CIA UFO Files Collection

January 14, 2021 — Central Intelligence Agency

Overview

In January 2021, the CIA made available its entire collection of UFO-related documents through a digital download. The collection contains approximately 2,780 pages of material spanning decades of UFO reports, analyses, and agency correspondence regarding unidentified aerial phenomena.

Contents

The collection includes reports of UFO sightings from around the world, internal CIA analyses of specific incidents, correspondence between intelligence agencies regarding UFO matters, and reports on foreign government UFO programs. Many documents contain redactions, particularly those relating to intelligence sources and methods.

Notable Revelations

Among the released documents are accounts of UFO sightings near sensitive military installations, reports of objects displaying capabilities exceeding known technology, and evidence that the CIA took the UFO phenomenon seriously despite public dismissals. The release represented a significant step toward transparency regarding the intelligence community's engagement with the UFO phenomenon.