Gradisher–Gough FOIA coordination emails
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Contents 9
| People | Susan Gough, Pentagon (DoD Public Affairs) spokesperson for UAP; Joseph Gradisher, Navy spokesman in the office of the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Information Warfare (OPNAV N2/N6) |
|---|---|
| Key email | 10 July 2020, released by the Naval Safety Center and OSD in January–March 2021 |
| Key line | FOIA offices asked to "coordinate with us on UAP-focused FOIA responses before they hit 'reply'" |
| Also mentioned | A SECRET-level Security Classification Guide on what may be said publicly about UAP |
| Black Vault release | FOIA case 20-F-1095: 12 pages in April 2021; about 264 pages after appeal, published June 2025 |
| Response | Both spokespeople said they had nothing to add |
| Date | 10 July 2020 |
| Topics | Secrecy & cover-up (topic) |
| 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 closely coordinated what they said in public about UAP. The coordination ran through two spokespeople, the Pentagon's Susan Gough and the Navy's Joseph Gradisher.[1][5] In an email of July 2020, Gradisher wrote that FOIA offices had been asked to coordinate UAP-related responses with his office before releasing them, "so that new terms/language/etc. aren't introduced that complicate the overall messaging efforts".[5] He also referred to a SECRET-level guide on what could be said publicly about UAP.[5] Researchers read the records as evidence of tight control over UAP information. Asked to elaborate, both spokespeople said they had nothing to add.[2][5]
The Safety Center emails
The clearest evidence came from a request for emails between the Naval Safety Center (NAVSAFECEN) and Gough, filed by the author of the Parallax UAP blog.[5] The release came in stages:[5]
- 29 January 2021. The Safety Center released its records. The Navy emails were readable, but the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) messages were blacked out pending OSD review.
- 9 March 2021. OSD released its portions.
The thread, dated 10 July 2020, began with a request from Jeff Jones, the Safety Center's deputy director for safety promotions, for a contact for interviews about UAP. The Navy newsdesk director named Gradisher as the Navy's point of contact for all UAP queries. Gradisher is a retired Navy captain.[5]
What Gradisher wrote
Gradisher's reply, as published, set out the rules:[5]
- Media. "All media inquiries on UAPs go to DOD Public Affairs, Sue Gough", with whom the Navy coordinated closely. No media interviews had been authorised: "Make no comment."
- Why. "Any deviations from the statement that DOD makes result in multiple news stories and additional FOIA requests at various levels."
- FOIA. "Generally speaking, we let the normal FOIA process work as it is supposed to." But FOIA offices had been asked to coordinate UAP responses with his office "before they hit 'reply'", so that new terms or language would not complicate "the overall messaging efforts".
- Classification. "There is now a Security Classification Guidance document (at the SECRET) level, that addresses the UAP issue and what may/may not be discussed publicly."
The blogger argued that this showed "a coordinated effort to monitor all FOIA requests pertaining to UAP". He noted, though, that there was no indication of any specific action Gradisher's office had taken on a request.[5]
The Black Vault release
The researcher John Greenewald of The Black Vault asked for all communications to or from Gough containing "GIMBAL", "GIMBLE", "FLIR1" or "GO FAST", the names of the three Navy videos. This was FOIA case 20-F-1095.[1] It unfolded in three steps:[1][2]
- The first release. In April 2021 it came to just 12 pages, apparently only a private email list to which Gough had been added. Fewer redactions revealed the list and many names on it.
- The appeal. On 29 April 2021 Greenewald appealed, arguing that this could not be all, given Gough's role as OSD's main UAP contact and the 27 April 2020 press release on the videos.
- The second release. A much larger package followed, published by The Black Vault on 18 June 2025, of 264 pages by The Black Vault's count or 261 by another.
The records include media inquiries, internal talking points, briefing material from the Pentagon's Media Analysis Team, and outside commentary from scientists and researchers. Internal deliberations and personal details were redacted under exemptions (b)(5) and (b)(6).[1][2] Greenewald warned that not every email came from government staff, since Gough was on a private list.[1]
What the records show
The Substack newsletter Sentinel News highlighted several points:[2]
- Forwarding. Gough forwarded a heated exchange among prominent scientists over the videos to a civilian in the Navy's information warfare directorate (DCNO N2N6). She called it "some ongoing interesting infighting amongst the community about the infamous three videos". One item was headed as alleging "criminal fraud" by people at To The Stars Academy.
- Press monitoring. Media analysis briefings included coverage from the South China Morning Post.
- Contacts. Gough's correspondents included senior staff in the Navy's N2N6 directorate, the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security, the DoD General Counsel, the DIA, Naval Air Systems Command at Patuxent River and the Naval Intelligence Activity.
The Black Vault separately obtained a 28-page stack of DoD "briefing cards". These are prepared answers for public affairs officers on UAP, the UAP Task Force and the Navy videos.[3]
The videos
The three videos were posted by Tom DeLonge's To The Stars Academy between December 2017 and March 2018.[4] In September 2019 Gradisher confirmed to CNN that they were genuine Navy footage of "unidentified aerial phenomena". The Navy said they had never been cleared for public release, and that they were a small fraction of the UAP that trainees reported on its ranges.[4] The Pentagon formally released them on 27 April 2020.[1]
Assessment
The records document a deliberate effort to keep the Defense Department's public line on UAP consistent. That effort included routing media questions to one spokesperson, a SECRET-level guide on what could be said, and a request that FOIA offices check UAP responses in advance.[5] They do not show that any record was withheld because of that coordination, and the spokespeople declined to comment further.[5] The larger Gough release mostly shows the volume of outside material reaching the Pentagon's UAP spokesperson. It also shows the senior offices she kept informed.[1][2]
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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