Long-discussed UAP-related files including Unidentified Flying Objects and flying discs documented between June 1947 and July 1968 were released on Friday.
Archival imagery from NASA’s Apollo 17 mission to the moon in 1972, released by the Department of War on May 8, 2026, as part of the first release of government files on unidentified anomalous phenomena. The yellow box shows an enlarged section of the original photograph in which three lights are visible above the lunar terrain. Department of War/NASA
The Department of War released its first batch of UFO-related documents that had been slated for public release.
In a May 8 post on X, the department said that the initial release of “new, never-before-seen files on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP)” was “part of the Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters (PURSUE).”
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said these files, “hidden behind classifications, have long fueled justified speculation—and it’s time the American people see it for themselves.”
“This release of declassified documents demonstrates the Trump Administration’s earnest commitment to unprecedented transparency,” he added.
The Pentagon followed through on this directive, releasing more than 160 files, dating back 80 years, after President Donald Trump signed an executive order requiring transparency into all “alien and extraterrestrial life” in February.
One such example on the new War.gov/UFO site includes the FBI’s 62-HQ-83894 case file that has investigative records, eyewitness testimonies, and public reports concerning Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) and flying discs documented between June 1947 and July 1968.
The records include high-profile incident accounts, photographic evidence from sites like Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and technical proposals regarding “potential propulsion systems.”
Given the scope of this task, the Department of War said it will be releasing new materials on a rolling basis as they are discovered and declassified, with tranches posted every few weeks.
During a May 5 appearance on Sean Hannity‘s podcast “Hang Out With Sean Hannity,” Patel said the FBI has “already delivered our first tranche of information” and “they’re going to be publicly releasing this information very soon” regarding UFOs.
“We are all for it. There’s nothing in this subject that we’re talking about that we don’t want released,” he said.
“You’re going to start seeing those releases literally happening in the very near future.”
When asked by Hannity whether authorities had ever “recovered alien forms,” Patel said, “I don’t have any information on that specifically.”
Hannity then said that Trump “clams up on this issue” when asked about UFOs.
In a brief May 7 post on X, Rep. Anna Luna (R-Fla.) posted “8am,” which was widely interpreted online as referring to the expected release of long-discussed UAP-related files on Friday morning.
UAP is the official government term for what were once commonly called UFOs, and stands for unidentified anomalous phenomena.
Luna chairs the House Oversight Committee’s Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets.
During a House Oversight subcommittee hearing on Sept. 9, 2025, several past and present Department of War officials testified that they had witnessed UFOs/UAP while serving in the military.
The hearing was titled “Restoring Public Trust Through UAP Transparency and Whistleblower Protection.”
Air Force veteran Dylan Borland told lawmakers that he encountered “sustained reprisals” and retaliation from the Pentagon after whistleblowing about an alleged UFO he saw while working at a military base in 2012.
“I saw an approximately 100-foot equilateral triangle take off from near the NASA hangar on the base,” Borland said.
“The craft interferes with my telephone, did not have any sound, and the material it was made of appeared fluid or dynamic.
“I was under the triangular craft for a few minutes, and then it rapidly ascended to commercial jet level in seconds, displaying zero kinetic disturbance, sound, or wind displacement.
“The craft itself was this black, metallic flight paint, but on top of the craft was this gold lava plasma, some type of fluid, going over and around the craft.”
At the end of the hearing, Luna said, “We cannot maintain trust in government if we keep American people in the dark.”
In February, Trump announced that his administration would be releasing files related to UFOs and potential alien life forms.
He then announced on April 17 that he expected his administration to begin releasing documents “very soon” related to extraterrestrial life and unexplained phenomena.
“As you remember, I recently directed the Secretary of War … to begin releasing government files relating to UFOs and unexplained aerial phenomena,” Trump told an audience in Phoenix. “I’m pleased to report today … that this process is well underway and we’ve found many very interesting documents, I must say. And, the first releases will begin very, very soon.”
Trump made the remarks at an event with Turning Point Action, an affiliate of Turning Point USA.
The U.S. government holds thousands of documents related to historical reports about the subjects of UFOs and alien phenomena, including more than 12,600 reports from Project Blue Book, which took place from 1947 to 1969.
The public can already access some of the public records, photos, and sounds at the National Archives.
Andrew Moran, Jacob Burg, and Jill McLaughlin contributed to this report.