It’s the moment UFO fans have been waiting for – a mysterious set of files referred to as ‘Britain’s X-Files’ have been opened to the public.
The National Archive opened up a cache of 15 ‘UFO’ files from the Ministry of Defence – including material relating to the Rendlesham Forest incident.
In 1980, U.S. Army personnel stationed near Rendlesham in Suffolk saw a strange, metallic triangle which was ‘dripping molten metal’ – and witnessed a light like a ‘huge red eye’.
Unlike most UFO sightings, it was documented in voice recordings from senior American soldiers, who also drew disturbing pictures of the object they saw.
So far, the files have not been digitised, so UFO fans will have to read them on paper at the National Archive’s reading room in Kew, West London.
The files (of course) don’t contain a ‘smoking gun’ or descriptions of alien autopsies – but conspiracy theorists may well pounce on the fact that three files have been ‘held back’.
Nick Pope, who ran the defence ministry’s UFO project from 1991 to 1994 said: ‘The lack of a smoking gun and the fact that these files seem to have been slipped out without a formal media announcement is bound to start some conspiracy theories, and I know that many people believe the ‘good stuff’ is being held back.
‘Furthermore, the fact that some files haven’t been digitised, can’t be downloaded, and can only be viewed in person at the National Archives will doubtless also generate conspiracy theories.
‘After this, there are only three more UFO files still to be released, and they should be made public later this year, so there’s still more to come.’
