Britain just released its UFO dossier, a total of 15 files that contain details of some of the most mysterious and sometimes terrifying encounters with RAF personnel that remain unsolved to this day. The newly released “Britain X-Files” includes what is dubbed as the most famous UFO sightings in the UK, the Rendlesham Forest incident which involved a triangular craft observed near two Royal Air Force bases. More interestingly for American UFO enthusiasts, some of the incidents covered by the dossier also reveal the involvement of U.S. military personnel.
Fifteen files from the Ministry of Defence (MOD) dubbed as the “Britain X- Files” by the media have just been made available to the public, according to The Sun . The files, which contain details of various UFO incidents , may be accessed at the reading room of the National Archives located in Kew, West London.
Unfortunately, the files are not yet available in a digitized format and, therefore, can’t be downloaded for viewing at home. This means that UFO enthusiasts who wish to view the documents will have to contend with long queues to gain access.
In addition to the 15, three more files are yet to be released. Nick Pope, who headed MOD’s UFO project from 1991 to 1994, reveals that the additional files could be made public later this year. He also heralded the release of the UFO files as a sign of government transparency.
“This is a good day for open government and for freedom of information.”
U.S. Military Involvement
What is interesting is that a number of the UFO incidents described in the British documents involve U.S. military personnel. For instance, a 1982 incident involved a U.S. Air Force spy plane on a Cold War-era mission to observe Soviet military movements.
The crew of the American spy plane, the USAF RC-135, radioed for help when several UFOs appeared. The call was picked up by RAF stationed at the Troodos base in Cyprus. The U.S. responded by sending in two F-14 fighter planes from the Navy while the RAF diverted a Phantom from a training exercise. The UFOs, which were described as “a multitude of flashing lights, 20 at a time,” left for the African coast as the fighter planes approached.
Meanwhile, an American was likewise involved in Britain’s most famous UFO case. The Rendlesham Forest incident, also dubbed as Britain’s Roswell, happened in December 1980. For several nights, RAF personnel noticed strange light coming from the Rendlesham Forest and dispatched some personnel to investigate it.
One person named Jim Penniston even got close enough to touch the triangular craft. Meanwhile, John Burroughs, Penniston’s companion in the investigation, drew some sketches on what they saw. A couple of nights later, a team, which included Deputy Base Commander Lieutenant Colonel Charles Halt, also encountered the UFO. He later stated that the first-hand experience is something that he just can’t debunk.
“Here I am, a senior official who routinely denies this sort of thing and diligently works to debunk them, and I’m involved in the middle of something I can’t explain.”
Will the U.S. Follow Britain’s Lead?
Of course, all eyes are now on the U.S. government if they will follow Britain’s example and release their own top-secret investigations. UFO enthusiasts were briefly thrilled when then-presidential candidate Hillary Clinton promised to make public the UFO files as much as possible.
Interestingly, John Burroughs, one of the U.S. personnel involved in the Rendlesham Forest case, had successfully claimed compensation for the injuries he sustained in that incident. This prompted his lawyer Pat Frascogna to comment that the U.S. government might have already indirectly acknowledged the existence of UFOs.
“In citing the [MoD radiation documents] and in granting John Burroughs full disability for his injuries in Rendlesham Forest, the U.S. Government has by de facto acknowledged the existence of unidentified aerial phenomena which, in John Burroughs’ case, resulted in physical injury.”
However, it appears that making the UFO files public is not one of the Trump administration’s priorities at the moment. It remains to be seen whether the government will give in to mounting pressure for disclosure. That or the arrival of an alien fleet for the whole world to see, making any government confirmation no longer necessary.
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