# UK's UFO files released **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 14, 2008, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uks-ufo-files-released/449260 "2008-05-14T07:48:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2008, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uks-ufo-files-released/449260/1 "2008-05-14T07:48:02Z")
From [New Scientist](http://space.newscientist.com/article/dn13894-uk-releases-classified-ufo-files.html); > [@](#): > > The UK is making decades’ worth of classified files relating to UFOs freely available to the public. > > On Monday, the British Ministry of Defence (MOD) began a four-year-long project to transfer the files to the UK’s National Archives, which will post them for public perusal. The announcement comes about one year after France made its UFO files available online. > > The project is a response to massive public interest and numerous Freedom of Information (FOI) requests about UFOs, or Unidentified Flying Objects, that have been filed over the years. Nick Pope, a former UFO investigator at the MOD, called the release “a great day for open government and freedom of information”. [National Archives UFO page](http://ufos.nationalarchives.gov.uk/) Sadly there are some whopping PDFs on there, from 14.6 to 51.7 Mb in size, so I’ve not been able to peruse them yet :rolleyes: And the French site from the New Scientist article is not opening either, conspiracy!!!1!!? ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2008, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uks-ufo-files-released/449260/2 "2008-05-14T08:11:33Z")
The BBC has managed to have [an expert](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7398784.stm) go over the files for us; > [@](#): > > As I leafed through hundreds of official UFO report forms it became obvious the vast majority of sightings could easily be explained. > > For example, staff and customers at a pub in Tunbridge Wells reported seeing a UFO with “red and green flashing lights” moving across the sky. When asked to describe the direction of movement their answer was “[Gatwick](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gatwick_airport)”. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Szlater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@Szlater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Szlater)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2008, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uks-ufo-files-released/449260/3 "2008-05-14T12:11:54Z")
The BBC made a mistake. > [@BBC](#): > > In 1999, a survey for the Daily Mail found that 49% of the UK population believe that life exists on other planets and 29% believe that aliens had already visited Earth in flying saucers. It should read: In 1999, a survey for the Daily Mail found that 49% of the UK population believe that life exists on other planets and **29% are mentalists for believing that aliens have already visited Earth in flying saucers**. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2008, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uks-ufo-files-released/449260/4 "2008-05-14T12:34:08Z")
[QUOTE=Szlater] The BBC made a mistake. It should read: In 1999, a survey for the Daily Mail found that 49% of the UK population believe that life exists on other planets and **29% are mentalists for believing that aliens have already visited Earth in flying saucers**. [/QUOTE] I’m amazed that (a) the first figure is so low, and (b) the figures are so close. Apparently _more than half_ the people that believe life exists on other planets (a logical, if not pretty obvious conclusion, given that we’re here on this one) also believe that said life would bother to come and visit us. (And would apparently do so in vehicles modelled on the hubcap of an Austin Allegro.) I’m pretty convinced the universe is teeming with life. I’m equally convinced that contact between the oases of life is vanishingly unlikely, given the vast distances involved. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2008, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uks-ufo-files-released/449260/5 "2008-05-14T12:39:27Z")
[QUOTE=Colophon] I’m amazed that (a) the first figure is so low, and (b) the figures are so close. [/QUOTE] I’m amazed that (a)we appear to be taking a second-hand report of something in _The Daily Mail_ as having some bearing on reality and (b)well, that’s all, really. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2008, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uks-ufo-files-released/449260/6 "2008-05-14T17:27:09Z")
Maybe “29% of people bored and stupid enough to call a premium-rate Do You Believe In Aliens Or What? poll in the Daily Mail”… ---
**Author:** ![Szlater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@Szlater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Szlater)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2008, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uks-ufo-files-released/449260/7 "2008-05-14T19:30:23Z")
[QUOTE=Colophon] Maybe “29% of people bored and stupid enough to call a premium-rate Do You Believe In Aliens Or What? poll in the Daily Mail”… [/QUOTE] Purchasing the Daily Mail pretty much labels you as developmentally subnormal to begin with. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2008, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uks-ufo-files-released/449260/8 "2008-05-17T22:44:52Z")
Actually I think that you’ll find that the joint NASA/ESA programme for the first extraSolar inhabited planet mission requires the atmospheric exploration vehicle to zip around the sky on the nightside in apparently random patterns in remote areas but is required to approach any isolated ground or air vehicles but NOT to investigate them. plus abducting alien beings from their dwelling units and giving any handy orifice a bloody good probing before returning them to their hibernation modules with sore solids evacuation sphincters and an unusual story for their aquaintances. Only by acting in this way can we on Earth get a good idea of the civilisation,Flora and Fauna of this world that we have covered thousands of Light Years to broaden our scientific knowledge.