British UFO Files

Summary

This document is part of the declassified files from the UK Ministry of Defence, detailing the handling of UFO sightings. It outlines the government's policy for managing "nuisance correspondence," including the option to place persistent reporters on a blacklist if no satisfactory answers have been provided. The document also explains that the Ministry of Defence's interest in UFOs is limited to assessing whether they pose a threat to national security. In cases where no such threat is identified, no further investigation or identification of the observed phenomena is conducted. Additionally, it notes that records of UFO sightings prior to 1967 were not preserved, and those after are subject to the 30-year rule for public access.

The correspondence includes responses to citizens who reported sightings, reiterating that the Ministry of Defence does not have a department dedicated solely to studying UFOs or staff assigned full-time to the subject. It also states that defense funds are already committed to national security against conventional threats, so no resources are justified for scientific investigations into UFOs without clear evidence of risk. Finally, it mentions that samples of older reports cannot be provided due to public records laws and suggests consulting commercial sources for further information.