NRO "no UFO records" reply (2015)
From the UAP Encyclopedia, the open encyclopedia of UFO and UAP history · 🗓️ Event
Contents 7
| Date | 5 November 2015 |
|---|---|
| Topics | Beings & bodies (topic), Government programs (topic), Congress & law (topic) |
| People | John Greenewald |
| Testimony | Shellenberger testimony, p. 182 |
| Year | 2015 in UFO history |
| Timeline | 2015 on the UAP Timeline |
| Sources | 4 |
On 4 November 2015 researcher John Greenewald of The Black Vault asked the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), the agency that builds and operates U.S. spy satellites, for its UFO records. Processing the request in a single day, the NRO replied that it had no records on UFOs, describing them as "outside of the scope of NRO responsibilities".[1][2]
The later request
In July 2020, after UAP had become an official subject of government interest, Greenewald filed a new request (F-2020-00092) for all NRO records on UFOs or UAP, including any reporting guidelines. Nearly two years later, on 23 June 2022, the NRO said it had found one relevant document and withheld it in full under exemptions for classified information and for statutes protecting NRO personnel details. Greenewald appealed the same day.[1]
The release
After the appeal was granted, the NRO released a six-page document in October 2022 that appeared to be a PowerPoint printout. Its title slide carried a SECRET//NOFORN marking and a UAP header, but most of the header and the following two slides were redacted. Greenewald filed further requests covering later records.[3]
Significance
The contrast between the 2015 "no records" answer and the later existence of a classified UAP briefing is one of several examples in which agencies' earlier denials were later qualified. Whether the 2015 answer was accurate at the time, reflected a narrow search, or was overtaken by the growth of official UAP work after 2017 is not clear. According to the testimony, emails released later also showed that the Defense Department Inspector General interviewed NRO officials during its evaluation of UAP handling.[1][2][3]
People and topics
- National Reconnaissance Office — The U.S. agency that builds and operates spy satellites.
- Freedom of Information Act — The 1966 U.S. law that lets the public request government records.
- Unidentified flying object — An object in the sky that can't be identified; the older term for UAP.
- John Greenewald — Founder of The Black Vault FOIA archive.
- The Black Vault — John Greenewald's online archive of government documents.
- Unidentified anomalous phenomena — The U.S. government's current term for unidentified objects in the air, in space and underwater.
On the Timeline
- John Burroughs's medical records (13 March 2015) — Kit Green says Rendlesham witness John Burroughs' medical records were classified.
- Andrea Rossi and suppressed energy claims (15 November 2015) — Steven Greer alleges the Army shelved alternative energy inventions.
See every 2015 event on the UAP Timeline →
References
- "National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) completely denies releasing UFO information", The Black Vault · theblackvault.com · archived copy
- NRO FOIA response F16-0010 (2015), The Black Vault (PDF) · documents.theblackvault.com · archived copy
- "NRO releases UAP report — and it shows yet again immense secrecy surrounding UAP issue", The Black Vault (Oct 2022) · theblackvault.com · archived copy
- documents.theblackvault.com · documents.theblackvault.com · archived copy
Further reading
- U.S. congressional hearings on UFOs — Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org · 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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