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individuals to the MOD. I am more interested in studying the evolution of how the old<br />
Air Ministry, and later the MOD, dealt with these kind of inquiries, how policy on this<br />
subject was formulated, and how that policy has been influenced by specific incidents,<br />
Government policy, Parliamentary questions, scientific opinion and the media.<br />
To this end, I have found the material in the Defence Intelligence Staff registered files<br />
particularly of interest. Of the two files currently available at the PRO, DEFE 31/118<br />
(UFO policy 1953-63) and DEFE 31/119 (UFO Policy 1967) contain precisely the<br />
category of information I am seeking: for example internal memorandums, draft policy<br />
documents etc. <strong>The</strong>re is little, if any, correspondence from the public contained within<br />
these files which fall within Exemption 12 (Privacy) or the exemptions relating to<br />
national security. Further to this detail, I would like to apply for access to the sequence<br />
of files which follow DEFE 31/119 and which presumably relate to UFO policy,<br />
between the years 1968 and 1981. This request relates to specific files, falling within a . "-<br />
specified-period of time, so you may feel it would be worthwhile employing a more ·<br />
focussed search to retrieve and scrutinise these papers on my behalf<br />
In terms of Air Staff files relating to sighting/s reported by the general public, the one<br />
specific file I wish to view relates to UFO/unidentified aircraft sightings reported to the<br />
MOD during the month ofJanuary 1974. Following the file sequence at the PRO I<br />
suspect this file would be be found at the reference Air 20/12556 (Air 20/12555 relates<br />
to December 1973).<br />
I would also like to apply for access to a file produced by the Meteorological Office<br />
for the MOD, reference BJ 5/311 titled ''Unidentified Flying Objects: meteorological<br />
aspects" which relates to the period 1968-1970. This file is due to be opened at the<br />
PRO on 1 January 2001.<br />
From my research into historical files at the Public Record Office, I suspect there may<br />
also be memoranda and reports relating to UFOs in the 1950s hidden witli}he Defence<br />
Intelligence Files, class numbers DEFE 44/1 and DEFE 21, and I have contacted the<br />
MOD Departmental Record Officer separately Mth a request for access to this<br />
material. DEFE 44 containS papers from as fuback as t946,-tiut these remaiil<br />
classified because the file also contains material from 1991. I would like to request<br />
access to the block of files and memoranda which relate to the period 1946 to 1969,<br />
which should be available for scrutiny under the Freedom of Information Act.<br />
I hope you will feel it is possible to allow me to have access to at least some of the<br />
material specified in this letter, for use in what is a bona fide academic research<br />
programme. I would be happy to meet any reasonable costs incurred as a result of this<br />
application, and would be willing to sign any undertakings related to Data Protection<br />
or Official Secrets which you might feel appropriate. In addition, I will be happy to<br />
provide the MOD with a copy of my completed research paper, which I plan to publish<br />
via the National Centre for English Cultural Tradition at the University of Sheffield.<br />
In making this request, I am simply responding to the Government's and the MOD's<br />
own stated manifesto pledge to "establish a general statutory right of access to official<br />
records and through culture change throughout the public sector" (MOD website).<br />
This laudable aim will only be seen to working in practise if reasonable requests for