(BBC) – The tranche of never-before-seen documents released by the Pentagon on UFOs includes descriptions of reported sightings – by civilians on Earth and by astronauts on the Moon.
The documents, spanning decades, were declassified and posted online on Friday at the direction of US President Donald Trump, who said earlier this year that he would release them “based on the tremendous interest shown”.
The US has seen renewed public interest in extraterrestrial life in recent years. In 2022, Congress held the first hearings on UFOs in 50 years and the military has promised more transparency on the matter.
The 161 files are accessible on the Department of Defense’s website, with more set to be released.
Friday’s release of files comes after former President Barack Obama sparked further interest when he said in a February interview that aliens were “real, but I haven’t seen them”.
Obama has since clarified his comments, saying that statistically the chances are that life is out there but that he saw “no evidence” while president.
