes, except when the information given is insufficient’, ‘None’ and ‘No.’”
22 January 1968
House of Commons Volume 757 column 40
[Cross Refer: Beyond Top Secret, page 43 of hardback edition]
[Cross Refer : “Above Top Secret” by Timothy Good, page 65 of hardback edition]
“Unidentified Flying Objects
Mr Edward M Taylor asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many reports of unidentified flying objects were received in 1967; how many of these reports were subsequently shown to have a natural explanation; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Merlyn Rees : The total number of reports received in 1967 reflects a wave of public interest in UFOs, reaching a peak towards the end of the year. The analysis of the reports published below shows that, as in previous years, the vast majority were found to have mundane explanations ; the remainder of the reports contained insufficient investigation but nothing to suggest that they related to incidents materially different in kind from those that were explained.
UFO STATISTICS – 1st JANUARY, 1959 TO 31st DECEMBER, 1967
[Table with columns entitled, from left to right, “year”, “satellites”, “balloons”, “celestial objects”, “Meteorological and natural phenomena”, “aircraft”, “miscellaneous”, “unexplained “insufficient information”, “under investigation”, “total”.
The contents of each row, from left to right are as follows:
1959, 1, 3, 1, 7, 4, 2, 4, -, 22
1960, -, 8, 2, 7, 10, 1, 3, -, 31
1961, 16, 11, 8, 20, 9, 5, 2, -, 71
1962, 11, 6, 5, 8, 9, 4, 3, -, 46
1963, 18, 6, 4, 4, 10, 7, 2, -, 51
1964, 43, 3, 6, -, 10, 7, 5, -, 74
1965, 27, 3, 3, 2, 7, -, 14, -, 56
1966, 38, 10, 5, 5, 17, 15, 5, -, 95
Total, 154, 50, 34, 53, 76, 41, 38, -, 446
1967, 57, 42, 24, 19, 149, 18, 46, 7, 362
Total, 211, 92, 58, 72, 225, 59, 84, 7, 808]
“Note : Miscellaneous reports include, for example, hoaxes and the reflection of light on clouds”
13 March 1968
House of Commons Volume 760 written answers column 299-300
“Unidentified Flying Objects
Sir J Langford-Holt asked the President of the Board of Trade what action he has taken on the reports he has received from the Metropolitan Police on the subject of unidentified flying objects.
Mr Darling: On 26th January, 1968, a police patrol car informed the Air Traffic Control Centre at Heathrow that a ball of fire had been seen. Since it was clear that this was not caused by an aircraft in difficulties nor was it causing a hazard to air traffic no further action was taken.”
11 June 1968
House of Commons Volume 766 written answers column 26
[Cross Refer : “Beyond Top Secret” by Timothy Good, page 44 of hardback edition]
[Cross Refer : “Above Top Secret” by Timothy Good, page 66 of hardback edition]
“UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECTS
Q4. Sir J Langford-Holt asked the Prime Minister whether he is aware that under the present arrangements some reports of unidentified flying objects are made to the Ministry of Defence and police reports are made to the Board of Trade ; and whether he will arrange that all such reports are made to one department.
The Prime Minister: No, I am not so aware. Reports from any source, including any received by the Board of Trade, are passed on to the Ministry of Defence.
1969
7 May 1969
House of Commons Volume 783 written answers column 80
“Unidentified Flying Objects
44. Sir J Langford-Holt asked the Secretary of State for Defence what details have been given to his Department of the report made by the two police officers at Spelsbury, Oxfordshire, of unidentified flying objects on or about 25th October, 1967 ; what study he has made of these reports ; and what action he has taken.
Mr Reynolds: Sufficient information was available for an examination by Ministry of Defence staff to establish that the report had no implications for the air defence of the United Kingdom. Therefore no further action was taken.”
1970s
26 November 1970
House of Commons Volume 807 Written Answers column 185-6
“Unidentified Flying Objects
Mr Kinnock asked the Minister of State for Defence what is the cost to public funds of his Department’s investigations of the sighting of the pulsating unidentified flying objects reported to his Department by Mr and Mrs Lockhart of Downs Park Road, Hackney, on 21st November.
Mr Lambton: The investigations into unidentified flying objects are handled as a normal defence function and the only extra cost to public funds is that of the staff involved in handling reports and inquiries in Ministry of Defence Headquarters. In 1969, the last period for which complete statistics are available, the average cost of answering each inquiry was about £9.”
1972
27 January 1972
House of Commons Volume 829 written answers column 504
“Unidentified Flying Objects
61. Sir J Langford-Holt asked the Minister of State for Defence what action is taken on the 10 per cent. of all reports of unidentified flying objects for which there is no explanation ; and how long these reports are kept.
Mr Lambton: 9.3 per cent. of the reports received at the Ministry of Defence from 1959 to 1970 remain unexplained because insufficient information was given. No further action is taken, but records of unidentified flying object reports received since 1962 are kept indefinitely.”
16 March 1972
House of Commons Volume 833 written answers column 141-2
[Cross Refer: Public Record Office File Reference AIR 2/18871]
“Unidentified Flying Objects
19. Sir J Langford-Holt asked the Minister of State for Defence how many persons in his Department have been fully engaged upon investigating the 10 per cent. of unidentified flying object reports for which there is no explanation ; what form this investigation takes ; and what action has been taken.
Lord Lambton: There are no Ministry of Defence staff engaged full-time on the investigation of unidentified flying objects. Reports are examined, as necessary, by appropriate specialist staff at the Ministry of Defence headquarters, Royal Air Force commands and elsewhere to determine whether there are any possible defence implications. As I explained in the reply to my hon. Friend on 27th January, 1972, bi further action is taken in cases where it is impossible to give an explanation because of insufficient information. – [Vol. 829, c. 504]”.
22 June 1972
House of Commons Volume 839 oral answers column 698-9
[Cross Refer: Public Record Office File Reference AIR 2/18871]
“Unidentified Flying Objects
Mr James Lamond asked the Minister of State for Defence how many members of Her Majesty’s Forces are engaged in the investigation of reports of unidentified flying objects at the present time ; and what is the comparable figure for 10 years ago.
Lord Lambton : No members of Her Majesty’s Forces are engaged full time on the investigation of unidentified flying objects but reports are examined, as necessary, by appropriate specialist staff at the Ministry of Defence headquarters, Royal Air Force commands and elsewhere as a normal staff function to determine whether there are any possible defence implications. Details of the numbers engaged on such investigations 10 years are not, I regret, available ; but there has been no significant change over that period.
Mr Lamond: Does not the Minister think that this would be an excellent job for some of the Army officers we have just been speaking about? Many citizens would like the Government’s reassurance that the Government are not to blame for the coldest Midsummer Day we have had this century and confirmation of their belief that it is due to unidentified flying objects.
Lord Lambton: I do not know what the question is, but perhaps the hon. Gentleman would like to look into this investigation himself.
Mr Gorst: Will my hon. Friend inform the House what, within the context of his answer, he means by an “unidentified flying object”?
Lord Lambton: A flying object which is unidentified.”
1973
16 October 1973
House of Commons Volume 861 written answers column 4
“Unidentified Flying Objects
Mr Bishop asked the Minister of State for Defence how many reports of unidentified flying objects were received for each year since 1967, categorised into numbers of satellites, debris, balloons, celestial objects, meteorological and natural phenomena, &c ; how many were shown to have a natural explanation ; what action his department takes to monitor UFOs ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Kershaw: All reports of sightings of unidentified flying objects received from Service and civilian sources alike are studied for any possible air defence implications. Reports received in the period 1967 to 1972 are considered to have originated in the followings ways:
[Table with columns entitled, from left to right, untitled, “total”, “satellites”, “balloons”, “celestial objects”, “Meteorological and natural phenomena”, “aircraft”, “miscellaneous”.
The contents of each row, from left to right are as follows:
1967 362, 57, 42, 26, 19, 150, 22
1968 280, 65, 10, 36, 3, 114, 30
1969 228, 37, 9, 27, 19, 101, 17
1970 181, 9, 8, 31, 16, 97, 5
1971 379, 28, 11, 33, 62, 160, 27
1972 201, 7, 28, 17, 2, 128, 5
]
In the remaining cases insufficient information was provided for the likely cause to be ascertained. I do not think there is any aspect of this subject which merits a statement at present.”
30 November 1977
House of Lords Volume 387 Written Answers columns 1347-8
“UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECTS
The Earl of CLANCARTY asked Her Majesty’s Government:
Whether they are aware that Monsieur Robert Galley, the then French Minister of Defence, in his radio interview on the France-Inter radio on 21st February 1974 stated that the gendarmerie are playing a very large part in official investigations into unidentified flying object sightings and alleged landings; and whether our police have been likewise officially instructed to collect reports and investigate these unidentified flying objects.
Lord HARRIS of GREENWICH: The Government have no knowledge of either the radio interview to which the Question refers, or the role played by the gendarmerie in investigating unidentified flying objects. The police in this country have not been asked to collect reports of, or investigate, unidentified flying objects. The jurisdiction and powers of the police are normally confined to terrestrial activities, but I have every confidence that should an occasion arise where there is evidence that an unidentified flying object has landed within a police area, the police force concerned will investigate it with its customary vigour. However, until there is some clear indication that the frequency of such occurrence is likely to impose a significant burden on the police, I doubt whether it would prove fruitful to issue guidance on the subject.”
01 December 1977
House of Lords Volume 387 Written Answers columns 1453-4
“UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECTS
The Earl of CLANCARTY asked Her Majesty’s Government:
Whether they are aware that in an interview on France-Inter radio on 21st February 1974 Monsieur Robert Galley, then French Minister of Defence, stated that his Ministry had set up a section in 1954 to study eyewitness accounts of unidentified flying objects; and whether our Ministry of Defence also has a section to investigate these unidentified flying objects.
Lord WINTERBOTTOM: The Government have no record of a statement made in February 1974 by the then French Minister of Defence.
Our Ministry of Defence has no specific organisation engaged on the examination of reports of unidentified flying objects; reports are examined by specialist staffs as part of their normal duties to see if they contain any implications for the defence of the United Kingdom. Investigations into any scientific significance of phenomena
[column 1454]
which go beyond defence interests are not carried out by the Department.”
06 December 1977
House of Lords Volume 387 written answers columns 1599-1600
“UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECTS
The Earl of CLANCARTY asked Her Majesty’s Government:
Whether they are aware that in France, since 1st September 1977, a section for the study of unidentified flying objects has been set up in the National Centre for Space Studies in Toulouse, under the direction of Monsieur Clause Poher, a distinguished scientist, and that this body is sponsored upon the French Ministry of Industry and Research; and whether there is a similar scientific organisation under Government sponsorship in the United Kingdom to study unidentified flying
[column 1600]
objects, working closely with the French one.
The MINISTER of STATE, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION and SCIENCE (Lord Donaldson of Kingsbridge): Her Majesty’s Government understand that a study group called the Groupe d’Etudes sur les Phenomenes Aerospatiales Non-Identifies (GEPAN) has been set up under the French Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Artisans at the National Centre for Space Studies in Toulouse. The group has no formal links with the United Kingdom, and we have no similar scientific group to study unidentified objects or phenomena.”
12 December 1977
House of Lords Volume 387 Written Answers column 2223
“UFOs: French Radio broadcast
The EARL of CLANCARTY asked Her Majesty’s Government:
Whether they will reconsider their decision, implicit in their answers to two recent Questions for Written Answer (cols. 1347 and 1453), not to draw the attention of the Ministry of Defence and the Home Office to the interview on France-Inter radio in February 1974 of the then French Minister of Defence M. Robert Galley about unidentified flying objects which is transcribed in his book The Crack in the Universe.
Lord Winterbottom: The Ministry of Defence are endeavouring to obtain an official transcript of the interview said to have taken place on France-Inter radio in February 1974”
09 March 1978
House of Lords Volume 389 written answers column 1033
“UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECTS
The Earl of CLANCARTY asked Her Majesty’s Government:
Whether since their last reply (Official Report, 1st December, col. 1453) they have now obtained the official transcript of the broadcast on France-Inter radio station, February 1974, when the then French Minister of Defence, Monsieur Robert Galley was interviewed by Jean-Claude Bourret about unidentified flying objects.
Lord WINTERBOTTOM: The Ministry of Defence now has the official transcript oof M Galley’s broadcast 1974. Nothing in it indicates the existence of a threat to the United Kingdom.”
18 January 1979
House of Lords Volume 397, Debate columns 1246-1316
[Cross Refer: “UFOs in the House of Lords – 1979”, published by Her Majesty’s Stationary Office]
[Cross refer – John Michel’s “House of Lords UFO Debate”, Pentacle 1979]
[Cross Refer: “The UFO Encyclopedia” by Margaret Sachs, entry entitled “House of Lords” – page 148 of softback edition]
[Cross Refer : “Beyond Top Secret” by Timothy Good, pages xv-xvi and pages 49-51 of hardback edition]
[Cross Refer : “Above Top Secret” by Timothy Good, pages 11-12 and 72-73 of hardback edition]
[Cross Refer: “The UFO Encyclopedia” by John Spencer – brief entry entitled “House of Lords, All Party UFO Study Group” - page 150 of hardback edition)]
[Cross Refer: “Open Skies, Closed Minds” by Nick Pope – page 54 of paperback edition]
[As noted in the methodology section of this working document, this lengthy debate has been published in book form (and summarised in various accounts, including those cross referred to above). Given its rather considerable length, I have not typed up the text (for at least this preliminary draft of this working document) save for the text of the main contribution by Lord Strabolgi on behalf of the Government (below). For ease of cross-referencing, the references to the main contributions are:
Earl of Clancarty – columns 1246-1253
Lord Trefgarne – columns 1253-1256
Earl of Kimberley – columns 1256-1261
Viscount of Oxfuird – columns 1261-1263
Lord Davies of Leek – columns 1263-1268
Lord Bishop of Norwich – columns 1268-1274
Lord Gladwyn – columns 1274-1279
Lord Kings Norton –columns 1279-1283
Lord Rankeillour – columns 1283-1286
Lord Gainford – columns 1286-1288
Earl of Halsbury – colmns 1288-1295
Lord Hewlett – columns 1295-1301
Earl of Cork and Orrery – columns 1301-1306
Lord Strabolgi – columns 1306-1314
Earl of Clancarty – columns 1314-1316]
[The following is the main contribution by Lord Strablogi during the lengthy debate referred to above.
House of Lords Volume 397, Debate columns 1306-1315]
“10.10pm
Lord Strabolgi: My Lords, I should like to join with the noble Earl, Lord Cork and Orrery, in saying how grateful we are to the noble Earl, Lord Clancarty, for initiating this debate on UFOs. Of course, the subject has been of considerable interest in this country, and I hope our discussions, which, as the noble Earl rightly said, have been the first that we have had in your Lordships’
[House of Lords Volume 397, Debate column 1307]
House, will help to increase public understanding. But before I reply in detail to the debate – and I think it has been a most interesting one – I should like to join with my noble friend Lord Davies of Leek in congratulating the noble Viscount, Lord Oxfuird, on his maiden speech. We were very glad to hear from him, if I may say so, and I hope we shall hear from him again on many other occasions. I shall be referring to some of the detail of his speech later, but at this stage I should like to offer him my warmest congratulations.
There are undoubtedly many strange phenomena in the skies, and it can be readily accepted that most UFO reports are made by calm and responsible people. However, there are generally straight-forward explanations to account for the phenomena, as I think was said by the noble Lord, Lord Trefgarne, speaking for the Opposition – and I must say that I welcomed his constructive speech. There is nothing to convince the Government that there has ever been a single visit by an alien space craft, let alone the number of visits which the noble Earl, Lord Clancarty, claims are increasing all the time. As has been said today, we live in a huge universe. I find as awe-inspiring as Pascal did the contemplation of infinite space. There are some 100,000 million stars in our galaxy alone, which it would take 100,000 years to cross at the speed of light. Beyond our own galaxy, the distances become even more daunting. The light year, as your Lordships know, is about 6 million million miles. The Andromeda galaxy is over 2 million light years away, and that is in our own local group of galaxies! There are, of course, other groups as well.
The evidence suggests that there is no intelligent life on the other planets of our own solar system, as the noble Viscount said. There are, of course, different views about whether there might be life elsewhere in the universe, but certainly there is no serious positive evidence to show that there is. If there were an advanced civilisation elsewhere in the universe, as my noble friend Lord Davies of Leek supposed, with the technology to traverse these colossal distances, there are many questions to be answered. What is the point of this alleged huge number of visits to our planet, over three decades
[House of Lords Volume 397, Debate column 1308]
or more, to no apparent purpose? There seem to be internal inconsistencies in the idea. To put it simply, if these alleged aliens prefer to keep out of the way, the number of reported sightings would surely be only a tiny portion of the actual UFO movements, which would run into many millions. If they do not prefer to pass unnoticed, we could surely expect unmistakable appearances.
Why have they never tried to communicate with us? Why has there been no evidence on radio of attempts at communication? And would not such a large number of movements be picked up by our defence radar system? Why has not a single artefact been found? Assuming that each visit does not represent a journey from a distant star, where are these alien space craft supposed to be hiding? Now that the idea of such bases on the moon or on another planet in our solar system is barely tenable, ufologists have had to claim that the aliens are based in the depths of the sea or in a great hole in the earth, or even that they come from invisible universes and other space-time continua. Anyone who accepts the hypothesis of large numbers of alien visitations seems forced towards explanations that are ever more fantastic, and incapable of either proof or disproof.
As I have said, there really are many remarkable things to see in the sky; and most UFO reports relate to actual phenomena reported by sensible people. But, my Lords, let us consider the phenomena themselves – and the noble Lord, Lord Trefgarne, mentioned some of these. Huge quantities of space debris enter our atmosphere, and are often seen as meteors, and fireballs; bright planets and even the moon or stars have been reported as UFOs, in unusual atmospheric conditions, as the noble Lord, Lord Hewlett, said; there are tricks of light on cloud, and particular cloud structures; there is the Aurora Borealis, St Elmo’s Fire and ball lightning which was referred to by the noble Earl, Lord Halsbury, which has been known to drift along telephone or power lines. There are some 5,000 man-made objects in orbit, satellites and debris, some of which can be seen by the naked eye, some through binoculars. About 600 such man-made objects re-enter the atmosphere every year, as the noble Lord, Lord Hewlett, reminded us. The quantity is far less than natural space
[House of Lords Volume 397, Debate column 1309]
debris, but my Lords, the phenomena can be astonishing.
Last April the Ministry of Defence received reports of a large piece of debris re-entering across the South of England. Most reports were factual, but one spoke of an
‘… oval thing with a white cockpit which hovered for a while then shot off at great speed’.
My Lords, we cannot prove that this was not a UFO, but it occurred at the same time and place as known re-entry of debris.
Many reports relate to aircraft seen in unusual conditions at unusual angles. One recent UFO was confidently reported on local radio. Again, my Lords, we cannot prove that it was not a UFO, but we do know that an RAF Vulcan bomber on a low-flying mission passed the same spot at the same time and on the same course as the reported UFO. Aircraft lights have led to UFO reports; as have distant aircraft with landing lights on – I have seen myself – flares from aircraft, short condensation trails lit by the sun after dusk and light reflected from aircraft. Other phenomena include meteorological balloons. The Meteorological Office alone releases 50 such balloons every day, which expand to 40 ft. in diameter and rise to 100,000 ft. and can be lit by the sun after dark. Many other organisations, such as universities, use balloons, some much larger. Meteorological searchlights shine on clouds: the beam itself cannot be seen; only a point of light in the sky. There are hot air balloons and kites; even birds have been reported as UFOs; lights on distant towers; car headlights on distant hills; dust devils; and airborne debris carried by the wind.
All these phenomena can be mis-interpreted by the most sensible observers, particularly when seen unexpectedly and briefly and in unusual atmospheric conditions. This is what opponents of the natural explanations forget. With distortions of light, and mirages, the most commonplace things can be so changed as to be barely recognisable. For instance, I am told that the US Air Force attributed the 1947 sighting by Arnold described by the noble Earl, Lord Clancarty, to a mirage effect.
Phenomena seen through glass are suspect. There are phenomena generated within the eyeball and there are optical
[House of Lords Volume 397, Debate column 1310]
illusions to which the noble Earl, Lord Halsbury, referred. One scientist, whose task includes watching satellites, describes how, when observing stars near moving clouds he finds it difficult to escape the illusion that the stars are flying past stationary clouds. The noble Earl, Lord Halsbury, referred to the green flash. I used to see it myself in Alexandria when on leave. It was one of our evening pastimes to sit on the promenade and watch it go down over the sea.
My Lords, in 1968, the United States Air Force commissioned the University of Colorado to carry out an independent study into UFO phenomena. Their report, which was published in 1969, was very substantial and detailed and it covered some 50 examples of such phenomena, but added that it was impossible and potentially misleading to try to tabulate all of the possible causes of UFO perception, there are simply too many. The report’s main conclusion was, and I quote:
‘Nothing has come from the study of UFOs in the past 21 years that has added to scientific knowledge.’
The findings of this report were endorsed by a panel of the National Academy of Sciences.
There really are tens of thousands of strange things to be seen. It is the custom to call such phenomena ‘UFOs’, and to transpose this easily into ‘alien space craft’. Often the appearance is too fleeting and the description too imprecise for a particular cause to be attributed. What we can say is that there is a great variety of plain explanations. There is no need, I suggest, for the far-fetched hypothesis of alien space craft.
To genuine sightings we must, however, add hallucinations; the excited tales of the gullible; and the embellishments of the born romantic. There are also indications that ufologists accept reports of UFOs somewhat uncritically. The noble Earl, Lord Clancarty, referred to a papyrus found among the papers of a Professor Tulli recording flying saucers during the reign of Thutmose III. The Colorado Report, which I mentioned earlier, inquired into this story. The alleged papyrus could not be traced, but internal evidence in the translation suggested a fake; inquiries with the Vatican Museum
[House of Lords Volume 397, Debate column 1311]
also suggested that Tulli, an amateur Egyptologist, had been taken in by a fake.
There is a category of UFO cases which are difficult to explain because the description is too vague or the evidence too remote, coupled perhaps with a coincidence of different phenomena and with exceptional conditions. If one accepts that there are natural explanations that could account for most sightings, it is an enormous and irrational jump to claim that the residue of difficult cases constitute alien space craft when there is no positive evidence that they do constitute alien space craft.
I should mention the famous UFO reported over the United Kingdom in December 1978, on New Year’s Eve in fact. This was the one probably seen by the noble Lord, Lord Gainford, to which he referred. The phenomenon was probably the re-entry of a launcher associated with the Russian space satellite COSMOS 1068, launched on 26th December. Of over 100 reports reaching the Ministry of Defence, nearly all were factual and consistent with the re-entry of satellite debris.
The recent sightings in New Zealand referred to by the noble Lord, Lord Kings Norton, attracted worldwide publicity, and we understand that the New Zealand Government may make an announcement when the facts have been assembled and appraised. Preliminary advice from our High Commission in New Zealand shows confident expectation that the sightings will prove to be due to natural phenomena, as I think the noble Lord, Lord Trefgarne, and the noble Earl, Lord Halsbury, implied.
My Lord, the noble Earl who initiated this debate referred to the attitude of other Governments to UFOs. It is not for me to speak in this House for other Governments. I have however already made mention of the United States study in 1968 and I understand that nothing has happened since that time to cause the United States authorities to change their views or to warrant further official investigations of UFOs.
The noble Earl also referred to an interview which the then French Minister of Defence, M. Robert Galley gave in 1974 on the subject of UFOs. The noble
[House of Lords Volume 397, Debate column 1312]
Earl suggested that M. Galley had said that UFOs were real but that he, the Minister, did not know where they came from. I have read the transcript of M. Galley’s broadcast and I also took the trouble to check it in the original French. The essence of what the Minister said was that the phenomena were genuine and were reported by responsible people, but that were aspects that were difficult to explain. Nowhere did the Minister say that UFOs were real in the sense that they represent alien spacecraft, as suggested by the noble Lord, Lord Rankeillour.
The noble Earl, Lord Kimberley, also said that these had been seen by astronauts. These reports by astronauts were examined in the Colorado Study. The astronauts were required, of course, to report anything unusual perceived on their missions; and indeed many strange phenomena were noted. All the phenomena except three were explained. There was nothing at all to suggest that the unexplained sightings were alien spacecraft, and the limited visibility from the small and smeared windows of a spacecraft did not make visual observation easy.
It has been suggested in this debate that our Government are involved in an alleged conspiracy of silence. I can assure your Lordships that the Government are not engaged in any such conspiracy. In view of what the noble Lord, Lord Gainsford, said, I must emphasise that the Ministry of Defence examines any UFO reports received to establish whether they reveal anything of defence interest, but nothing in the reports examined has ever given cause to believe that they represent alien spacecraft. There is nothing to have a conspiracy of silence about. What is more, a visitor from outer space would be one of the great events in history. It would certainly be an event of stupendous importance, but I hesitate to say the greatest event of all in the presence of my old friend the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Norwich, whose moving speech we listened to with much interest.
As the noble Earl, Lord Halsbury, said, scientists are rightly inquisitive people. If there was anything in the stories of UFOs, we would expect the scientific community as a whole to be devoting much effort to studying or to making contact with the supposed aliens;
[House of Lords Volume 397, Debate column 1313]
but the idea of a conspiracy of silence by this and other Governments belongs, I suggest, to the world of James Bond.
Then the noble Earl, Lord Kimberley, implied that there was some kind of cover-up. There is no cover-up and no security ban. It is true that when people ask to see the Ministry of Defence UFO files they are told that the papers must remain confidential, but there is a very mundane reason for that. The files contain voluminous correspondence from people, and we cannot divulge the identity of the correspondents. If follows that the files must remain closed under the rules laid down in the Public Record Acts, passed by Parliament, which at present preclude disclosure until 30 years have elapsed since the date of the particular correspondence. The earliest reports the Ministry of Defence hold are dated 1962.
The noble Earl, Lord Clancarty, mentioned the possibility of an intra-governmental study of UFOs. At the United Nations recently representatives of Grenada made statements about UFOs and proposals for a study. A compromise decision was taken, wherein the General Assembly invited ‘interested member states’ to co-ordinate research ‘on a national level’ and to inform the Secretary-General of their findings. The Secretary-General was requested to transmit the Grenadan statements and other relevant reports to the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space. This is not an inter-governmental study, in the sense that the noble Earl, Lord Clancarty, is seeking, but he may be content that Grenada, and perhaps some other countries, may be reporting in an international forum.
Lord KINGS NORTON: My Lords, the word was ‘intra’, not ‘inter’.
Lord STRABOLGI: My Lords, I take note of what the noble Lord said. Then it has been suggested, too, in this debate that Her Majesty’s Government should set up a study group. I am glad to say that the noble Lord, Lord Trefgarne, and the noble Lord, Lord Gladwyn, both speaking from the Front Benches for the Opposition Parties, did not support this proposal, and certainly Her Majesty’s Government do not consider that there is any justification for the expenditure of public money on such a study.
[House of Lords Volume 397, Debate column 1314]
I repeat that I am grateful to the noble Earl, Lord Clancarty, for raising the subject of UFOs, and I am particularly grateful for informing me in advance of the points which he proposed to make to your Lordships. However, from all I have said I am sure that your Lordships will agree that there is no reason for my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Defence to make a broadcast interview about UFOs, as the noble Earl, Lord Clancarty, suggested. As for telling the public the truth about UFOs, the truth is simple. There really are many strange phenomena in the sky and these are invariably reported by rational people. But there is a wide range of natural explanations to account for such phenomena. There is nothing to suggest to Her Majesty’s Government that such phenomena are alien space craft.”
1980s
04 March 1982 (Thursday)
House of Lords Volume 427 Oral Answers columns 1370-1371
[Cross Refer : “Beyond Top Secret” by Timothy Good, page 85 of hardback edition]
[Cross Refer : “Above Top Secret” by Timothy Good, page 100 of hardback edition]
[Cross Refer : “Out of the Shadows” by David Clarke and Andy Roberts, page 149 of hardback edition]
“Unidentified Flying Objects : Sightings
3.4 pm
The Early of Clancarty: My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
The Question was as follows:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many reports have been received by the Ministry of Defence on unidentified flying objects (UFOs) in each of the last four years, and what action has been taken in each case.
Viscount Long: My Lords, in 1978 there were 750 sightings; in 1979 there were 550 sightings; in 1980, 350 sightings; and in 1981, 600 sightings. All UFO reports are passed to operational staff who examine them solely for possible defence implications.
The Early of Clancarty: My Lords, while thanking the noble Viscount for that Answer, may I ask him whether or not it is a fact that over 2,000 authenticated UFO reports were published last year in the national press? If so, were they accepted or passed on to the Ministry of Defence? And what happened to them?
Viscount Long: My Lords, they did not all get to the Ministry of Defence. I have just informed your Lordships of the numbers sighted. If the noble Earl is suspicious that the Ministry of Defence is covering up in any way, I can assure him that there is no reason why we should cover up the figures which he has mentioned if they are true. The sole interest of the Ministry of Defence in UFO reports is to establish whether they reveal anything of defence interest – for example, a Russian aircraft or an unidentified aircraft – which might have breached our security systems. That is the sole reason why we are interested in the reports.
Lord Wynne-Jones: My Lords, does the Answer given mean that since there has been a Conservative Government the UFOs have done a U-turn and departed?
Viscount Long: Not according to my reading, My Lords.
The Earl of Kimberly: My Lords, as my noble friend said that 600 UFOs had been officially reported or acknowledged by the Ministry of Defence in 1981, may I ask him how many of those sightings still remain unidentified and were not subject to security, or were Russian aircraft, or anything like that?
[4 March 1982, Written Answers column 1371]
Viscount Long: My Lords, I do not have those figures. They disappeared into the unknown before we got them.
Lord Strabolgi: My Lords, may I ask the noble Viscount whether the present Government adhere to the view of the previous Government which I put forward when I replied to the debate three years ago in your Lordships’ House, that most of these so-called sightings can be accounted for as natural phenomena?
Viscount Long: Yes, My Lords, they can be. Many of them are discounted for in one way or another, but nobody has got a really constructive answer for all of them.
Lord Hill-Norton: My Lords, may I ask the noble Viscount whether or not it is true that all the sighting reports received by the Ministry of Defence before 1962 were destroyed because they were deemed “to be of no interest”? And if it is true, who was it who decided that they were of no interest?
Viscount Long: My Lords, my reply to the noble and gallant Lord – I was wondering whether he was going to say that the Royal Navy had many times seen the Loch Ness monster – is that since 1967 all UFO reports have been preserved. Before that time, they were generally destroyed after five years.
Lord Paget of Northampton: My Lords, can the noble Viscount tell us whether, out of these thousands of sightings which he has mentioned, there has been a single one which suggested any menace to our defences? In the circumstances, is not an awful lot of time being wasted on this nonsense?
Viscount Long: My Lords, I think Her Majesty’s Government are waiting for an invitation from them to discuss these problems.”
07 April 1982 (Wednesday)
House of Lords Volume 429 Debate columns 217-219
[Cross Refer : “Beyond Top Secret” by Timothy Good, pages 86-87 of hardback edition]
[Cross Refer : “Above Top Secret” by Timothy Good, page 101 of hardback edition]
[Cross Refer: “UFO Conspiracy” by Jenny Randles, page 194 of hardback edition]
“UFO Sighting Reports: Security
The Early of Cork and Orrery: My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
The Question was as follows:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many of the 2,250 sightings of UFOs reported to the Ministry of Defence in the years 1978-81 were, and still are, classified for reasons of security.
Viscount Long: None, My Lords.
The Early of Cork and Orrery: My Lords, I thank my noble kinsman for that Answer. May I ask him two questions: First, what did he mean when he said in his Answer on, I think, 4th March, that reports of sightings that were considered to be of interest to defence were in fact classified? Secondly, what procedures may be open to individuals or organisations who would like to see the reports?
Viscount Long: My regards, with regard to the latter part of my noble friend’s supplementary question, there is no reason why he should not come and see the reports. Not many of them come in because not many people actually report sightings. There is no cover up in that respect. As for the first part of my noble friend’s supplementary question, I stick to what I said earlier.
The Earl of Kimberley: My Lords, can my noble friend say why, when I previously asked a supplementary question, he said that the figures had got lost on the way to the Ministry, whereas today he says that they are there and available for anyone to see? Can he therefore place them in the Library for all of us to see?
Viscount Long: My Lords, I will look into that and find out whether it is possible for your Lordships to see them. I should like all of your Lordships to see them in the Library, if possible.
Lord Strabolgi: Mr Lords, may I ask the Government whether they think that any of these UFOs are manned spacecraft from a planet outside the solar system, as is believed by the ‘ufologists’?
Viscount Long: My Lords, the noble Lord can believe that; anything is possible.
Lord Shinwell: My Lords, do I understand that the noble Viscount the Minister in his reply to the original Question does not deny that UFOs exist? Is it possible – I use the word ‘possible’ very carefully, but
[Column 218]
deliberately – that all of the information is well-known to the Ministry of Defence, but that for diplomatic and other reasons it is not prepared to make an announcement?
Viscount Long: No, my Lords, it is not prepared to make an announcement because it has not got the facts to make an announcement with authority behind it.
Lord Beswick: My Lords, the Question asks about 2,250 sightings. The noble Viscount says that there are very few sightings reported to the Ministry of Defence. Does that mean to say that the figure in the Question is incorrect?
Viscount Long: No, my Lords, it was on the original assumption that there are probably many more sightings that are not reported to the Ministry of Defence. That is what I was really referring to. Therefore, at this stage what we have said is what we have got.
Lord Beswick: My Lords, I should like to clear up that point. The Question refers to 2,250 sightings ‘reported’ to the Ministry of Defence. The Question I asked was, ‘Is that figure correct, or not?”.
Viscount Long: That is correct, My Lords, up to this moment.
Lord Wade: My Lords, may I ask which Ministry is responsible for UFOs?
Viscount Long: None, my Lords. Reports come into the Ministry of Defence, and anyone can take them from there.
Viscount St. Davids: My Lords, has anybody yet found an empty beer can marked, ‘Made in Centaurus’, or any similar object? Until they have, will the Ministry deal with these matters with very considerable skepticism, please?
Viscount Long: My Lords, I am not the Minister for conservation, if it is a question of beer cans.
Lord Morris: My Lords, if something is said to be unidentified, how can it possibly be said to exist?
Viscount Long: A very good question, my Lords.
Lord Leatherland: My Lords, can the Minister tell us whether any of the unidentified flying objects are Ministers who are fleeing from the Cabinet just now?
Viscount Long: No, my Lords.
The Earl of Clancarty: My Lords, may I ask the noble Viscount whether he is aware of a Ministry of Defence document concerning UFOs, which was published in the July 1978 issue of a journal called Viewpoint Aquarius? Furthermore, is he aware that under the heading of “Contacts” there were listed 18 names, and alongside each name there was given the town which was the location of the supposed occurrence? There were also given classifications and a date and time relating to each name. Is the noble Viscount aware that there was a
[Column 219]
tremendous distribution of the document to other Government departments, and to NORAD and the CIA? I should like to ask whether in this case the word ‘contacts’ means close encounters?
Viscount Long: Yes, my Lords, I have the document here, and has nothing to do with the Ministry of Defence. It is made up to look rather like a Christmas menu. Its existence in the Ministry of Defence has been denied on television. Someone else has made it up. It is not a Ministry of Defence document – not the way it is made up, like a Christmas menu.”
24 October 1983 (Monday)
House of Commons, Volume 47 Written Answers column 62
[Cross Refer : “Beyond Top Secret” by Timothy Good, page 68 of hardback edition]
[Cross Refer : “Above Top Secret” by Timothy Good, pages 85-86 of hardback edition]
[Cross refer: “UFO Crash Landing” by Jenny Randles, pages 172 and 212 of softback edition]
[Cross refer: “Out of the Shadows” by David Clarke and Andy Roberts, page 225 of hardback edition]
[Cross refer: “You Can’t tell the People” by Georgina Bruni, page 298 of hardback edition]
[Cross refer : “The UFO Report 1990” edited by Timothy Good, page 36 of hardback edition]
[Cross refer : “UFO Conspiracy” by Jenny Randles, page 194 of hardback edition]
[Cross refer : “Left At East Gate” by Larry Warren & Peter Robbins, page 120 of hardback edition]
[Cross refer : “From Out of the Blue” by Jenny Randles, page 162 of paperback edition]
“RAF Woodbridge (Alleged Incident)
Sir Patrick Wall asked the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he has seen the United States Air Force memo dated 13 January 1981 concerning unexplained lights near RAF Woodbridge;
(2) whether, in view of the fact that the United State’s Air Force memo of 13 January 1981 on the incident at RAF Woodbridge has been released under the Freedom of Information Act, he will now release reports and documents concerning similar unexplained incidents in the United Kingdom;
(3) how many unexplained sightings or radar intercepts have taken place since 1980.
Mr Stanley: I have seen the memorandum of 13 January 1981 to which my hon. Friend refers. Since 1980 the Department has received 1,400 reports of sightings of flying objects which the observers have been unable to
[Column 62]
identify. There were no corresponding unexplained radar contacts. Subject to normal security constraints, I am ready to give information about any such reported sightings that are found to be a matter of concern from a defence standpoint, but there have been none to date.”
9 March 1984
House of Commons, Volume 55 Written Answers column 728
[Cross Refer : “Beyond Top Secret” by Timothy Good, page 93 of hardback edition]
[Cross Refer : “Above Top Secret” by Timothy Good, page 112 of hardback edition]
“Unidentified Flying Objects
Sir Patrick Wall asked the Secretary for State for Defence (1) how many alleged landings by unidentified flying objects have been made in 1980, 1981, 1982 and 1983, respectively; and how many have been investigated by his Department’s personnel;
Mr Lee: I shall reply as soon as possible.”
13 March 1984 (Tuesday)
House of Commons, Volume 56 Written Answers columns 132-133
[Cross Refer : “Beyond Top Secret” by Timothy Good, page 94 of hardback edition]
[Cross Refer : “Above Top Secret” by Timothy Good, page 112 of hardback edition]
[Cross refer : “UFO Conspiracy” by Jenny Randles, page 194 of hardback edition]
[Cross refer : “From Out of the Blue” by Jenny Randles, page 163 of paperback edition]
“Unidentified Flying Objects
Sir Patrick Wall asked the Secretary for State for Defence (1) how many alleged landings by unidentified flying objects have been made in 1980, 1981, 1982 and 1983, respectively; and how many have been investigated by his Department’s personnel;
[13 March 1984, written answers column 133]
(2) how many unexplained sightings there have been in 1980, 1981, 1982 and 1983, respectively; and which of these had been traced by radar and with what result.
Mr Lee [Pursuant to his reply, 9 March 1984, c728]: For the years in question, the Ministry of Defence received the following numbers of reports of sightings of flying objects which the observer could not identify: 350, 600, 250, and 390. Reports of alleged landings are not separately identified. The Department was satisfied that none of these reports was of any defence significance and, in such cases, does not maintain records of the extent of its investigations.”
15 November 1988 (Tuesday)
House of Commons, Volume 140 Written Answers columns 554-555
“Unidentified Flying Objects
Mr Teddy Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what reports have been received within the past
[column 555]
4 weeks from the south-east about flying objects emitting strong blue lighting; and if there is any information on the origin of the objects.
Mrs Virginia Bottomley: I shall write to my hon. Friend.”
11 July 1989
House of Commons, Volume 156 Written Answers column 453
[Cross Refer: “Crop Circles – A Mystery Solved” by Jenny Randles and Paul Fuller, page 95 of softback edition]
“Cereal Fields
Mr Teddy Taylor: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many reports he has received of the flattening of circular areas in cereal fields in the south-west and other areas of England respectively; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Ryder: The flattening of circular areas in cereal fields is a phenomenon known to occur from time to time. It is confined to winter cereal crops and is more prevalent in dry seasons, but we have no arrangements for recording such occurrences and therefore cannot comment on their frequency.”
11 July 1989
House of Commons, Volume 156 Written Answers column 500
“Cereal Fields
Mr Teddy Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made in the inquiries initiated by Army helicopters based in the south-west in investigating the origin of flattened circular areas of wheat; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Neubert: The Ministry of Defence is not conducting any inquiries into the origins of flattened circular areas of crops. However, we are satisfied that they are not caused by service helicopter activity.”
18 July 1989
House of Commons, Volume [insert] [?Written] Answers column [insert]
[Cross Refer: “Crop Circles – A Mystery Solved” by Jenny Randles, page 95 of softback edition]
21 July 1989
House of Commons, Volume 157 Written Answers column 408
“Cereal Circles
Mr Teddy Taylor: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his reply of 11 July, Official Report, column 451, if he has received any scientific or other advice on the causes of the flattening of cereal circles.
Mr Ryder: I am advised that this phenomenom is most likely to result from a combination of wind and local soil fertility conditions in cereals which are prone to lodging.”
26 July 1989
House of Commons, Volume 157 Written Answers column 408
“Cornfield Circles
Mr Colvin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the chief constables of Hampshire and Wiltshire on their investigations into the cornfield circles in Hampshire and Wiltshire; what is the estimated cost of these investigations; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Hurd: I understand from the chief constables of Hampshire and Wiltshire that there have been no investigations into the cornfield circles by their officers.”
17 October 1989
House of Commons, Volume 158 Written Answers column 60
“Cornfield Circles:
Mr Colvin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether any official assistance has been given by service personnel to civilians investigating the origin of cornfield circles in Hampshire and Wiltshire; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Archie Hamilton: I am not aware of any official assistance having been given by service personnel to civilians investigating the origin of crop circles.”
18 December 1989
House of Commons, Volume 164 Written Answers column 3
“Near-Miss, London-Belfast Route
Mr Rogers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he will ask the accident investigation branch to investigate the near-miss involving a civilian aircraft travelling from London to Belfast on the evening of 11 November and then public the results of the inquiry.
Mr McLoughlin: No near-miss, or airmiss, was reported for the date and time referred to. However, a mandatory occurrence report was filed with the Civil Aviation Authority by the captain of the British Midland aircraft en route from London to Belfast.
It is for the chief inspector of air accidents to determine whether an investigation into an incident or accident shall be carried out. I understand that the chief investigator has found no reason for instituting an investigation in this case. It is thought possible that there may be a meteorological explanation to the phenomenon observed.”
1990s
30 January 1990 (Tuesday)
House of Commons, Volume 166 Written Answers column 129
“Occurrence Report
Mr Rogers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what were the contents of the mandatory occurrence report filed with the Civil Aviation Authority by the captain of a British Midland Airways aircraft en route from London to Belfast on Saturday 11 November 1989.
Mr McLoughlin: The pilot reported that at 2028 GMT and whilst descending on airway blue 3 into Belfast following a scheduled flight from Heathrow, as the aircraft passed through 11,200 feet at a position three nautical miles east of Kirkistown, the crew witnessed a ball of light pass overhead the aircraft heading due west. It descended to a position on the port beam where it appeared to burst into a cascade of white and blue magnesium lights. At the time, the aircraft was between two layers of stratus cloud less than 3,000 feet apart. Another aircraft in the vicinity witnessed the light, and it was reported to Belfast air traffic control.
I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 18 December 1989 to his earlier question on this matter at column 3.”
1993
14 December 1993 (Tuesday)
House of Commons, Volume 234 Written Answers columns 571-572
http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm199394/cmhansrd/1993-12-14/Writtens-4.html
“Unidentified Flying Objects
Sir Teddy Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the treaty powers which enabled the European Parliament's trade, research and technology committee to study and spend public resources on unidentified flying objects and the possibility of aliens being present in the asteroid belt ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Goodlad : I understand that a member of the energy, research and technology committee has reported to the Committee on research being undertaken in Europe on unidentified flying objects and related phenomena, following a European Parliament resolution on the subject. A proposal for Community research in this field has not been put forward ; nor would I expect one to be unless such research were shown to be consistent with treaty objectives.
Sir Teddy Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the proposal by the EC trade, research and technology committee that an organisation on the consideration of unidentified flying objects should be assigned Community status and funding will be subject to a decision of the Council of Ministers.
Mr. Goodlad : The Commission has not made a proposal for the establishment of an unidentified flying objects research observatory. Were it to do so, I can assure my hon. Friend that the Council of Ministers would have to agree rules concerning implementation, funding and duration of the programme, in accordance with the treaty articles concerning research activities.
Sir Teddy Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the EC Commission has the powers on its own initiative to give funding to the Euro-unidentified flying objects observation centre
[14 December 1993 written answers column 572]
recommended by the European Parliament’s trade, research and technology committee; and is he will make a statement.
Mr. Goodlad : No. Detailed rules concerning implementation, funding and duration of specific Community research programmes must be agreed by the Council of Ministers. The Commission could not fund a Euro unidentified flying objects observation centre in the absence of a Council decision to do so.”
15 December 1993 (Wednesday)
House of Commons, Volume 234 Written Answers column 682
“Aliens
Sir Teddy Taylor: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will seek to obtain a report of the European Parliament Trade and Research Technology Committee’s conclusion that the theory that aliens are present in the asteroid belt cannot be ruled out; and what are the implications of this conclusion for public policy
Mr McLoughlin [holding answer 14 December 1993]: My officials have seen the report to which my hon. Friend refers by the European Parliament’s Committee on Energy, Research and Technology. It has no implications for public policy.”
1994
07 December 1994 (Wednesday)
House of Lords Volume 559 Written Answers column 90
“Unidentified Flying Objects
Right Hon. Lord Mason of Barnsley: To what extent official records are kept of sightings of unidentified flying objects, especially those sightings that may have a bearing on the air defence of this country; whether units of the Ministry of Defence, especially RAF units, have standing instructions to report sightings of unusual flying objects; whether reports are logged; and whether these can now be made public.
Lord Henley: My department evaluates reports of unexplained phenomena solely in order to establish whether they may have any defence significance. Reports are received from a wide range of sources, including the police and general public, as well as the RAF, which in the context of its air defence responsibilities has standing instructions to report all sightings of unexplained aerial phenomena. Reports are placed on departmental files in the normal way and are therefore subject to the Public Records Act several files on this subject are available for viewing at the Public Record Office.”
1996
07 May 1996 (Tuesday)
House of Commons Volume 277 Written Answers Columns 19-20
“Unidentified Objects, (Rendlesham Forest)
Mr Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the current security classification on the documents his Department holds on the unidentified objects seen by members of the United States Armed Forces in Rendlesham Forest, Suffolk in 1980; and if he will make a statement. [27644]
[Column 20]
Mr Soames: The papers held by my Department relating to the alleged events at Rendlesham forest, Suffolk in 1980 are unclassified.”
10 June 1996 (Monday)
House of Commons Volume 270 Written Answers Column 42
“Unidentified Objects (Rendlesham Forest)
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 7th May, Official Report, columns 19-20, if he will list the titles of the papers held by his Department in respect of unidentified objects seen in Rendlesham Forest, Suffolk; and if he will make a statement. [31490]
Mr. Soames: Apart from a report of the events written at the time by the United States Air Force deputy base commander at RAF Woodbridge, which has been in the public domain for a number of years, the documents held by my Department are internal staffing papers and correspondence from members of the public relating to the alleged events.”
08 July 1996 (Monday)
House of Commons Volume 281 Written Answers Column 26
http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm199596/cmhansrd/vo960708/text/60708w08.htm#60708w08.html_sbhd3
“Unidentified Flying Objects
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which office within his Department deals with sightings of unidentified flying objects. [35845]
Mr. Soames: The focal point within my Department for reports of sightings of unidentified flying objects is Secretariat(Air Staff)2a.
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list by (a) date and (b) location for the last 10 years unexplainable sightings of unidentified flying objects received by his Department; and what action was subsequently taken. [35844]
Mr. Soames: My Department evaluates reports of "unexplained" aerial phenomena solely in order to establish whether they may have any defence significance. Unless there is evidence to indicate that the UK air defence region may have been compromised, and to date no sighting has provided such evidence, my Department does not investigate or seek to provide an explanation for what was observed. The question of unexplainable sightings has not therefore arisen.”
24 July 1996 (Wednesday)
House of Commons Volume 282 Written Answers Columns 423-424
[Cross refer: “You Can’t tell the People” by Georgina Bruni, page 298 of hardback edition]
http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm199596/cmhansrd/vo960724/text/60724w28.htm
“Rendlesham Forest (Incident)
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what response his Department made to the report submitted by Lieutenant Colonel Charles Halt
[24 July 1996 : Column 424]
relating to events in Rendlesham forest in December 1980; what interviews were held; and if he will make a statement; [39247]
(2) who assessed that the events around RAF Woodbridge and RAF Bentwaters in December 1980, which were reported to his Department by Lieutenant Colonel Charles Halt were of no defence significance; on what evidence the assessment was made; what analysis of events was carried out; and if he will make a statement. [39249]
Mr. Soames: The report was assessed by the staff in my Department responsible for air defence matters. Since the judgment was that it contained nothing of defence significance no further action was taken.”
24 July 1996
House of Commons Volume 282 Written Answers Column 424
[Cross Refer: “Out of the Shadows” by David Clarke and Andy Roberts, page 245 of hardback edition]
[Cross refer : “A Covert Agenda” by Nick Redfern, pages 177-178 of hardback edition]
http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm199596/cmhansrd/vo960724/text/60724w28.htm
“Uncorrelated Radar Tracks (Investigations)
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions RAF aircraft have been (a) scrambled and (b) diverted from task to investigate uncorrelated targets picked up on radar; and if he will make a statement. [39218]
Mr. Soames: In the past five years RAF aircraft have been scrambled or diverted from task on two occasions to intercept and identify uncorrelated radar tracks entering the United Kingdom air defence region.”
24 July 1996
House of Commons Volume 282 Written Answers Column 424
[Cross Refer: “Out of the Shadows” by David Clarke and Andy Roberts, page 245 of hardback edition]
http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm199596/cmhansrd/vo960724/text/60724w28.htm
“Unidentified Craft
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what is his Department's assessment of the incident that occurred on 5 November 1990 when a patrol of RAF Tornado aircraft flying over the North sea were overtaken at high speed by an unidentified craft; and if he will make a statement; [39245]
(2) if he will make a statement on the unidentified flying object sighting reported to his Department by the meteorological officer at RAF Shawbury in the early hours of 31 March 1993. [39246]
Mr. Soames: Reports of sightings on these dates are recorded on file and were examined by staff responsible for air defence matters. No firm conclusions were drawn about the nature of the phenomena reported but the events were not judged to be of defence significance.
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department made of the photograph of an unidentified craft at Calvine on 4 August 1990; who removed it from an office in secretariat (air staff) 2a; for what reasons; and if he will make a statement. [39248]
Mr. Soames: A number of negatives associated with the sighting were examined by staff responsible for air defence matters. Since it was judged that they contained nothing of defence significance the negatives were not retained and we have no record of any photographs having been taken from them.
16 October 1996 (Wednesday)
House of Commons, Volume 282 Written Answers column 919
[Cross Refer: “Cosmic Crashes” by Nick Redfern, page 189 of hardback edition]
http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm199596/cmhansrd/vo961016/text/61016w06.htm#61016w06.html_sbhd3
“Unidentified Flying Objects
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what consultation has taken place in each of the last five years by his Department with the French Service de Documentation Exterieur et de Contre-Espionnage in respect of unidentified flying objects; and if he will make a statement; [40970]
(2) if he will list by month for each of the last 10 years, and this year to date, the number of occasions that MI6 has monitored unidentified flying objects investigations; and if he will make a statement; [40981]
(3) if he will list by month for each of the last 10 years and this year to date the number of occasions on which the Government Communications headquarters has monitored unidentified flying object investigations; and if he will make a statement. [40922]
Mr. David Davis: I shall write to the hon. Member shortly. Copies of the letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House.”
17 October 1996 (Thursday)
House of Commons Volume 282 written answers column 1080
http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm199596/cmhansrd/vo961017/text/61017w01.htm#61017w01.html_sbhd8
“Unidentified Flying Objects
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Prime Minister if he will allocate to a department the assessments of the non-air defence implications associated with unidentified flying objects; and if he will make a statement. [40822]
The Prime Minister: The air defence and air traffic implications of unidentified flying objects are the responsibility of the Ministry of Defence and the Civil Aviation Authority respectively. The Government have no plans to allocate resources to researching extraterrestrial phenomena.”
17 October 1996
House of Commons Volume 282 Written Answers column 1089
http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm199596/cmhansrd/vo961017/text/61017w04.htm
“Mr. Nicholas Pope
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence to what post Mr. Nicholas Pope was appointed by his Department after his tour of duty with Secretariat (Air Staff) Department 2A; and if he will make a statement. [40920]
Mr. Soames: Mr. Nicholas Pope was posted on promotion two years ago to a general finance policy branch.”
17 October 1996
House of Commons Volume 282 Written Answers column 1090
[Cross Refer: “Cosmic Crashes” by Nick Redfern, pages 224-225 of hardback edition]
http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm199596/cmhansrd/vo961017/text/61017w04.htm
“RAF Rudloe Manor
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what work is currently undertaken at RAF Rudloe Manor; what work was undertaken in the last 10 years; what was, by rank, the establishment for the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement. [40823]
Mr. Soames: I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.”
17 October 1996
House of Commons Volume 282 Written Answers column 1090
[Cross Refer: “Cosmic Crashes” by Nick Redfern, page 88 of hardback edition]
http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm199596/cmhansrd/vo961017/text/61017w04.htm
“Defence Intelligence Branches
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what is the current function of DI55 SIG; what was its function (a) five years and (b) 10 years ago; and if he will make a statement; [41040]
(2) what is the current function of DI65B; what was its function (a) five years and (b) 10 years ago; and if he will make a statement; [41038]
(3) what is the current function of DI55; what was its function (a) five years and (b) 10 years ago; and if he will make a statement; [41041]
(4) what is the current function of DI61E; what was its function (a) five years and (b) 10 years ago; and if he will make a statement; [41037]
(5) what is the current function of DI10; what was its function (a) five years and (b) 10 years ago; and if he will make a statement. [41039]
Mr. Soames: I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.”
17 October 1996
House of Commons Volume 282 Written Answers column 1090
[Cross Refer: “Cosmic Crashes” by Nick Redfern, pages 226-227 of hardback edition]
http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm199596/cmhansrd/vo961017/text/61017w05.htm
“Unidentified Flying Objects
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what consultation has taken place in each of the last five years by his Department with the French Ministry of Defence Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales in respect of unidentified flying objects; and if he will make a statement; [41048]
(2) if a lodger unit housed within his Department's Flying Complaints Flight specialises in unidentified flying object investigations; and if he will make a statement;[41036]
(3) how many records currently held by his Department's Scientific Intelligence Branch are under extended closure for (a) 50 years, (b) 75 years and (c) 100 years; how many of these records refer to unidentified flying objects; and if he will make a statement; [40911]
[17 October 1996: Column: 1091]
(4) what consultation has taken place in each of the last five years by his Department with the Royal Australian air force in respect of unidentified flying objects; and if he will make a statement; [41042]
(5) what consultation has taken place in each of the last five years by his Department with the Spanish Ministry of Defence's intelligence section of the Spanish air forces air operations command in respect of unidentified flying objects; and if he will make a statement; [41050]
(6) if he will make statement on his Department's policy towards unidentified flying objects and on how this has developed during the past 30 years; [40913]
(7) what co-operation there is between the Royal Air Force and the United States air force in respect of establishing the facts relating to unidentified flying objects; and if he will make a statement; [40918]
(8) how many alleged landings by unidentified flying objects have been recorded in each year since 1980 and this year to date; how many have been investigated by his Department's personnel; which of these had been traced by radar and with what result; and if he will make a statement; [40921]
(9) what consultation has taken place in each of the last five years by his Department with the Italian Ministry of Defence air force general staff (2. Department) in respect of unidentified flying objects; and if he will make a statement; [41049]
(10) what instructions have been sent to the commanders of Royal Air Force stations to collect reports from air crews having allegedly sighted unidentified flying objects; what inquiries have been held following such sightings; to what extent there has been collaboration between his Department and departments in (a) Canada and (b) the United States of America on this problem; and if he will make a statement; [40917]
(11) what consultation has taken place in each of the last five years by his Department with New Zealand's Ministry of Defence in respect of unidentified flying objects; and if he will make a statement; [41043]
(12) what consultation has taken place in each of the last five years by his Department with the Portuguese Ministry of Defence's joint staff of the armed forces intelligence division in respect of unidentified flying objects; and if he will make a statement; [41051]
(13) how many instances of unidentified flying objects have been reported on by the defence services of the United Kingdom during the last 12 months; what steps are taken to co-ordinate such observations; and if he will make a statement; [40910]
(14) if he will list by year for the last 30 years how many structured craft of unknown origin have penetrated the United Kingdom's air defence region; and if he will make a statement. [40919]
Mr. Soames: I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.”
17 October 1996
House of Commons Volume 282 Written Answers column 1093
[Cross refer: “Cosmic Crashes” by Nicholas Redfern, pages 16-17 and 88 of hardback edition]
http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm199596/cmhansrd/vo961017/text/61017w05.htm
“Mr. Nicholas Redfern
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the titles of the records of the Ministry of Defence's scientific intelligence branch in respect of correspondence sent to Mr. Nicholas Redfern by the Public Record Office, Kew on 21 September 1990.[40889]
Mr. Soames: I will write to hon. Member and a copy of the letter will be placed in the Library in the House.”
28 October 1996
House of Commons Volume [insert] [?Written Answers] column [insert]
[Cross Refer: “Out of the Shadows” by David Clarke and Andy Roberts, page 251 of hardback edition]
[Soames replying to Redmond]
05 November 1996 (Tuesday)
House of Commons Volume 284 Written Answers Column 409
[Cross Refer: “Out of the Shadows” by David Clarke and Andy Roberts, page 127 of hardback edition]
http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm199697/cmhansrd/vo961105/text/61105w01.htm#61105w01.html_sbhd6
“Unidentified Flying Craft
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the reports of encounters by Royal Air Force pilots with unidentified flying craft since 1966 which have not been released to the public; on what grounds they have been retained; and if he will make a statement. [2201]
Mr. Soames: The information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the Royal Air Force's practice as regards investigating sightings of unidentified flying craft which correlate with radar information; if there is a requirement to investigate such phenomena by scrambling aircraft; and if he will make a statement. [2200]
Mr. Soames: Unidentified contacts penetrating UK airspace or the UK air defence region are identified by all available means, including interception.”
11 November 1996 (Monday)
House of Commons Volume 285 Written Answers Columns 25-26
http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm199697/cmhansrd/vo961111/text/61111w07.htm
“Unidentified Flying Objects
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the circumstances of the two occasions referred to in his answer of 24 July, Official Report, column 424, when RAF aircraft were scrambled or diverted from task to investigate uncorrelated radar targets; if the objects were identified;
11 Nov 1996 : Column: 26
if it was judged that breaches of United Kingdom airspace had occurred; and if he will list all similar incidents which have occurred since 1979. [2932]
Mr. Soames: The targets were identified as Russian maritime patrol aircraft and were in the northern portion of the UK air defence region. They did not penetrate UK airspace. Information covering the period from 1979 is not held in a readily available form and could be provided only at disproportionate cost and effort.
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when United Kingdom military personnel were briefed about the scrambling of Belgian F-16 aircraft on 30 and 31 March 1990; when the unidentified flying object concerned was detected on United Kingdom radar systems; and if RAF aircraft were scrambled. [3185]
Mr. Soames: The Belgian authorities did not notify adjacent countries because no threat was perceived. There is no evidence of radar contacts within the UK air defence system.”
11 November 1996 (Monday)
House of Commons Volume 285 Written Answers Column 26
http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm199697/cmhansrd/vo961111/text/61111w07.htm
“Radiation
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if the radiation readings, reported to his Department by Lieutenant Colonel Charles Halt on 13th January 1981, were judged to have posed any threat to Lieutenant Colonel Halt and his team; who assessed the readings; how the radiation compared with background radiation in the area; and if he will make a statement. [2934]
Mr. Soames: There is no record of any official assessment of the radiation readings reported by Lieutenant Colonel Halt.”
12 November 1996 (Tuesday)
House of Commons Volume 285 Written Answers Columns 111-112
“DEFENCE
Unidentified Flying Objects
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what factors underlay his Department's decision that the reported sightings of unidentified flying objects on 5 November 1990 and 31 March 1993 were not of defence significance; [2898]
(2) for what reasons his Department assessed the sightings of an unidentified flying object over RAF Shawbury, referred to in his answer of 24 July, Official Report, column 424, as having no defence significance.[2928]
[12 November 1996: Written Answers Column 112]
Mr. Soames: I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave him on 8 July 1996, Official Report, column 26.”
18 December 1996
House of Commons Volume 287 Written Answers Column 626
“Extraterrestrial Phenomena
Mr Ieuan Wyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make it his policy to allocate resources to researching extraterrestrial phenomena. [9419]
Mr Soames: I have nothing to add to reply given by my Right Hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 17 October 1996, Official Report, column 1082.”
18 December 1996
House of Commons Volume 287 Written Answers Column 628-629
“Unidentified Craft
Mr Ieuan Wyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of state for Defence if his Department will adopt a policy on the reporting of unidentified craft of releasing to the press details of (i) shape, flight-pattern, colour and size of craft, (ii) where and when the craft was seen, (iii) what action his Department took and (iv) the radar profile of the craft.
Mr Soames: No.
Mr Jones: To ask the secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made of the incident on 16 October 1990 involving two unidentified craft in the vicinity of Wylfa nuclear power station on Anglesey; what estimate the intercepting helicopter pilots made of the departing speeds of the two unidentified craft; if they showed up on radar; and if he will make a statement. [9561]
Mr Soames: None, so far as we can establish from existing records.
Mr Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made of the two attempted interceptions of unidentified craft that occurred near Anglesey in September and November 1995; what other attempts have been made to intercept unidentified craft in this vicinity; and if he will make a statement [9562]
Mr Soames: From records available, and from the limited information given in the question, we are unable to identify any incidents of this kind.”
18 December 1996
House of Commons Volume 287 Written Answers Column 661
“Civilian Pilots
Mr Ieuan Wyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what training is provided to pilots of civilian aircraft on what to do in the event of encountering unidentified craft which do not show up on radar. [9563]
Mr Bowis: Matters relating to the training of civil aircrew are the responsibility of the Civil Aviation Authority. I have asked the chairman of that authority to write to the hon. Member.”
18 December 1996
House of Commons Volume 287 Written Answers Column 661
“Ringway Airport
Mr Ieuan Wyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment his Department has made of the incident that occurred at 6.48pm to flight 5061 on its descent into Ringway Airport, Manchester on the night of 6 January 1995; and if he will make a statement. [9581]
Mr Bowis: This incident was assessed by the joint airmiss working group, consisting of representatives from both civil and military aviation. The group found that both the degree of risk and the cause of the incident were unassessable. Full details are contained in joint airmiss working group report No. 1/95 – January 1995 to April 1995, which is available from the Library.”
1997
14 October 1997 (Tuesday)
House of Lords Volume 582 Written Answers Column 168
“Mid-Air Explosion, Ilse of Lewis
Lord Hill-Norton asked Her Majesty’s Government:
What was the military involvement in the search for the unidentified object that witnesses believe exploded in mid air, before crashing into the sea off the Isle of Lewis on 26 October 1996, and what liaison took place with the US authorities with regard to this incident.
Lord Gilbert: Following media reports of an explosion, initially attributed to a mid-air collision north of the Butt of Lewis, an extensive search of the area was carried out by the RAF and Coastguard Search and Rescue assets, but was later abandoned after it became clear that no aircraft had been reported overdue. HQ US 3rd Air Force were also approached at this time. They confirmed that there had been no US military activity in the area.”
14 October 1997 (Tuesday)
House of Lords Volume 582 Written Answers Column 169
“Lieutenant Colonel Charles Halt: Memorandum
Lord Hill-Norton asked Her Majesty’s Government:
Whether the Ministry of Defence replied to the 1981 memorandum from Lieutenant Colonel Charles Halt, which reported the presence of an unidentified craft that had landed in close proximity to RAF Bentwaters and RAF Woodbridge, witnessed by United States Air Force personnel; and if not, why not; and how the radiation readings reported by Lieutenant Colonel Charles Halt in his memorandum dated 13 January 1981 compare to the normal levels of background radiation in Rendelsham [sic] Forest.
Lord Gilbert: The memorandum, which reported observations of unusual lights in the sky, was assessed by staff in the MOD responsible for air defence matters. Since the judgment was that it contained nothing of defence significance, no further action was taken.
There is no record of any official assessment of the radiation readings reported by Lieutenant Colonel Halt. From a Defence perspective some 16.5 years after the alleged events, there is no requirement to carry out such an assessment now.”
23 October 1997
House of Lords Volume 582 Written Answers Column 216
[Cross refer: “You Can’t tell the People” by Georgina Bruni, page 308 of hardback edition]
[Cross refer : “A Covert Agenda” by Nick Redfern, page 257 of hardback edition]
“Highpoint Prison
Lord Hill-Norton asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether staff at Highpoint Prison in Suffolk received instructions to prepare for a possible evacuation of the prison at some time between 25 and 30 December 1980, and if so, why these instructions were issued.
Lord Williams of Mostyn: I regret to advise the noble Lord that I am unable to answer his Question, as records for Highpoint Prison relating to the period concerned are no longer available. The governor's journal is the record in which a written note is made of significant events concerning the establishment on a daily basis. It has not proved possible to locate that journal.”
28 October 1997
House of Lords Volume 582 Written Answers Column 232
[Cross refer: “You Can’t tell the People” by Georgina Bruni, pages 303-304 of hardback edition]
“RAF Bentwaters and Woodbridge: Nuclear Weapons Allegations
Lord Hill-Norton asked Her Majesty’s Government:
Whether the allegations contained in the recently published book ‘Left at East Gate’, to the effect that nuclear weapons were stored at RAF Bentwaters and RAF Woodbridge in violation of UK/US treaty obligations are true.
Lord Gilbert: It has always been the policy of this and previous governments neither to confirm nor to deny where nuclear weapons are located either in the UK or elsewhere, in the past or at the present time. Such information would be withheld under exemption 1 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.
Lord Hill-Norton asked Her Majesty’s Government:
Whether they are aware of reports from the United States Air Force personnel that nuclear weapons stored in the Weapons Storage Area at RAF Woodbridge were struck by light beams fired from an unidentified craft seen over the base in the period 25-30 December 1980, and if so, what action was subsequently taken.
Lord Gilbert: There is no evidence to suggest that the MOD received any such reports.
Lord Hill-Norton asked Her Majesty’s Government:
What information they have on the suicide of the United States security policeman from the 81st Security Police Squadron who took his life at RAF Bentwaters in January 1981, and whether they will detail the involvement of the British police, Coroner’s Office, and any other authorities concerned.
Lord Gilbert: MoD has no information concerning the alleged suicide. Investigations into such occurrences are carried out by the US Forces.
Lord Hill-Norton asked Her Majesty’s Government:
What information they have on the medical problems experienced by various United States Air Force personnel based at RAF Bentwaters and RAF Woodbridge, which stemmed from their involvement in the so-called Rendlesham Forest incident, in December 1980.
Lord Gilbert: Information on medical matters relating to US personnel is a matter for the US authorities.”
10 November 1997 (Monday)
House of Commons Volume 300 Written Answers Column 450
http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm199798/cmhansrd/vo971110/text/71110w18.htm
“UFOs
Mr. Nigel Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on his Department's investigations into alleged sightings of unidentified flying objects intruding into British air space. [14907]
Mr. Spellar: My Department examines any reports of ‘unexplained’ aerial sightings that are sent to us solely to establish whether what was seen might have some defence significance, namely, whether there was any evidence that the UK Air Defence Region might have been breached by hostile or unauthorised foreign military activity. Unless there is evidence of a potential military threat, and to date no "unidentified flying object" sighting has revealed such evidence, we do not attempt to identify the precise nature of each reported incident.”
1998
30 March 1998 (Monday)
House of Commons Volume 309 Written Answers Columns 414-415
[Cross refer: “The UFOs That Never Were” by David Clarke, Andy Roberts and Jenny Randles, page 47 of hardback edition]
“Low Flying Training
Helen Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence
(1) what complaints were received by the RAF concerning low-flying aircraft relating to 24 March 1997; [36407]
(2) if RAF/NATO military aircraft were engaged on an exercise over Northern England between 9.30 and 10.30 pm on 24 March 1997; [36404]
(3) for what reasons the RAF imposed an air exclusion zone around Howden reservoir on the morning of 25 March 1997; [36408]
(4) what reported sightings of UFOs were received from the (a) public and (b) police from the South Yorkshire/ Derbyshire area on 24 and 25 March 1997. [36402]
Mr. Spellar: A number of military aircraft were booked to carry out low flying training in northern England on the evening of 24 March 1997. The Ministry of Defence received 13 complaints about aircraft activity for that date from locations across the UK. No reported sightings of "UFOs" on 24 or 25 March 1997 were received by my Department. A Temporary Danger Area was established on 25 March, centred on Howden Reservoir, to allow an RAF Search and Rescue helicopter,
[30 March 1998 : Written Answers Column: 415]
in response to a request for assistance from South Yorkshire Police, to carry out a search of the area without disturbance by other military aircraft. Such Danger Areas are routinely established for Search and Rescue operations.”
1
07 April 1998
House of Commons Volume 310 Written Answers Column 222
[Cross refer: “The UFOs That Never Were” by David Clarke, Andy Roberts and Jenny Randles, page 48 of hardback edition]
“Low Flying Training
Helen Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answers of 30 March 1998, Official Report, column 414, if the military exercises were carried out over the Sheffield area; what regulations govern (a) military and (b) other aircraft breaking the sound barrier; and if the sonic booms detected by Edinburgh University Seismology Unit above Sheffield, on 24 March 1997 were the result of aircraft breaking the sound barrier. [37991]
Mr. Spellar: It is not possible, twelve months after the date in question, to state precisely where military aircraft activity was being carried out. Records kept show only that aircraft were booked to carry out low flying over the Peak District between 2030 and 2107 hours local time on the evening of 24 March 1997. No low level flying is permitted over the Sheffield urban area, or any other major conurbation. Records of flying at medium level--between 2,000 and 24,000 feet--are not maintained so it is possible that there were aircraft in the area at medium level.
The regulations governing military aircraft flying at supersonic speeds are contained in the Joint Service Publication entitled 'Military Flying Regulations', an extract of which was provided in the answer I gave her on 1 April 1998, Official Report, columns 547-48. The regulations which apply to civil aviation are a matter for my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions.
As for the sonic event detected by the British Geological Survey at Edinburgh University, I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave her on 30 March 1998, Official Report, columns 414-15.”
29 June 1998 (Monday)
House of Commons Volume 315 column 12
http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm199798/cmhansrd/vo980629/text/80629w04.htm
UFOs
“UFOs
Mr. Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the role of RAF Brawdy, Pembrokeshire in the investigation of sightings of unidentified flying objects. [47318]
Mr. Spellar: Brawdy ceased to be an RAF station on 31 March 1996 when the establishment was transferred to the Army.
Generally, my Department examines reports of unidentified flying objects only to establish whether there is any evidence that the United Kingdom's Air Defence Region has been penetrated by hostile or unauthorised foreign military activity. Unless a report reveals evidence of a potential threat from an external military source, no attempt is made to determine the precise nature of what might have been seen.”
2 July 1998
House of Commons volume 315 Written Answers column 260
“RAF Rudloe Manor
Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence
what functions are carried out at RAF Rudloe Manor; and which
organisations are based there.
Dr. Reid: RAF Rudloe Manor is an adinimistrative establishment
providing accommodation and support for a number of defence
organisations. The following units are located there:
Unit - RAF Provost and Security Service Function - Security
support, criminal investigations and provost assistance to the
RAF
Unit - Provost and Security Services (Western Region) Function -
Specialist police and security support to all RAF establishments
within the West Midlands, the West Country and Mid Wales
Unit - Defence Vetting Agency (RAF) Function - Security
clearances for RAF military and civilian personnel, and defence
industry employees
Unit - Defence Communications Services Agency Function - The
Services Management Centre of the Agency, including the Primary
Network Control Centre of the Defence Fixed Telecommunications
Service
Unit - Detachment of 1001 Signals Unit, RAF Function -
Participation in the operation of the UK military communications
satellite system”
15 July 1998
House of Lords Volume 592 Written Answers Columns 25-26
Unidentified Flying Objects
“Unidentified Flying Objects
Lord Hill-Norton asked Her Majesty's Government:
When arrangements for disseminating reports of unidentified flying objects within the Ministry of Defence were put in place and last reviewed; and whether they will ensure that all airports, observatories, RAF bases and police stations have accurate and up-to-date instructions about how to record details of unidentified aerial phenomena reported to them, together with instructions to pass them to the appropriate authorities within the Ministry of Defence; and[HL2607]
What follow-up action is taken by the Ministry of Defence when it receives a report of an unidentified flying object; and whether checks are routinely made to see whether such reports can be correlated by radar.[HL2609]
Lord Gilbert: The Ministry of Defence's interest in reports of unidentified flying objects is limited to establishing whether there is any evidence that the United Kingdom's airspace has been penetrated by hostile or unauthorised foreign military activity and whether reporting procedures are adequate for this purpose. Unless there is evidence of a potential threat, no attempt is made to identify the precise nature of each reported incident. Arrangements within the MoD have been in place for a number of years for disseminating reports; they were last reviewed in April 1997. Where necessary, reports of unidentified flying objects are examined with the assistance of relevant MoD experts, and this may include radar correlation.
Lord Hill-Norton asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many reports of unidentified flying objects were notified to the Ministry of Defence in 1996, 1997 and the first six months of 1998; and how many of these sightings remain unexplained.[HL2608]
Lord Gilbert: The number of reports received by the Ministry of Defence of aerial activity not identifiable to the witness is as follows:
1996: 609
1997: 425
1998: 88 (January-June)
[15 July 1998: Written Answers Column 26]
Unless there is evidence to suggest that the United Kingdom's airspace has been compromised by unauthorised foreign military activity, we do not seek to provide an explanation for what might have been seen as the MoD is not resourced to provide an identification service.
Lord Hill-Norton asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether, in evaluating reports of unidentified flying objects, the Ministry of Defence will routinely consult staff at the Royal Greenwich Observatory, the Ballistic Missile Early Warning Centre at RAF Fylindales and the Deep Space Tracing Facility at RAF Feltwell.[HL2610]
Lord Gilbert: These or other staff may be consulted, depending on the circumstances.
Lord Hill-Norton asked Her Majesty's Government:
Why the Ministry of Defence has installed an answering machine on the line used by members of the public to report unidentified flying objects; and whether those people who leave contact details on the machine receive a formal reply.[HL2611]
Lord Gilbert: An answering machine enables members of the public to leave details about aerial activity or seek further information about our policy in respect of unidentified flying objects. The machine carries a message that sets out the MoD's limited interest in the subject and explains that, in the case of reported sightings, callers will be contacted only in the event that follow-up action is deemed appropriate.
Lord Hill-Norton asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many military personnel witnessed the unidentified craft that overflew RAF Cosford and RAF Shawbury on 31 March 1993; and whether, when the craft has not been identified, such an event ought to be classified as being of no defence significance.[HL2612]
Lord Gilbert: The Ministry of Defence is aware of a single report from two military personnel of an alleged sighting in the West Midlands on 31 March 1993. The facts reported were fully examined at the time. No firm conclusions were drawn then about the nature of what had been seen, but the events were not judged to be of defence significance. The MoD has no reason to doubt the judgments made at the time.”
3 September 1998
House of Lords Volume 593 Written Answers columns 59-60
“RAF Feltwell: Units and Roles
Lord Hill-Norton asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will list those units based at RAF Feltwell, and what functions each of these units carries out.[HL3237]
Lord Gilbert: The units based at RAF Feltwell and their roles are:
USAF 5th Space Surveillance Squadron
Tracking of man-made objects in space.
US Department of Defence Schools
: Educational establishments for dependants of USVF personnel.
: US Mathes Airmen's Leadership School
: Training for Junior NCOs.
[3 September 1998 : Written Answers Column 60]
: US Contracting Squadron
: US Visiting Forces contracting authority.
: US Army Veterinary Detachment
: Provision of veterinary services.
: US Army Air Force Exchange Services (AAFES)
: Furniture and retail warehouse.
: US Defence Audit Agency
: Provision of audit services.
3 September 1998
House of Lords Volume 593 Written Answers column 60
“RAF Feltwell: Space Tracking System
Lord Hill-Norton asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the role of RAF Feltwell in relation to the tracking of unidentified objects in space; how many objects detected by the Deep Space Tracking System at RAF Feltwell remain unidentified; and how many of these were transmitting a signal.[HL3238]
Lord Gilbert: RAF Feltwell is responsible for tracking man-made objects in deep space. I am withholding the further information requested under exemption 1 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.”
3 September 1998
House of Lords Volume 593 Written Answers column 60
“Unidentified Flying Objects
Lord Hill-Norton asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Gilbert on 15 July (WA 25), what changes in procedures were implemented following the April 1997 review of the system to disseminate reports of unidentified flying objects; and whether airports, observatories, RAF bases and police stations receiving reports of UFOs are required to send them to the Ministry of Defence.[HL3239]
Lord Gilbert: Procedures were clarified to ensure that reports received by the department would have the attention they deserved. The department's responsibilities for maintaining the integrity of UK airspace, as set out in the Strategic Defence Review, are well known. Anybody may send in reports for assessment in that context.”
14 October 1998 (Wednesday)
House of Lords Volume 593 Written Answers Columns 99-101
http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/ld199798/ldhansrd/vo981014/text/81014w01.htm
“Unidentified Flying Objects
Lord Hill-Norton asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will list the document references and titles of all open files at the Public Record Office that contain information about unidentified flying objects.[HL3314]
The Lord Chancellor (Lord Irvine of Lairg): I list below the document references and titles of all open files at the Public Record Office known to staff to contain information about unidentified flying objects. There may be information in other open files but this could be discovered only at disproportionate cost.
AIR 2 Air Ministry Registered Files
AIR 2/16918 1961-1963, alleged sightings of UFO's. Letters from members of the public on alleged sightings. Magazine entitled Cosmic Voice "Mars and Venus Speak to Earth", dated November-December 1961/Article entitled Men from Outer Space: Are they visiting Britain?
AIR 2/17318 1963 UFO reports
AIR 2/17526 1964 UFO reports
AIR 2/17527 1964-1965 UFO reports
AIR 2/17982 1965-1966 UFO reports
AIR 2/17983 1966 UFO reports (with photographs)
AIR 2/17984 1966-67 UFO reports (with photographs)
AIR 14 Bomber Command
AIR 14/2800 1943 December No. 115 Squadron: News Sheet Bang On No. 1. Aerial phenomena--reports of UFOs on RAF bombing raids.
AIR 16 Fighter Command
AIR 16/1199 1952 September Flying saucers: occurrence reports by service personnel at Topcliffe station, Thirsk, and local public.
AIR 20 Unregistered Papers
AIR 20/7390 1952 Reported sightings of UFOs: memorandum prepared for the War Office.
AIR 20/9320 1957 Parliamentary Question from 17 April 1957 by Mr. Stan Awbery MP: To ask the Secretary of State for Air, what recent investigations have been made into unidentified flying objects; what photographs have been taken; and what reports have been made on this subject. Reply by the Secretary of State (Mr. Ward). Notes on UFOs provided for the Minister's use. Also: UFO incident at West Freugh in Wigtownshire in 1957; incidents and signals at RAF Church Lawford, RAF Bempton and RAF Lakenheath; newspaper clippings 6 April 1957 from the News Chronicle and the Evening Standard;, photographs of object over the Channel Islands from the Daily Sketch of 6 April 1957.
AIR 20/9321 1957 Parliamentary Question 15 May 1957 from Major Patrick Wall MP: To ask the Secretary of State for Air, how many unidentified flying objects have been detected over Great Britain this year as
[14 October 1998 : Written Answers Column 100]
compared with previous years; and whether the object picked up on radar over the Dover Straits on 29 April has yet been identified. Further questions to the Minister from Mr. Frank Beswick MP. Notes for Minister on reported sightings. Replies by Mr. Ward. Newspaper clippings April-May 1957: The Times, News Chronicle, Daily Worker, Daily Mirror, Daily Sketch, Daily Telegraph, Daily Express and the Evening News.
AIR 20/9322 1957 Parliamentary Question 15 May 1957 from Mr. Frank Beswick MP: To ask the Secretary of State for Air, what was the nature of the aircraft or other aircraft sighted on the radar defence screens on Monday night and which occasioned the despatch of Fighter Command. Reply by Mr. Ward. Notes for Ministers. AIR 20/9994 Headquarters Southern Section Intelligence. Reports on Aerial Phenomena, including "observation of unusual aerial phenomena at Royal Air Force Ventor on 29 July 1957". Two Copies of "Track Tracing" Sheets. Description of UFOs, for example, RAF Lyneham 9 December 1957: "December 1957: Description large bright crescent shaped object or could be a sphere with trails from edges. Travelling on a course of 290 degrees at a moderate speed. Seemed to be descending and not at a very great height".
AIR 20/11887 1967 August (with maps)
AIR 20/11888 1967 September
AIR 20/11889 1967 October (with photographs)
AIR 20/11890 1967 October (with maps)
AIR 20/11891 1967 November (with maps)
AIR 20/11892 1967 November
AIR 20/11893 1967 December
AIR 22 Periodical Returns, Summaries and Bulletins
AIR 22/93 1955 Air Ministry Secret Intelligence Summary March 1955. Volume 10, Article No. 3 on Flying Saucers "An object was reported . . .".
PREM 11 Prime Minister's Office: Correspondence and Papers, 1951-1964.
PREM 11/855 1952 Personal Minute from the Prime Minister, Mr. Winston Churchill to the Secretary of State for Air, Lord Cheswell, dated 28 July 1952. "What does all this stuff about flying saucers amount to? What can it mean? What is the truth? Let me have a report at your convenience." Minute from the Secretary of State, dated 9 August 1952, dismissing stories about flying saucers.
Lord Hill-Norton asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will list the document references and titles of all closed files at the Public Record Office that contain information about unidentified flying objects.[HL3315]
The Lord Chancellor: I list below the document references and titles of all closed files in the Public Record Office known to its staff to contain information about unidentified flying objects. There may be information in other closed files but this could be discovered only at disproportionate cost.
14 Oct 1998 : Column WA101
AIR 2 Air Ministry: Registered Files
AIR 2/18183 1968-1969 Unidentified Flying Objects*
AIR 20 Unregistered Papers
AIR 20/11612 1967-1968 Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs)*
AIR 20/11895 1968 April UFOs*
AIR 20/11896 1968 May UFOs*
AIR 20/11897 1968 June UFOs*
AIR 20/11898 1968 July UFOs*
AIR 20/11899 1968 August UFOs*
AIR 20/11900 1968 September UFOs*
AIR 20/11901 1968 October UFOs*
AIR 20/11902 1968 November UFOs*
AIR 20/12055 1969 January UFOs*
AIR 20/12056 1969 February UFOs*
AIR 20/12057 1969 March UFOs*
AIR 20/12058 1969 April UFOs*
AIR 20/12059 1969 May UFOs*
AIR 20/12060 1969 June UFOs*
AIR 20/12061 1969 July UFOs*
AIR 20/12062 1969 August UFOs*
AIR 20/12063 1969 September UFOs*
AIR 20/12064 1969 October UFOs*
AIR 20/12065 1969 November UFOs*
AIR 20/12066 1969 December UFOs*
AIR 20/12067 1970 January UFOs*
AIR 20/12297 1970 February UFOs*
AIR 20/12298 1970 March UFOs*
AIR 20/12299 1970 April UFOs*
AIR 20/12300 1970 May UFOs*
AIR 20/12301 1970 June UFOs*
AIR 20/12302 1970 July UFOs*
AIR 20/12303 1970 August UFOs*
AIR 20/12304 1970 September UFOs*
AIR 20/12305 1970 October UFOs*
AIR 20/12306 1970 November UFOs*
* = Thirty year closure rule applies.”
19 October 1998 (Monday)
House of Lords Volume 593 Written Answers columns 131-132
“Unidentified Flying Objects
Lord Hill-Norton asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Gilbert on 3 September (WA 60), whether airports, observatories, RAF bases and police stations are still required to forward details of any report they receive of an unidentified flying object to the Ministry of Defence, or whether such action is now only discretionary, following the April 1997 review of procedures.[HL3313]
The Minister of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Gilbert): There is no requirement for anyone to submit 'UFO' sighting reports to the MoD, other than for
[19 Oct 1998: Column WA132]
military air defence purposes. However, any reports sent to the department will be given the attention they deserve, commensurate with the quality of information provided.
21 October 1998 (Wednesday)
House of Lords Volume 593 Written Answers Column 158
http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/ld199798/ldhansrd/vo981021/text/81021w02.htm
“UFOs: MoD Answering Machine
Lord Hill-Norton asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will ensure that the answering machine which the Ministry of Defence uses both to explain its policy on unidentified flying objects and to provide a facility for the public to report sightings is turned on at all times and not switched off outside working hours.[HL3407]
The Minister of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Gilbert): Yes.”
19 November 1998 (Thursday)
House of Lords Volume 594 Written Answers columns 190-191
http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/ld199798/ldhansrd/vo981119/text/81119w04.htm#81119w04_sbhd1
“Unidentified Flying Objects
Lord Hill-Norton asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will list the references and titles of all open and closed files currently held by the Ministry of Defence which contain information about unidentified flying objects.[HL3910]
Lord Gilbert: Within the Air Staff Secretariat, the Ministry of Defence focal point for all matters relating to "UFOs", a total of 76 files dating from 1985 are held. These files contain public correspondence, sighting reports and associated papers and are referenced as follows:
Reference:
D/Sec(AS)/12/1) 5 parts dealing with policy D/Sec(AS)/64/1) issues.
[19 Nov 1998 : Column WA191]
D/Sec(AS)/12/2)
D/Sec(AS)/12/2/1)
D/Sec(AS)/12/5) 27 parts dealing with alleged D/Sec(AS)/12/6) sightings.
D/Sec(AS)/12/7)
D/Sec(AS)/64/2)
D/Sec(AS)/12/3) 34 parts dealing with public D/Sec(AS)/64/3) correspondence.
D/Sec(AS)/12/4) 8 parts dealing with D/Sec(AS)/64/4) Parliamentary business
D/Sec(AS)/64/5 1 part for media issues.
D/Sec(AS)/64/6 1 part listing answerphone messages.
It is possible that some files held in other MoD headquarters divisions or establishments may contain papers relating to this topic. but these could only be identified and provided at disproportionate cost.
Lord Hill-Norton asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Chancellor on 14 October (WA 100), whether they will authorise the opening of the thirty-three closed files at the Public Record Office which contain information about unidentified flying objects.[HL3909]
Lord Gilbert: The 33 files identified contain correspondence between members of the public and officials. They will be released at the 30 year point in the normal way.”
17 December 1998 (Thursday)
House of Lords Volume 595 Written Answers columns 176-8
http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/ld199899/ldhansrd/vo981217/text/81217w03.htm
“Unidentified Flying Objects
Lord Hill-Norton asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answers by the Lord Chancellor on 14 October ([volume 593] WA 99-100) and by the Lord Gilbert on 19 November ([volume 594] WA 190), what is the location of the Ministry of Defence files covering the period 1970-1985 which contain information about UFOs; and what are the references and the titles of these files?[HL310]
[17 December 1998 : Written Answers Column 177]
The Minister of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Gilbert): Thirty-eight files are held at the Public Record Office for release under the terms of the Public Records Acts 1958 and 1967, the 30-year rule applying:
AIR 2/18564 & 18565 UFO Reports--due for release 2002.
AIR 20/12067, 12297 to 12306 Unidentified flying objects-due for release 2001.
AIR 20/12399 to 12411 UFO reports--due for release 2003.
AIR 20/12544 to 12555 UFO reports--due for release 2004.
BJ 5/311 UFO: Met aspects--due for release 2001
Four files are held by the MoD records management branch pending acceptance and transfer to the PRO, PRO references and transfer arrangements awaiting confirmation:
AF/7463/72 UFO reports--provisionally assigned to PRO reference AIR 2/18831 for release in 2003.
AF/7464/72 UFO reports--provisionally assigned to PRO reference AIR 2/18872 for release in 2004.
AF/7464/72 Pt. II UFO reports--provisionally assigned to PRO reference AIR 2/18873 for release in 2005.
AF/7464/72 Pt. III UFO reports--provisionally assigned to PRO reference AIR 2/18874 for release in 2006.
In the absence of a thematic index of files stored in MoD's archives the identification of files has, of necessity, been limited to those created by the Air Staff Secretariat and predecessor branches. The following files have been identified and are earmarked for review by MoD at future dates, at which point they will be assessed for their suitability for preservation at the PRO. It is possible that some files created by other Headquarters divisions or establishments may contain papers on this topic. These could only be identified at disproportionate cost:
AF/S4f(A)/422--one file--UFOs, BBC Radio Oxford Programme.
AF/S4f(Air) U/506--one file--Statistical Analyses of UFOs.
AF/3459/75--one file--UFOs: Policy and Policy statements--1970.
AF/584 to 595--12 files--UFO reports.
AF/596 to 602--seven files--UFO reports.
AF/447--one file--UFO reports.
AF/607 & 608--two files--UFO reports.
AF/610 to 613--four files--UFO reports.
AF/616 to 619--four files--UFO reports.
AF/419--one file--BBC 2, Man Alive Programme: UFOs.
[17 Dec 1998 : Written Answers Column 178]
D/DS8/75/2/1--six parts--UFO reports, correspondence.
D/DS9/75/2/2--12 parts--UFO correspondence.
D/DS8/75/2/3--six parts--UFO reports, edited copies.
D/DS8/75/2/4--three parts--UFO reports.
D/DS8/75/2/5--two parts--UFO reports.
D/DS8/75/3--one part--UFO, Parliamentary Correspondence.
D/DS8/75/6--one part--UFO, TV discussion.
D/DS8/75/7--one part--UFO, satellite debris.
D/DS8/10/209--seven parts--UFO briefs, reports and correspondence.
D/DS8/10/209/1--three parts--general briefs, reports, UFO correspondence.
1999
2000s
2001
25 January 2001 (Thursday)
House of Lords Volume 621 Written Answers columns 21-22
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/cgi-bin/ukparl_hl?DB=ukparl&STEMMER=en&WORDS=rendlesham+&COLOUR=Red&STYLE=s&URL=/pa/ld200001/ldhansrd/vo010125/text/10125w01.htm#10125w01_wqn2
“Rendlesham Forest Incident
Lord Hill-Norton asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they are aware of any involvement by Special Branch personnel in the investigation of the 1980 Rendlesham Forest incident.[HL303]
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: Special Branch officers may have been aware of the incident but would not have shown an interest unless there was evidence of
[25 Jan 2001 : Column WA22]
a potential threat to national security. No such interest appears to have been shown.
Lord Hill-Norton aked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether personnel from Porton Down visited Rendlesham Forest or the area surrounding RAF Walton in December 1980 or January 1981; and whether they are aware of any tests carried out in either of those two areas aimed at assessing any nuclear, biological or chemical h.[HL301]
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The staff at the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) Chemical and Biological Defence (CBD) laboratories at Porton Down have made a thorough search of their archives and have found no record of any such visits.
Lord Hill-Norton asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they are aware of any uncorrelated targets tracked on radar in November or December 1980; and whether they will give details of any such incidents.[HL302]
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: Records dating from 1980 no longer exist. Paper records are retained for a period of three years before being destroyed. Recordings of radar data are retained for a period of thirty days prior to re-use of the recording medium.”
25 January 2001 (Thursday)
House of Lords Volume 621 Written Answers column 22
“Unidentified Flying Objects
Lord Hill-Norton asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the highest classification that has been applied to any Ministry of Defence document concerning Unidentified Flying Objects.[HL304]
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: A limited search through available files has identified a number of documents graded Secret. The overall classification of the documents was not dictated by details of specific sightings of "UFOs".”
30 January 2001 (Tuesday)
House of Lords Volume 621 Written Answers columns 49-50
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/cgi-bin/ukparl_hl?DB=ukparl&STEMMER=en&WORDS=rendlesham+&COLOUR=Red&STYLE=s&URL=/pa/ld200001/ldhansrd/vo010130/text/10130w02.htm#10130w02_wqn6
“Rendlesham Forest/RAF Bentwaters Incident
Lord Hill-Norton asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will detail the underground facilities at the former RAF Bentwaters installation; and what is the purpose of these facilities.[HL320]
The Minister of State, Ministry of Defence (Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean): There are no underground facilities at the former RAF Bentwaters.
Lord Hill-Norton asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they are aware of any involvement in the 1980 Rendlesham Forest incident by either Ministry of Defence Police or personnel from the Suffolk Constabulary.[HL321]
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The Minister of Defence is not aware of any involvement by the Ministry of Defence Police in the alleged incident. The Ministry of Defence's knowledge of involvement by the Suffolk Police is limited to a letter dated 28 July 1999 from the Suffolk Constabulary to Georgina Bruni that is contained in the recent book.
Lord Hill-Norton asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they are aware of any investigation of the 1980 Rendlesham Forest incident carried out by the United States Air force, the Air Force Office of Special Investigations or any other United States agency.[HL322]
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The Ministry of Defence's knowledge of an investigation by the US authorities into the alleged incident in Rendlesham Forest in 1980 is limited to the information contained in the memorandum sent by Lt Col Halt USAF, Deputy Base Commander at RAF Woodbridge, to the RAF Liaison Officer at RAF Bentwaters on 13 January 1981.
[30 January 2001, Written Answers Column 50]
Lord Hill-Norton asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether, in the light of the new information contained in Georgina Bruni's book You Can't Tell the People, they will now launch an investigation into the Rendlesham Forest incident and the response to this incident by the United States Air Force and the Ministry of Defence.[HL352]
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: No additional information has come to light over the last 20 years to call into question the original judgment by the Ministry of Defence that nothing of defence significance occurred in the location of Rendlesham Forest in 1980. Accordingly there is no reason to hold an investigation now.
Lord Hill-Norton asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have made any approach to, or received any approach from, any United States government or military agency concerning Georgina Bruni's book You Can't Tell the People; and, if so, whether they will give details of any such approach. [HL353]
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: As a matter of courtesy, the Ministry of Defence informed Headquarters 3rd Air Force at RAF Mildenhall about the book. The US authorities have not subsequently approached the Ministry of Defence on the issue.
Lord Hill-Norton asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they now agree with the analysis of the basic facts of the Rendlesham Forest/RAF Bentwaters incident in the fourth paragraph of Lord Hill-Norton's letter to Lord Gilbert of 22 October 1997, reported on page 429 of Georgina Bruni's book You Can't Tell the People; or, if not, in what respect they disagree. [HL354]
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The Ministry of Defence's position regarding this alleged sighting remains as it did at the time of Lord Gilbert's reply to the noble Lord's letter of 22nd October 1997. From surviving departmental records, we remain satisfied that nothing of defence significance occurred on the nights in question.”
30 April 2001 (Monday)
House of Lords Volume 624 Written Answers Column 68-69
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“Unidentified flying objects - Tree felling
Lord Hill-Norton asked Her Majesty’s Government:
Whether they requested or instructed the Forestry Commission to fell any trees in Rendlesham Forest or Tanham Woods in the aftermath of the Rendlesham Forest incident; and, if so, on what grounds. [HL1810]
Baroness Hayman: The Forestry Commission was not instructed to fell any trees after the alleged incident in Rendlesham Forest in December 1980. Most of the trees in the area had been selected and marked for felling well before the alleged incident and were felled several months after it.”
03 May 2001 (Thursday)
House of Lords Volume 624 Written Answers Column 135
http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/ld200001/ldhansrd/vo010503/text/10503w07.htm
“Unidentified Flying Objects
Lord Hill-Norton asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean on 25 January (WA 22), why the unidentified flying objects documents referred to were classified secret; whether these documents had any caveats attached to them; and what was the reason for any such caveats.[HL1808]
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: One document was classified "Secret" with a "UK Eyes Only" caveat because it contained information about the UK air defence ground environment that could be of significant value to hostile or potentially hostile states. Associated correspondence was given the same classification. Generally, however notifications of and correspondence on the subject of "UFO" sightings are unclassified.
Lord Hill-Norton asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether, in line with previous ministerial commitments, they will give an undertaking not to destroy any files containing information on unidentified flying objects.[HL1811]
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The Public Records Acts of 1958 and 1967 place a responsibility on all government departments to review the records which are generated within the department, to select those which are worthy of permanent preservation and transfer them to the Public Record Office.
It was generally the case that before 1967 all "UFO" files were destroyed after five years, as there was unsufficient public interest in the subject to merit their permanent retention. However, since 1967, given the general levels of public and occasional academic interest, it has been Ministry of Defence policy to preserve "UFO" report files. There are no plans to change this policy.
Lord Hill-Norton asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many unidentified flying object sightings were reported to the Ministry of Defence in 1998, 1999 and 2000.[HL1813]
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The numbers of "unidentified flying object" sightings reported to the Ministry of Defence in 1998, 1999 and 2000 were as follows:
1998: 193
1999: 229
2000: 210”
08 May 2001 (Tuesday)
House of Lords Volume 624 Written Answers columns 171-172
http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/ld200001/ldhansrd/vo010508/text/10508w06.htm#column_WA171
“UFOs and MoD House Journal
Lord Hill Norton asked Her Majesty’s Government:
Whose decision it was to drop various features concerning unidentified flying objects from the December edition of the Ministry of Defences house journal Focus; why this decision was taken; and whether any defence Ministers were briefed on this. [HL 1812].
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The editorial team of the in-house journal Focus decides the content of each edition, selecting from a range of competing potential topics and looking to achieve a balance of departmental news and more general interest pieces. In common with the overwhelming majority of such decisions, Ministers were not briefed about the selection of articles for the December 2000 edition.”
04 October 2001 (Thursday)
House of Lords Volume 627 Written Answers columns 58-59
“Blundeston Prison and Hollesley Bay YOI : Possible Evacuation
Lord Hill-Norton asked Her Majesty’s Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Bassam of Brighton on 26 April, 624 c240WA, whether the examination of the governor's journal at Blundeston prison revealed any details of an alert during 25 to 30 December 1980; and whether in this period there was any mention of RAF Bentwaters, RAF Woodbridge or Rendlesham Forest. [HL 734].
Lord Rooker: The governor’s journal revealed no such details and there was no mention of RAF Bentwaters, RAF Woodbridge or Rendlesham Forest.
Lord Hill-Norton asked Her Majesty’s Government:
What is their response to the absence of the governor’s journals covering the period 25 to 30 December 1980 in respect of Hollesley and Highpoint prisons; and whether, in the absence of their records, they will consult the then governors about any alert or warning to evacuate during that period. [HL735]
[column 59]
Lord Rooker: The governor’s journal is a record of day-to-day events, and the absence of journals so long after the event is not a cause for concern. The governors of Hollesley Bay and Highpoint prisons in December 1980 are no longer in the service and I am not persuaded that the effort required to trace them is justified.”
15 October 2001 (Monday)
House of Lords Volume 627 Written Answers column 77
“Northern Ireland: UFO Crash
Lord Hill-Norton asked Her Majesty's Government:
What search operation took place following reports of the crash of an unidentified object in Northern Ireland on 13 February 2001. [HL732]
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: I refer my noble friend to a letter from the Army Headquarters Northern Ireland to UFO and Paranormal Research Ireland, a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House of Lords.”
16 October 2001 (Tuesday)
House of Lords Volume 627 Written Answers column 83
“Snaefell Mountain: Suspected Light Aircraft Crash
Lord Hill Norton asked Her Majesty’s Government:
What is their response to the allegation that on 14 January 2001 an unidentified object struck the communications mast at the summit of Snaefell Mountain on the Isle of Man. [HL 731].
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Bach): In the early hours of 14 January, and in daylight on 15 January 2001, a military search and rescue helicopter from RAF Valley conducted a comprehensive search of the area around Snaefell Mountain following a report of a suspected light aircraft crash. However, nothing was found as a result of the search.”
16 October 2001
House of Lords Volume 627 Written Answers column 83
http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/ld199900/ldhansrd/pdvn/lds01/text/11016w01.htm#11016w01_sbhd6
“Northern Ireland: UFO Crash Report
Lord Hill-Norton asked Her Majesty's Government:
What search operation took place following reports of the crash of an unidentified object in Northern Ireland on 13 February 2001.[HL732]
Lord Bach: Following reports of smoke being seen on Benaughlin Mountain, near Kinawley on the afternoon of 13 February 2001, police and troops conducted a search of the area, assisted by a helicopter, but nothing was found. A further search was carried out the following morning but nothing was found to indicate either a downed aircraft or a fire and the incident was closed.”
[Letter in Library Dep 01/1473].
16 October 2001
House of Lords Volume 627 Written Answers column 84
http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/ld199900/ldhansrd/pdvn/lds01/text/11016w01.htm
“Rendlesham Forest Incident
Lord Hill-Norton asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the United States Air Force investigated and photographed a site in Rendlesham Forest where it was alleged that an unidentified flying object had landed in December 1980; whether the photographs depicted an indentation where the object might have landed; and whether they have a copy of the report and photographs arising from the investigation; and[HL743]
Whether, following an allegation contained in a memorandum dated 13 January 1981 by Lieutenant Colonel Halt of the United States Air Forces that a glowing metallic triangular object had landed in Rendlesham Forest in December 1980, Lieutenant Colonel Halt was questioned about the incident; if not, why not; and whether military radar indicated that a structured craft was involved.[HL744]
Lord Bach: The only USAF material held by Ministry of Defence is that written by Lieutenant Colonel Halt on 13 January 1981 consequent upon his investigation of the incident in Rendlesham Forest. The MoD has no evidence of any other official investigation or documentation.
There is no indication, from the papers held on file that MoD raised any further questions with Lieutenant Colonel Halt following receipt of his memorandum in 1981 and I am unaware of the reason for this. MoD records from the same period document no evidence of unusual radar returns.”
24 October 2001
House of Lords Volume 627 Written Answers columns 129-130
http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/ld199900/ldhansrd/pdvn/lds01/text/11024w02.htm
“Radar Data: Retention
Lord Hill-Norton asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean on 25 January (WA 22) which stated that radar data are only retained for 30 days and paper records for three years, why RAF Watton was able to confirm in writing to a member of the public in 1989 that it had a record of an unidentified flying object report over RAF Bentwaters, timed at 3.25 am on 28 December 1980.[HL730]
Lord Bach: As a general rule recorded radar data is retained for 30 days before being reused and air traffic control watch logs are destroyed after three years. Our searches have not revealed examples of any archived letters between RAF Watton and members of the public on the subject in question dating from 1989. I
24 Oct 2001: Column WA130
am, therefore, unable to comment on the correspondence to which the noble and gallant Lord refers.
28 March 2006
Hansard, Column 904W, “Unidentified Flying Objects”
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department's unidentified flying objects project is extant; and if he will make a statement. [60875]
Mr. Touhig: The Ministry of Defence has never operated an UFO Project. UFO sightings reported to the MOD are examined solely within the context of controlling the integrity of the UK's airspace. The MOD does not attempt to identify the precise nature of each sighting, unless there is evidence of a risk to this integrity. Examination of UFO sighting reports is a task performed by desk officers within the directorate of air staff.
18 April 2006
Hansard, Column 627W
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence in what capacity Mr. Nick Pope was employed by his Department between 1991 and 1994.
Don Touhig: From 1991 to 1994 Mr. Pope worked as a civil servant within Secretariat (air staff). He undertook a wide range of secretariat tasks relating to central policy, political and parliamentary aspects of non-operational RAF activity. Part of his duties related to the investigation of unidentified aerial phenomena reported to the Department to see if they had any defence significance.
10 May 2006
Hansard, Column 308W : “UFOs”
“Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his Answer to the hon. Member for Lewes (Norman Baker) of 28 March 2006, Official Report, column 904W, on unidentified flying objects, on how many occasions there has been an assessment of evidence of risk to the integrity of UK airspace in the last five years; and what the job title is of desk officers assigned to this task.
Mr. Watson: Over the last five years evidence of risk to the integrity of UK airspace from a reported unidentified flying object has been assessed on 12 occasions; in no case was there considered to be any actual risk. Analysis of reports for this purpose is made by the military desk officer responsible for airspace integrity within the UK operations branch.”
26 March 2007
Hansard, Column 1360W, “Unidentified Flying Objects”
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much was spent producing the report Unidentified Aerial Phenomena in the UK Air Defence Region; who the author was; what the author's qualifications in this subject were; to whom the report was circulated; what actions were taken on the recommendations of the report; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Ingram: It is not possible to provide accurate details as to the cost of producing the Unidentified Aerial Phenomena report as this was one of several tasks that were included within a single contract and detailed costings for each of these tasks is not available. However, it is estimated that the overall cost was approximately £50,000.
The author of the report was a contractor and was employed by the Defence Intelligence Staff (DIS) on a long-term contract. Further details of the author, including the name, are being withheld under the terms of the Data Protection Act 1998.
The report was circulated within the DIS and to other branches of the Ministry of Defence and RAF. As recommended by the report, the DIS ceased to monitor unidentified aerial phenomena sighting reports (and therefore reaped a saving in staff time) as they contained no information of Defence Intelligence interest and no further action was taken.
4 June 2007
Hansard, Column 46W, “Unidentified Flying Objects”
Norman Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether the Defence and Overseas Secretariat received a copy of the Government's Unidentified Aerial Phenomena report.
Hilary Armstrong: The Defence and Overseas Secretariat has no record of receiving such a report.
27 June 2007
Hansard, Column 801W, “Unidentified Flying Objects”
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reason his Secretariat (Air Staff)/Defence Secretariat did not receive a copy of the report on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena produced by the Defence Intelligence Staff; and if he will make a statement. [145883]
Derek Twigg [holding answer 26 June 2007]: The report was distributed to those areas of the Department who were considered to have most interest in the findings, including parts of the RAF.
25 October 2007
Hansard, Column 480W, “Unidentified Flying Objects”
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 27 June 2007, Official Report, column 801W, on unidentified flying objects, for what reasons his Secretariat (Air Staff)/Defence Secretariat were not sent a copy of the Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Report.
Derek Twigg: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 27 June 2007, Official Report, column 801W.
23 January 2008
Hansard, Column 2013W, “Unidentified Flying Objects”
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the answer of 27 June 2007, Official Report, column 801W, on unidentified flying objects, what the security classification of the report was; what its official title was; who commissioned the study; for what reason; and if he will place it in the Library.
Derek Twigg: The report was entitled ‘Unidentified Aerial Phenomena in the UK Air Defence Region’. It was commissioned by the Scientific and Technical Directorate of the Ministry of Defence’s Defence Intelligence Staff (DIS) for the purpose of establishing whether anything of intelligence value could be determined from the sighting reports by members of the public that had been copied to the DIS. The full report was classified Secret UK Eyes Only. An expurgated version of the report is already available on the internet via the MOD’s Freedom of Information Act website at:
http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/FreedomOfInformation/PublicationScheme/SearchPublicationScheme/UnidentifiedAerialPhenomenauapInTheUkAirDefenceRegion.htm
9 June 2008
Hansard, Column 89
David Howarth : “… We have discovered that human beings have the capacity to undermine in its entirety the life support system on which we all depend. There are a few sceptics around, but they are increasingly like those who believe in UFOs and aliens. They are relying on smaller and smaller pieces of evidence, with wilder and wilder theories, while all around them shuffle in embarrassment and change the subject.”
8 March 2010
Hansard, Column 25W : “Unidentified Flying Objects”
“Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reasons his Department plans a retention period of one month for reports of unidentified flying objects.”
Mr. Kevan Jones: The long-term retention of UFO sighting reports delivers no benefit to defence and diverts resources from higher priority tasks. UFO sighting reports passed to the MOD are retained for 30 days to allow correspondents to request the return of their reports should they wish to do so and are then destroyed.”
10 March 2015
House of Lords, Written Answers
Lord Black: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the 18 Ministry of Defence unexplained flying object files that have yet to be released to the public have been passed from the Ministry of Defence to the National Archives; what is their current estimate of when the National Archives will make the files public; and whether the files will be released in a single batch or in multiple batches.
Lord Astor: None of the 18 Ministry of Defence (MOD) unexplained flying object files have been passed from the MOD to The National Archives for release. The MOD is working with The National Archives to facilitate the transfer, which we estimate will be in the next 9-12 months. The release mechanism will then be agreed between the MOD and The National Archives.
23 March 2015
House of Lords, Written Answers
Lord Black: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Astor of Hever on 10 March (HL5350), why the timescale for the transfer of the 18 unidentified flying object files from the Ministry of Defence to the National Archives has been delayed from the end of 2014, as previously announced, to late 2015 or early 2016.
Lord Astor: The schedule for the transfer of files from the Ministry of Defence to The National Archives consists of around 10,000 files per annum. The schedule is continually updated to take into account changes in priority and progress on different record sets. Additional processing requirements on the unidentified flying object files and focus on other Departmental records from the period 1982 - 1986 led to a change in the planned transfer date to late 2015 or early 2016. The Ministry of Defence will, however, continue to discuss with The National Archives if the 18 unidentified flying object files can be transferred earlier
23 March 2015
House of Lords, Written Answers
Lord Black: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Provost and Security Services conducted an investigation into sightings of unidentified flying objects in West Wales during 1977.
Lord Astor: Any files relating to the West Wales sighting in 1977 will be held by the National Archives. Consequently, the Ministry of Defence holds no information on this incident.
01 July 2015
House of Lords, Written Answers
Lord Black: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in relation to the 18 Ministry of Defence files on unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) that have yet to be released to the public, what is the originating division of the file reference M9/18; what is the remit of that division in relation to UAP; and what is their latest estimate of when the 18 files will be passed to the National Archives, and then released to the public.
Earl Howe: The originating branch of file reference MO9/18 relates to ministers' private offices. The latest estimate of when the 18 files will be delivered to the National Archives is before March 2016. The National Archives will make the necessary judgement about when they release these files to the public.
22 July 2015
House of Lords, Written Answers
Lord Black: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of claims of new evidence from Colonel Charles Halt, whether they will confirm that United Kingdom radar operators tracked unidentified flying objects over Rendlesham Forest in December 1980; whether the 18 Ministry of Defence unexplained flying object files that have yet to be released to the public contain information about these radar reports; and whether the original radar tapes will be released to the public.
Earl Howe: All 18 files have been examined by officials and I can confirm that Rendlesham Forest is mentioned. However, this is only in relation to replies to parliamentary questions and responses to enquiries from members of the public advising that the Ministry of Defence could not confirm Colonel Halt's account.
None of the files contain radar reports or any type of tapes.
23 July 2015
House of Lords, Written Answers
Lord Black: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Ministry of Defence currently outsources investigations into unidentified aerial phenomena to the private sector; and if so, which are the contracted agencies.
Earl Howe: No.
5 September 2016
House of Commons, Written Answers
Andy Slaughter asked : “To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many sightings of unidentified flying objects have been reported in each of the last five years.”
Mike Penning: “The Ministry of Defence does not maintain a central record of the number of unidentified flying object (UFO) sightings reported, following the closure of the UFO Desk in 2009”.
19 September 2016
House of Lords, Written Answers
Lord Black: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have undertaken any follow-up work as a result of the MoD study Unidentified Aerial Phenomena in the UK Air Defence Region published on 15 May 2006; and if so, what was the nature and status of such work, and what units were involved.
Earl Howe: No.
19 December 2017
Written Answers
Andrew Percy asked “To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Government plans to replace the UFO desk; and if he will make a statement”.
Tobia Ellwood: “The Government has no plans to replace the UFO desk.”
20 May 2021
House of Lords, Written Answers
Lord Black asked: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have had any role in the government of the United States' Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force; if they had no such role, what contact and information exchange they have had with that Task Force; and whether that government has contacted the UK Government about a report being prepared by the US Director of National Intelligence on this issue.
Baroness Goldie: Her Majesty's Government does not have a role in the United States' Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force. Whilst the Ministry of Defence is aware of the planned report, it has not contributed to it and would be unable to provide any comments on the report ahead of its official release by the US Government.
27 May 2021
Hansard, Volume 696
Jacob Rees-Mogg : “… I hear that there have been reports in the newspapers—I think it was in the Telegraph—that the Americans are getting frightfully excited about people coming from outer space and UFOs, and that even former President Obama is getting interested. I do not know whether the hon. Gentleman wants a debate on little green men or whatever else may come from outer space, but the Government are developing a strategy. It is an important part of the future that so much space investment is going on and that that will be a United Kingdom-wide activity.”
30 June 2021
Hansard Volume 813 : House of Lords, “Unidentified Flying Objects”
Lord Sarfraz
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the report by the United States Office of the Director of National Intelligence Preliminary Assessment: Unidentified Aerial Phenomena, published on 25 June; and what data they hold on unidentified flying object sightings in the United Kingdom.
The Minister of State, Ministry of Defence (Baroness Goldie) (Con)
My Lords, the Ministry of Defence notes the content of the report. The department holds no reports on unidentified aerial phenomena but constantly monitors UK airspace to identify and respond to any credible threat to its integrity, and is confident in the existing measures in place to protect it.
Lord Sarfraz (Con)
My Lords, for decades, people who have been concerned with UFOs have been dismissed as fantasists, but now the US Director of National Intelligence, who oversees 17 intelligence agencies, has published a report saying that the data on UFOs is inconclusive. The report offers several possible explanations and does not rule out that these could be military aircraft with very advanced capabilities or even extraterrestrial phenomena. Either way, can the Minister reassure members of the public that the Ministry of Defence takes reports of unidentified flying objects in our airspace very seriously? Will she consider publishing a detailed assessment of the data that we hold?
Baroness Goldie (Con)
The MoD deals with actual threats substantiated by evidence. The Government continue to take any potential threat to the UK seriously. The integrated review and the defence Command Paper published in March set out the MoD’s assessment of the threats we face and how we will meet them.
Viscount Ridley (Con)
My Lords, unidentified does not mean suspicious. Does the Minister recognise that the US report referred to says that there is no clear indication that there is any non-terrestrial explanation for the 144 sightings that it specifies? The idea that, in an era of mobile phone cameras, drones and frequent travel, there could possibly be alien spaceships whizzing about undetected in our atmosphere on a regular basis is not very plausible. It is much more likely that these blurred images have boring explanations, alas. Does my noble friend agree?
Baroness Goldie (Con)
The important point, on which I wish to reassure your Lordships, is that the UK air defence community detects and monitors all flying air systems 24 hours a day to provide an identified air picture as part of the UK’s national security posture and our commitment to the integrity of NATO airspace. That is supported by Typhoon aircraft at RAF Lossiemouth and RAF Coningsby, which are held at high readiness to intercept any threat to UK airspace.
Lord Browne of Ladyton (Lab) [V]
My Lords, in 2008 the MoD began the process of releasing all its UFO files. In 2009 Sir Bob Ainsworth, the Secretary of State, accepted the advice that:
“In more than 50 years, no UFO sighting … has indicated the existence of any military threat to the UK; there is no defence benefit in … recording, collating, analysing, or investigating UFO sightings”
and
“the level of resources devoted to this task is … diverting staff from more valuable defence-related activities”,
and he closed the relevant unit. Does the US report reveal any evidence containing any reason to review that advice?
Baroness Goldie (Con)
I simply say to the noble Lord that I seek to reassure him that, as I have indicated, we deal with actual threats substantiated by evidence. He is quite right about the closure of the UFO desk in 2009. I can confirm that the department holds no reports on unidentified aerial phenomena and that all relevant material created and held by the UFO desk has been passed to the National Archives.
Lord Holmes of Richmond (Con)
My Lords, turning to identifiable flying objects, does my noble friend agree that the UK has a tremendous opportunity to develop its new space industry, not least in low-earth orbit, in the build, development, launch, operation, recovery and rebuild of small satellites for both positive-purpose defence and civil opportunities?
Baroness Goldie (Con)
My noble friend makes an important point with which I entirely agree. That is clearly an area of exciting future development for the UK Government.
Lord Coaker (Lab)
Given the subject, it is very reassuring to see the Minister here physically, not beamed in. The Pentagon has said that unidentified aerial phenomena are a serious national security threat. Notwithstanding what she has just said, does the Minister agree with the Pentagon’s analysis of the threat from unidentified aerial phenomena? Is the UK therefore suffering from a threat similar to that identified by the US? Given that the MoD abandoned its UFO desk in 2009, where are such sightings to be reported and to whom? The truth is out there and, we hope, in the Minister’s answer.
Baroness Goldie (Con)
I endeavour to provide veracity to this Chamber on all occasions. Again, the underlying important point is the security of our airspace. I have already indicated how we address that potential threat and how we are well sustained and well provided to deal with any such potential threat. However, we regard threats as having to exist in the first place and to be substantiated by evidence because we need to know what we are addressing and how best we can address it. We are of course aware of the US assessment. The MoD has no plans to conduct its own report into UAP because, in over 50 years, no such reporting indicated the existence of any military threat to the UK.
Baroness Wilcox of Newport (Lab)
The recent report from the United States task force dedicated to investigating UFOs has neither confirmed nor rejected the idea that such sightings could indicate alien visits to earth. I believe that Cardiff Bay is the alleged location of the Torchwood Institute, set up to deal with incidents of extraterrestrials. Indeed, the Ianto Jones shrine forms part of the tourist trail at Mermaid Quay. Seven decades after unidentified aerial phenomena first appeared on the radar, defence ministries around the world ought to know what they are. The recent report does not require us to accept the reality of alien visitation, but it does require us to take UFOs seriously. Therefore, how seriously do Her Majesty’s Government now take UFOs in the light of this report?
Baroness Goldie (Con)
I refer the noble Baroness to my previous answers. The short response is “very seriously”—in relation to addressing threats where those threats are identifiable and can be substantiated.
Baroness Gardner of Parkes (Con) [V]
My Lords, is the Minister aware of the role that one of the largest single-dish telescopes in the southern hemisphere—in Parkes, New South Wales, the place of my birth—played in transmitting the TV footage of the Apollo 11 moon landing? More recently, it tracked NASA’s Curiosity rover during its descent over the surface of Mars in 2012. Might it be of assistance to the Government in helping to modify, monitor and assist any unidentified sightings?
Baroness Goldie (Con)
I would say to my noble friend that the MoD and particularly our air defence community have the most sophisticated electronic surveillance. I myself witnessed how this operated when I visited RAF Coningsby. There is also the added support of visual identification, if that is thought to be necessary, by alerting a rapid reaction from our Typhoons, which are able to take on a visual inspection if there is any doubt about the nature or character of an alleged threat.
Lord Rogan (UUP) [V]
My Lords, I welcome the opportunity to read the report and the frankness with which it was written. Have the report’s contents yet been raised by Her Majesty’s Government with representatives of the United States Government? The Minister has said that our Government have no reports on this matter, but given the interest that it has generated around the world—and, indeed, perhaps other worlds—do Her Majesty’s Government now have plans to produce a similar document summarising any recent UAP or UFO sightings within UK borders and overseas territories?
Baroness Goldie (Con)
As I indicated earlier, we have no opinion on the existence of extraterrestrial life and we no longer investigate reports of sightings of unidentified aerial phenomena. We have no plans to conduct our own report into UAP, because in over 50 years no such reporting has indicated the existence of any military threat to the UK.
The Lord Speaker (Lord McFall of Alcluith)
My Lords, all supplementary questions have been asked.
8 March 2022
House of Lords, Written Answers
Lord Black asked: “To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to request access to the classified version of the Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Assessment, dated 25 June 2021, from the Office of the Direction of National Intelligence in the United States of America.
Baroness Goldie: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) takes all credible threats to UK airspace very seriously and we work with many allies to ensure its integrity. It is not MOD policy to comment on details of classified information, passed to Her Majesty's Government by an ally.”
18 September 2023
House of Commons, Written Answers
Julian Knight asked : “To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many reports his Department received of unidentified flying objects in 2022.
James Heappey : The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has no opinion on the existence of either extra-terrestrials, Unidentified Flying Objects (UFO) or Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP), and ceased to investigate reports of UFO or UAP in 2009.”
17 October 2023
House of Commons, Written Answers
Julian Knight asked : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 18 September 2023 to Question 196630 on Unidentified Flying Objects, whether his Department holds a register of reported sightings of Unidentified Flying Objects and Unidentified Aerial Phenomena.
James Heappey : The Ministry of Defence does not hold a register of reported sightings of Unidentified Flying Objects and Unidentified Aerial Phenomena.”
17 October 2023
House of Commons, Written Answers
James Heappey : The Ministry of Defence stopped investigating reports of Unidentified Flying Objects and Unidentified Aerial Phenomena as, in over 50 years, no sighting reported to the Department indicated the existence of any military threat to the United Kingdom. Therefore, it was, and is, deemed more valuable to prioritise Defence resources towards other activities.
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