Document · 20 October 2008
Ministry of Defence UFO correspondence files DEFE 24/1931 and DEFE 24/1942
Also known as DEFE 24/1931, DEFE 24/1942, MoD UFO correspondence 1988
Two files of the Ministry of Defence's UFO desk, Secretariat (Air Staff) 2a, mostly letters from the public and researchers, largely of 1988–89 with some older reports, and the MoD's replies, opened at The National Archives in the first release of MoD UFO files on 20 October 2008. Names of members of the public and witnesses are redacted.
They hold the papers on the 1957 Manston intercept: Milton Torres's narrative, his wingman's differing account, the solicitor's questions about an electronic-warfare experiment, an MoD memo on a newspaper enquiry, and the report that the U.S. Air Force had no record of the event.
Source: The National Archives (UK), DEFE 24/1931 and DEFE 24/1942, released October 2008; our copies are from The Black Vault's mirror of that release, and the page numbers are those of the PDFs.
Facts and claims
- documented DEFE 24/1931 holds the typed narrative of the F-86D pilot (Milton Torres, name redacted) of the 20 May 1957 scramble from RAF Manston (pp. 261–263), sent to the MoD in July 1988 with a solicitor's covering letter asking whether it was an “electronic warfare” experiment (p. 260). Source: defe-24-1931.pdf
- documented The same file holds the second pilot's letter, whose recollection “except for the fact that we did chase UFO's that evening, varies somewhat” from Torres's narrative (pp. 67–69), and an MoD memo of 18 November 1988 on a Daily Express enquiry about the story (p. 66). Source: defe-24-1931.pdf
- documented DEFE 24/1942 holds the solicitor's 1989 letter reporting that “the American Air Force appear to have no “official” record of the above event” (p. 261). Source: defe-24-1942.pdf
Connected files
Organizations
- The National Archives (UK) (released in)
Incidents
- RAF Manston F-86D ordered to fire on a radar UFO over East Anglia (about) — Holds both pilots' statements (DEFE 24/1931 pp. 67–69, 261–263), the solicitor's 1988 covering letter and the 1989 reply that the USAF had no record (DEFE 24/1942 p. 261)
Documents
Videos
- Citizen Hearing 2013: The Truth Embargo (discussed in)
- Milton Torres interview: ordered to fire 24 rockets at a UFO over England (1957) (discussed in)
Mentioned in this file
- Ministry of Defence (UK) (Organization)
- National Archives and Records Administration (Organization)
- The National Archives: guides to the Ministry of Defence UFO files (2008–2013) (Document)
- Milton Torres (Person)
More documents
- Ministry of Defence UFO files: release of 21 June 2013 (25 files)
- Ministry of Defence UFO files: release of 12 July 2012 (25 files)
- Ministry of Defence UFO files: release of 11 August 2011 (34 files)
- Ministry of Defence UFO files: release of 3 March 2011 (35 files)
- Ministry of Defence UFO files: release of 17 August 2009 (14 files)
- The National Archives (UK): UFO files release, highlights guide (August 2009)
Links
- The National Archives — DEFE 24/1931 (catalogue)
- The Black Vault — copies of the October 2008 release