FBI MJ-12 espionage file
From the UAP Encyclopedia, the open encyclopedia of UFO and UAP history · 🗓️ Event
Contents 8
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| Date | 22 July 1993 |
|---|---|
| Testimony | Shellenberger testimony, p. 116 |
| Year | 1993 in UFO history |
| Timeline | 1993 on the UAP Timeline |
| Sources | 5 |
In the late 1980s, after copies of the Majestic 12 documents began circulating, the FBI investigated whether classified information had been leaked. Because the papers were marked Top Secret, the case was handled as a possible espionage matter. The FBI concluded the documents were fabricated, and the file is now public in its online reading room, the Vault.[1][2]
Background
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The MJ-12 papers first surfaced in 1984, when television producer Jaime Shandera received an anonymous roll of film showing a supposed 1952 briefing for President-elect Eisenhower about crashed saucers. In 1987 copies were published by researchers William Moore, Stanton Friedman and Shandera and, separately, by British author Timothy Good, and copies were mailed to various people.[1]
The investigation
Because the documents bore Top Secret markings, the FBI opened a case to determine whether classified material had been compromised. It consulted the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, which said there was no such committee and that the documents were fabricated; an annotation on one copy famously calls them "completely bogus". The file was closed.[1][3]
The 1993 reply
In 1993 the FBI told an inquirer that it held a closed "Majestic-12" file classified under espionage, which surprised researchers who did not know the reason. The espionage label reflects the nature of the original inquiry, not a finding that the documents were genuine.[1][2]
Later debate
The file's release on the Vault, along with the bureau's dismissive annotations, has been widely covered. Most researchers regard the MJ-12 papers as hoaxes or disinformation; authors of a 2023 book on Russian meddling in the UFO field argued they may have been part of a disinformation effort, though that remains debated.[1][3][4]
People and topics
- Federal Bureau of Investigation — The U.S. federal police agency, which helped check flying disc reports from 1947 to 1950.
- MJ-12 — Disputed documents describing a secret committee managing crashed saucers.
- Air Force Office of Special Investigations — The Air Force's criminal investigation and counterintelligence agency.
- Disinformation — False information spread deliberately to mislead.
On the Timeline
- Rockefeller Initiative (15 April 1993) — White House science office papers show CIA interest in a UAP researcher's work.
- MARAUDER (1 August 1993) — The Air Force tests its MARAUDER plasma railgun in public.
See every 1993 event on the UAP Timeline →
References
- Majestic 12 — Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org · archived copy
- "Majestic 12", FBI Vault · vault.fbi.gov · archived copy
- "The FBI debunked these UFO documents in the most childish way possible", Atlas Obscura · atlasobscura.com · archived copy
- "UFO", FBI Vault · vault.fbi.gov · archived copy
- amazon.com · amazon.com · archived copy
Further reading
- Majestic 12 file — FBI Vault · vault.fbi.gov · archived copy
- UFO files — FBI Vault · vault.fbi.gov · archived copy
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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