Summary
The disclosure-foundation released more than 300 pages of nsa intelligence reports on UFO sightings obtained through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request and subsequent appeal. Many records were once classified as top-secret-umbra, a designation for highly sensitive signals intelligence. The documents are linked to a 1980 FOIA lawsuit and the previously declassified Yeates Memo (2009), whose supporting materials had remained withheld until this appeal succeeded. The release follows the donald-trump administration’s pursue release of 160+ UAP files earlier in May 2026. disclosure-foundation chief legal officer hunt-willis stated the NSA still asserts “considerable redactions” on UAP material dating to the 1960s and pledged further court challenges.
Key Claims
- Over 300 pages of NSA intelligence reports on UFOs released via FOIA appeal after the agency’s initial blanket denial was ruled improper
- Many documents carried the “TOP SECRET UMBRA” classification, indicating signals intelligence sensitivity
- Documents are connected to the Yeates Memo — a classified affidavit submitted by NSA chief policy officer Eugene Yeates during a 1980 FOIA lawsuit; the memo was declassified in 2009, but supporting material was withheld until this appeal
- Sighting descriptions include: a star-shaped object performing rapid vertical motions with “white luminous light”; a “spherical or disc-like” UFO brighter than the sun; an object emitting “luminous radiation of 22 meters extending in a spiral pattern from a black center”
- Military intercept reports: 13 MiG fighters scrambled after radar detection of a single unidentified object; six MiGs “attacking said UFO”
- The NSA still asserts redactions and exemptions on UAP-related material dating back to the 1960s
- The disclosure-foundation has filed Mandatory Declassification Review requests for congressional briefings
Notable Quotes
“Despite this historic document release, the NSA still asserts considerable redactions and exemptions for UAP-related material that dates back to the 1960s.” — Hunt Willis, Disclosure Foundation chief legal officer
“It is simply unacceptable for security classification exemptions to remain on government documents that predate the Civil Rights Act. We are committed to having the courts review the legitimacy of these redactions and holding these agencies accountable to the public transparency that Congress intended.” — Hunt Willis