Gradisher–Gough FOIA coordination emails
From the UAP Encyclopedia, the open encyclopedia of UFO and UAP history · 🗓️ Event
Contents 6
| Date | 10 July 2020 |
|---|---|
| Topics | Secrecy & cover-up (topic) |
| People | Joseph Gradisher, Susan Gough, John Greenewald |
| Testimony | Shellenberger testimony, p. 196 |
| Year | 2020 in UFO history |
| Timeline | 2020 on the UAP Timeline |
| Sources | 5 |
Records released under the Freedom of Information Act show that from 2020 the Pentagon and the Navy coordinated public statements and FOIA responses about UAP through a small number of spokespeople — principally Pentagon spokesperson Susan Gough and Navy spokesman Joseph Gradisher.[1][2]
The releases
Researcher John Greenewald of The Black Vault requested all communications to or from Gough containing the names of the three Navy UAP videos — "Gimbal", "FLIR1" and "GoFast". An initial 12-page release in 2021 appeared to show only a private email list that included Gough; Greenewald appealed, the Defense Department agreed to revisit the request, and a much larger release followed in June 2025. The records include media inquiries, internal talking points and outside commentary, with internal deliberations redacted.[1]
Coordination
Another researcher's request for emails between the Naval Safety Center and Gough produced records identifying Gradisher as the Navy's point of contact for all UAP queries and indicating that FOIA offices were asked to coordinate UAP-related responses with the Office of the Secretary of Defense before they were finalised. Researchers cite such records as evidence of centralised control over what was released; the Pentagon says this kind of coordination is normal for sensitive topics.[2][3]
The videos
On 27 April 2020 the Pentagon formally released the three Navy videos, which had been leaked in 2017–2018, confirming they were authentic Navy footage; Gradisher had already confirmed in 2019 that the objects in them were unidentified.[1][4]
People and topics
- U.S. Navy — The U.S. naval service, whose pilots reported the UAP encounters revealed in 2017.
- Freedom of Information Act — The 1966 U.S. law that lets the public request government records.
- Unidentified anomalous phenomena — The U.S. government's current term for unidentified objects in the air, in space and underwater.
- Joseph Gradisher — Navy spokesman on UAP matters.
- Susan Gough — Pentagon spokesperson on UAP matters.
- John Greenewald — Founder of The Black Vault FOIA archive.
- The Black Vault — John Greenewald's online archive of government documents.
- Gimbal and GoFast videos — The Navy infrared videos of UAP released in 2017–2020.
On the Timeline
- Atomic Energy Commission UFO materials claim (29 April 2020) — A journalist's source says the Atomic Energy Commission had UAP materials as early as 1947.
- Elizondo's secure-room meetings (2020) (19 July 2020) — Lue Elizondo says he met lawmakers in a secure room about UAP.
See every 2020 event on the UAP Timeline →
References
- "Emails from Pentagon spokesperson uncovered on Gimbal, FLIR1 and GoFast UFO videos", The Black Vault (Jun 2025) · theblackvault.com · archived copy
- "New FOIA documents show that the...", Sentinel News · sentinelnews.substack.com · archived copy
- "Stack of internal DoD 'briefing cards' on UAPs, UAP Task Force, and Navy UFO videos released", The Black Vault · theblackvault.com · archived copy
- "U.S. Navy: yes, those UFO videos uploaded by Blink-182's Tom DeLonge are real", Jalopnik (2019) · jalopnik.com · archived copy
- parallaxuap.blogspot.com · parallaxuap.blogspot.com · 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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