On May 8, President Donald Trump released the first set of declassified UFO files, free for all Americans to view. But just what exactly are we meant to think about all this? For the last several months I’ve been investigating that question, speaking with numerous UFO whistleblowers, skeptics, and enthusiasts in an effort to understand what smart people should make of the possibility of life beyond our planet. You can watch the interviews below. And scroll down to read my take, with the help of some of those experts, on the files themselves, and why the release raises more questions than it answers. —Will Rahn
Will the Trump administration’s release of secret UFO documents prove more soap opera than space opera?
The first tranche of materials landed with a thud on Friday, with UFO believers and skeptics alike claiming to find support for their respective positions. True believers, underwhelmed though they were by the actual contents, called Friday’s files an important first step on the road to full disclosure. That road, however, appears to be a long one, stretching beyond the horizon and perhaps, as skeptics argue, leading nowhere.
The 162 released files are housed on a Defense Department website with a minimalist and vaguely cyberpunk aesthetic reminiscent of The X-Files. They include dozens of testimonials from civilians, federal agents, diplomats, and astronauts who reported seeing UFOs. Much of the material comprises redacted information. But there is some interesting stuff: What, for example, was the “bogey” Gemini VII astronaut Frank Borman reported seeing during his space flight? Or the “Eye of Sauron” witnessed by several federal agents in 2023 somewhere in the Western U.S.? (The files offer no conclusive answer.)
And then there are new UFO videos, albeit the kind we’ve gotten used to over the last decade: grainy, squiggly shapes in black and white that appear to move quickly. In one video, an orb navigates two fields of sea-based wind turbines like a slalom course. “Balloons don’t do that!” retired Rear Admiral Timothy Gallaudet, one of the most outspoken proponents of the existence of aliens, told me on Friday. I grant his point. But could it be any number of other things, including a drone? Sure.
In other words, do we know any more about UFOs than we did before the release?
