1 - The Black Vault

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- :·\ AUG 2000
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Your reference: D/Sec(AS)64/3
1 August, 2000
Dear
Many thanks for your detailed letter of25 July with reference to my request to view
MOD fi{es relating to 'unidentified flying objects.'
Firstly, I realise your staff have many other more pressing defence-related duties and I
apologise if my request has added to that burden. I contacted the Freedom of
Information office on 20 July inquiring as to what had become of my original request,
simply because I was concerned that my letter had gone astray, or had been sent to the
wrong department, as I had not at that stage received an acknowledgement. Almost
immediately I received your acknowledgement in the post, and would like to make it
clear that I have always been satisfied with the helpful and detailed responses received
from the MOD's Secretariat (Air Stafi) on the occasions I have·contacted your
department in the past.
With regards to my request to view files, I accept that my request for access to files
covering the period 1969 to present was a little ambitious in terms of staff time. From
your response, it appears that the main obstacle preventing the use of these files for
research projects such as my own is the Exemption 9 in the Code of Practice which
relates to Privacy of the individual. You say you receive up to 400 sighting reports
each year and a similar number of letters, but I wonder if you could specifY how many
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