CIA: 1978 UFO document declared lost after archive search
The CIA informed researcher John Greenewald that a UFO document from 1978, previously released in redacted form, has been lost in their archives. Despite a Mandatory Declassification Review request filed in 2019, the agency could not locate an unredacted version.
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Background
In February 2020, the Central Intelligence Agency acknowledged that a historical UFO record from September 1978 could no longer be located within their classified archives. The document, originally released in heavily redacted form on October 5, 1978, carried the cryptic title "UNTITLED (23 SEPT (DELETED) WITH PERSONAL REQUEST TO INVESTIGATE UFO SIGHTED" within the CREST Database.
Researcher John Greenewald Jr., operating The Black Vault, had filed a Mandatory Declassification Review (MDR) request on January 24, 2019, seeking an unredacted version of this specific record. After more than a year of searching, agency officials admitted in a February 27, 2020 letter that their efforts to locate a complete copy had failed.
This incident represents part of a troubling pattern where UFO-related documents across multiple intelligence agencies—including the NSA and DIA—have reportedly gone missing when researchers seek additional details through formal declassification channels. The loss raises questions about archival preservation practices and the accessibility of historical UFO records. Source: Via TheBlackVault.com (FOIA).
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