NSA: UFO Documents Describe Weather Balloons but Stay Top Secret
On August 3, 2012, the NSA responded to a 2009 FOIA request by stating that two documents referencing UFOs actually described conventional aircraft or weather balloons. Despite this dismissal, the agency refused to release the five pages, claiming they remained classified Top Secret under Executive Order 13526. Via TheBlackVault.com (FOIA).
Background
The National Security Agency (NSA) responded to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request filed more than three years earlier by researcher John Greenewald, Jr. In a letter dated August 3, 2012, the agency addressed two documents totaling five pages transferred from the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) for review.
The NSA claimed these records merely contained foreign intelligence reports using terms like "unidentified aircraft" to describe conventional aircraft or possible weather balloons. The agency emphasized these reports were not actually focused on UFO phenomena.
Despite characterizing the content as mundane, the NSA refused declassification. They asserted the documents remained properly classified as Top Secret under Executive Order 13526. Release could result in severe harm to national security, they argued, invoking exemption (b)(1) of the FOIA statute.
The incident highlights ongoing government secrecy regarding UFO-related materials, even when agencies dismiss the subject matter as conventional objects. Via TheBlackVault.com (FOIA).