Freedom of Information Act
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Contents 3
Freedom of Information Act
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| Type | Document |
|---|---|
| Also known as | FOIA |
| On the Timeline | 26 events, 1956–2023 |
The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) is a 1966 U.S. law that gives the public the right to request records from federal agencies, subject to exemptions for national security, privacy and other reasons. It was championed by Rep. John Moss of California.
UFO researchers and FOIA
UFO researchers were among the act's most persistent users. Lawsuits by Ground Saucer Watch and Citizens Against UFO Secrecy forced the CIA to release about 900 pages of UFO documents in 1978, and led to the NSA's 1980 affidavits explaining why it withheld records. John Greenewald's The Black Vault has obtained and published millions of pages through FOIA requests.
On the UAP Timeline
- John Moss and Special Report 14 (1956) (5 July 1956) — Rep. John Moss asks why the unclassified Blue Book Special Report 14 isn't public.
- Moon Dust, Blue Fly and UFO draft policy (1961) (13 November 1961) — An Air Force draft policy names intelligence teams for Projects Moon Dust, Blue Fly and 'UFO'.
- Jack Pickett and the MacDill discs (1966-1967) — A retired pilot and a journalist say they saw Air Force-marked disc craft at MacDill AFB.
- Carter request and NASA's UFO decision (1977) (13 December 1977) — A NASA safety chief writes that a possible UFO fragment was studied at Los Alamos.
- State Department "no records" reply (1978) (19 January 1978) — The State Department says it has no UAP records; a requester sends it one of its own documents.
- CAUS lawsuit and the CIA UFO papers (15 December 1978) — Researchers claim the CIA ran secret emergency UAP studies during sighting waves.
- Samuel Stratton and the SAC base overflights (20 December 1978) — Rep. Samuel Stratton raises concerns over unknown aircraft flying over Strategic Air Command bases.
- NORAD's $294,157 search fee (September 1979) — NORAD says a search for UAP tracking data would cost $294,157.
- Air Force colonel harassed over a UFO group (1982) (1982) — An Air Force colonel says he was harassed after founding a UFO group.
- Ground Saucer Watch and the State Department (1982) (25 February 1982) — A civilian FOIA group gets no answer from the State Department about UAP records.
- Interplanetary Phenomenon Unit (16 May 1984) — An Army FOIA reply says an informal 'Interplanetary Phenomenon Unit' once studied UAP.
- Indian Point nuclear plant sighting (1984) (24 July 1984) — Guards at the Indian Point nuclear plant reportedly see a UAP as security systems fail.
- Rockefeller Initiative (15 April 1993) — White House science office papers show CIA interest in a UAP researcher's work.
- America West Flight 564 sighting (25 May 1995) — An airliner crew and an F-117 both see a huge cigar-shaped object over the Southwest.
- Henry Diamond letter to John Gibbons (1995) (1 November 1995) — A letter to the White House science adviser discusses Laurance Rockefeller's UAP efforts.
- CAUS Phoenix Lights lawsuit (22 January 1999) — A civilian group sues for records on the Phoenix Lights.
- O'Hare Airport UFO sighting (01 Jan 2007) — The FAA calls a disc seen over O'Hare airport a weather phenomenon despite many reports.
- Project Grudge data and the artifact file (23 January 2009) — A BAASS team member is said to be retrieving old Project Grudge data from Area 51.
- BAASS investigations (2010) — A BAASS investigator for the DIA program looks into UAP cases.
- NRO "no UFO records" reply (2015) (5 November 2015) — The NRO tells a FOIA requester it has no UFO records.
- USS Russell drone swarm logs (30 July 2019) — Logs from the USS Russell UAP incident are heavily redacted.
- Gradisher–Gough FOIA coordination emails (10 July 2020) — A Navy spokesman's email shows efforts to coordinate FOIA replies about UAP across agencies.
- Navy UAP briefing cards (24 July 2020) — A Navy briefing card tells staff to say 'UAP', not 'UFO'.
- AAWSAP DIRD release (25 March 2022) — The DIA releases 37 research papers from the AAWSAP program.
- 1962 nuclear test UFO records reply (29 July 2022) — A FOIA reply suggests files exist on UFOs and a 1962 nuclear test but need expert review.
- NRO Sentient system (27 February 2023) — An NRO FOIA reply describes its AI system 'Sentient' detecting a Tic Tac-shaped object in 2021.
Connected articles
References
- Freedom of Information Act (United States) — Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org · archived copy
Categories: Document | The black vault | Unidentified anomalous phenomena | Unidentified flying object | Us air force
This page was last edited on 29 October 2026. Articles are written in our own words from the sources listed under References; disputed claims are attributed to the people who made them.
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