On Friday, May 8, 2026, at the order of President Donald Trump, the US Department of War published hundreds of declassified documents, photos and recordings concerning UFO/UAP. Among them were shocking FBI files from 1966 describing witness accounts of “beings three and a half to four feet tall (approx. 107–122 cm), wearing space suits and helmets,” who emerged from metallic objects.
The documents were made available on the official government website https://www.war.gov/UFO/ as part of the PURSUE program (Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters). This is the first major release of archives under Trump’s February executive order requiring the declassification of files related to UFOs, UAP and alleged contact with extraterrestrial beings.
The White House confirmed the release on the X platform:
„🚨 UFO FILES RELEASED – https://www.war.gov/UFO/” — @WhiteHouse, May 8, 2026
What exactly was revealed?
The main “highlight” is an internal FBI memo dated October 19, 1966, sent from the San Francisco field office to Director J. Edgar Hoover himself. The document summarizes Frank Edwards’ book Flying Saucers – Serious Business and the UFO reports of the time:
- 1965 was supposedly “the year of the greatest number of UFO sightings in the world” – seen by many credible witnesses, including police officers, military and civilian pilots, and defense employees.
- The objects were described as metallic, silent, reaching “fantastic speeds,” able to hover in the air and disrupt electromagnetic equipment.
- Three types of shapes: cigar-shaped (up to 300 feet long), disc-shaped (from a few to 100 feet in diameter) and egg-shaped.
- Colors: from blindingly white to red and orange; some emitted “blinding lights.”
- After landing or takeoff, the ground beneath the objects was allegedly scorched.
- The most sensational part: “Several witnesses reported seeing a crew that landed from the objects” – beings measuring 3.5–4 feet tall, in space suits and helmets.
The FBI also mentions the alleged recovery of “flying saucer” wreckage – including unknown metal alloys with thousands of microscopic spheres (15 microns) and traces of micrometeorites.
Context and reactions
The documents contain no new evidence or photos of the beings – they are a summary of reports and testimonies from the 1960s. The FBI stressed at the time that many accounts came from “credible persons.” The files also mention Congressman Gerald Ford (later president), who called for congressional hearings on UFOs, and a government study by the University of Colorado led by physicist Edward U. Condon.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth stated in a press release: “We are committed to full transparency regarding classified materials that have for years fueled speculation.”
UFO enthusiasts call these files “some of the most explosive” in the release so far, but skeptics point out that they are mostly summaries of testimony rather than confirmed evidence of extraterrestrial life. US authorities once again stress: “Eyewitness accounts do not constitute confirmation of the existence of extraterrestrial beings or advanced non-human technology.”
This is only the beginning – according to announcements, further “drops” of declassified materials are to follow. For now, 161 documents, mainly scans of FBI files, are available at war.gov/UFO/.
The story is developing. This article is based on official documents published today by the Department of War and an article from the Daily Mail.
Source: Daily Mail
Update:
The UFO files show flying objects spotted by Apollo astronauts while on the surface of the Moon.
