1 - The Black Vault

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individuals
to the MOD. I am more interested in studying the evolution of how the old
Air Ministry, and later the MOD, dealt with these kind of inquiries, how policy on this
subject was formulated, and how that policy has been influenced by specific incidents,
Government policy, Parliamentary questions, scientific opinion and the media.
To this end, I have found the material in the Defence Intelligence Staff registered files
particularly of interest. Of the two files currently available at the PRO, DEFE 31/118
(UFO policy 1953-63) and DEFE 311119 (UFO Policy 1967) contain precisely the
category of information I am seeking: for example internal memorandums, draft policy
documents etc. There is little, if any, correspondence from the public contained within
these files which fall within Exemption 12 (Privacy) or the exemptions relating to
national security. Further to this detail, I would like to apply for access to the sequence
of files which follow DEFE 311119 and which presumably relate to UFO policy,
between the years 1968 and 1981. This request relates to specific files, falling within a
specified period of time, so you may feel it would be worthwhile employing a more
focussed search to retrieve and scrutinise these papers on my behalf.
In terms of Air Staff files relating to sighting/s reported by the general public, the one
specific file I wish to view relates to UFO/unidentified aircraft sightings reported to the
MOD during the month of January 1974. Following the file sequence at the PRO I
suspect this file would be be found at the reference Air 20/12556 (Air 20/12555 relates
to December 1973).
I would also like to apply for access to a file produced by the Meteorological Office
for the MOD, reference BJ 5/311 titled "Unidentified Flying Objects: meteorological
aspects" which relates to the period 1968-1970. This file is due to be opened at the
PRO on 1 January 2001.
From my research into historical files at the Public Record Office, I suspe~;t there may
also be memoranda and reports relating to UFOs in the 1950s hidden witli}he Defence
Intelligence Files, class numbers DEFE 44/1 and DEFE 21, and I have contacted the
MOD Departmental Record Officer separately with a request for access to this
material. DEFE 44 contains papers from as far back as 1946, but these remain
classified because the file also contains material from 1991. I would like to request
access to the block of files and memoranda which relate to the period 1946 to 1969,
which should be available for scrutiny under the Freedom oflnformation Act.
I hope you will feel it is possible to allow me to have access to at least some of the
material specified in this letter, for use in what is a bona fide academic research
programme. I would be happy to meet any reasonable costs incurred as a result of this
application, and would be willing to sign any undertakings related to Data Protection
or Official Secrets which you might feel appropriate. In addition, I will be h&ppy to
provide the MOD with a copy of my completed research paper, which I plan to publish
via the National Centre for English Cultural Tradition at the University of Sheffield.
In making this request, I am simply responding to the Government's and the MOD's
own stated manifesto pledge to "establish a general statutory right of access to official
records and through culture change throughout the public sector" (MOD website).
This laudable aim will only be seen to working in practise if reasonable requests for